An imprisoned Prince. A vengeful Queen. And a battle that will determine the future of Elfhame.
Holly Black’s beloved Folk of Heir universe is back with the conclusion to the Stolen Heir duology, The Prisoner’s Throne. This title graced almost every single Most Anticipated of 2024 list there was and for good reason, especially since The Stolen Heir and The Cruel Prince have been some of the hottest releases in recent years and are #Booktok favourites.
The Prisoner’s Throne wastes no time, picking up directly after the events of the conclusion of The Stolen Heir, with Prince Oak being imprisoned by the girl he once loved, turned ruthless ruler, Queen Wren. Locked away in The Court of Teeth with the bridle that once harnessed the captivity of Queen Wren, Prince Cardan is helplessly caught between hope for Wren’s redemption and his allegiance to the throne of Elfhame. The remainder of the novel follows the political fallout of Wren’s vengeance and Queen Jude’s decision between saving the rightful heir to her throne and dooming Elfhame with yet another treacherous battle.
With addictive tropes like friends to enemies, enemies to lovers then back to enemies again. I wanted to love this conclusion just as much as the next reader, however, it fell short. A common complaint with this duology is the pacing and I’m sad to confirm that The Prisoner’s Throne does not successfully escape these complaints. The falling action and conclusion were rushed that it became impossible to digest the ramifications of the impending war and invest any emotions in the outcomes that Black came up with. To be fair, I felt whiplash from the main conflict and conclusion being so close together that I was literally flipping pages thinking that my proof was misprinted. “That can’t be the end” was all I could mutter to myself before the disappointment set in. I don’t feel like there was enough time to sit with the events that happened in this book.
This could either be a deliberate decision if the author wanted to entice the reader into another spin-off story in the same universe where they buy into another series with the same sentiment, but I’m not entirely sure that was her intention here. I think the conclusion was, unfortunately, rushed and not fully fleshed out, the way the other books in this universe were.
We are happy to confirm for the readers that there are not one, not two but numerous Judeardan appearances—which seems to be what the readers want to see anyway. Queen Jude is a prominent side character in this story, mostly whisking in to try and rescue her captive brother, her storyline aligns with the classic Jude style, ruthless, powerful, and witty.
If there is one thing Holly Black excels at, it’s writing entertaining, angsty fae drama. Did she succeed here? Yes, sure. Was it as anticipated and amazing as it was set out to be? Unfortunately, no. Nevertheless, it’s always a wonderful journey to pick up one of Black’s books.
The Prisoner’s Throne is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
An imprisoned prince. A vengeful queen. And a battle that will determine the future of Elfhame.
Prince Oak is paying for his betrayal. Imprisoned in the icy north and bound to the will of a monstrous new queen, he must rely on charm and calculation to survive. With High King Cardan and High Queen Jude willing to use any means necessary to retrieve their stolen heir, Oak will have to decide whether to attempt regaining the trust of the girl he’s always loved or to remain loyal to Elfhame and hand over the means to end her reign—even if it means ending Wren, too.
With a new war looming on the horizon and treachery lurking in every corner, neither Oak’s guile nor his wit will be enough to keep everyone he loves alive. It’s just a question of whom he will doom.
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black comes the stunning blood-soaked conclusion to the Stolen Heir duology.
