Book Review: How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories

By Holly Black 

3 stars 

This book is an addition to the Folk of Air series but not directly in the series itself; it features Carden's upbringing and is also an additional short story after The Queen of Nothing book. The book is written in the third person perspective but follows the King, explaining how he thinks and why he did what he did. How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories can be read as a standalone book or following the series. It is also no longer really a teen book but can be a book read to younger kids as well, as it has multiple altercations of short stories which are easy to understand.

After reading the Folk of Air series, I decided to continue to the book How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories. Written under 200 pages, this was definitely quick enough to finish in a day. It does not go as in-depth as one would wish, nor does it really have a plot either, but it is a good transition book. The book barely fits in the fantasy genre and can definitely be skipped over since it does not benefit the series. The part I liked most about this book was its illustrations; though they were not perfect, I was able to understand the characters more clearly and the Faerieland where it takes place.   

Reviewed by Evelyn 

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