Series · romantic fantasy
The Folk of the Air
The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black has 4 books and is best read in publication order, starting with The Cruel Prince (2018).
- Books
- 3 novels + 1 novella
- First published
- 2018
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: The Cruel Prince (2018) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Cruel Prince
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cruel Prince - Book 2:
The Wicked King
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Wicked King - Book 3:
The Queen of Nothing
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Queen of Nothing - Book 4:
How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories
Alternative text for cover: Cover of How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories
About The Folk of the Air
After her parents are murdered by a faerie general, Jude Duarte grows up mortal in the treacherous High Court of Faerie, alongside her sisters -- one Fae, one changeling like her. Mortals have no real power in Elfhame, so Jude claws for scraps of it any way she can: political games, poison, blades, and an increasingly dangerous rivalry with Prince Cardan, the cruelest and most beautiful of the High King's children.
Holly Black built the modern fae-court romantasy template here: a mortal girl who refuses to stay powerless among people who see her as beneath them, a love interest who starts out actively cruel and stays morally grey even once feelings shift, and a plot driven by court intrigue, betrayal, and characters willing to do genuinely ruthless things to survive. Jude is not a nice heroine by design -- she's ambitious, vindictive, and willing to match Faerie's cruelty with her own, which is a large part of the trilogy's enduring appeal.
For readers who want the enemies-to-lovers fae romance that predates and shaped the current BookTok wave (Black was writing morally grey Fae royalty well before it was a trend), sharp political maneuvering, and a heroine who wins through cunning rather than raw power, this is one of the genre's foundational texts.
How to read this series
Read the trilogy in publication order: The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King, The Queen of Nothing. The story is continuous and each book ends on a real cliffhanger, so it's best read as one long arc rather than three standalone visits.
The companion novella How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories is told from Cardan's point of view and is best saved for after the trilogy, once you know the ending -- it's a treat for existing fans rather than an entry point. A separate spin-off duology, The Stolen Heir and The Prisoner's Throne, continues the wider Elfhame world through different lead characters (Oak and Wren); it's tracked as its own series and isn't required to finish this trilogy's story.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in The Folk of the Air series?
Four: the trilogy (The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King, The Queen of Nothing) plus the companion novella How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories.
What order should I read The Folk of the Air in?
Publication order: The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King, The Queen of Nothing, then the novella. Each novel ends on a cliffhanger, so read them back to back.
Is there a sequel series to The Cruel Prince?
Yes. The Stolen Heir duology (The Stolen Heir and The Prisoner's Throne) continues the Elfhame world with new lead characters, Oak and Wren. It's tracked as a separate series.
Is The Folk of the Air trilogy finished?
Yes, it's a complete trilogy plus one companion novella.
Do I need to read the novella to understand the trilogy?
No. How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories is bonus Cardan point-of-view content best read after finishing the main trilogy.
Reading order last verified .