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shizzlesisntevenaword · 1 month

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no but madoc has such depth you don’t understand because THIS scene in TQON

and this scene from TPT

Holly Black has said that she doesn’t want to write Madoc’s and Eva’s story because it would be too tragic. I get why now. He loved her. He well and truly loved her, as much as he could, in the only way he knew.

One of the several things that’s been made clear in The Prisoner’s Throne is how, in spite of Jude’s distrust in Madoc’s love for her and her siblings, it’s clear to everyone else that he does love them. We know Cardan had known it even before he really knew Jude, he said as much in TPT when listing all the reasons he “hated” her. But so does Oak. A clear example of this is when Oak observes it himself:

But there’s also a subtler example. It took a random, vulnerable mortal girl wondering about to make Madoc think about Eva. Because Jude and Taryn don’t. He thinks of them as his daughters, first, sharing his likeness and his hearth and cared for and raised and trained by him, and mortals, second. Sure, there’s an argument to be raised here in that if he loved them how could he be impervious to their perils, but he’s a Faerie, and a Redcap at that. Besides, he does know his children. He never doubted in Jude’s ability, only asking her to delay her quest for knighthood and not cancel it, insinuating that she would be in his war council. He knew Taryn was unsuited for Locke, knew she killed him, knew she would stand by her choice anyway. He knew of Oak’s bloodthirst and ploys; knew of Vivi’s preference for the mortal realm.

The character of Madoc is just so… Well done. I think he might be my favorite after Jurdan… and maybe Wren, despite her treatment in TPT.

#tfota #tcp #the cruel prince #jude duarte #the folk of the air #the wicked king #the queen of nothing #twk #tqona #madoc #the stolen heir #the prisoner’s throne #tsh #tpt

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manicpixiedreamfae · 5 months

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So I was wondering

If Oak is a gancanagh, Nicasia is a mermaid, Kaye is a pixie, Madoc is a redcap, Ravus (from Valiant) is a troll, etc etc

What type of Fae exactly is Cardan? And Roiben, for that matter 🤔

They're probably just considered as.... Elves/high elves, I guess?

#the folk of the air #the cruel prince #modern tales of faerie #the darkest part of the forest #modern faerie tales #cardan greenbriar #rath roiben rye #fae #fey #faery #faerie #elf #elves #holly black

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ezziefae · 5 months

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Thoughts while reading The Prisoners Throne Excerpt

Here's a rushed annotation of some parts of the excerpt that really drew my attention. Jurdan fans be ready for many surprises.

"Imagine you have a weapon. They had been in Vivi’s second apartment, standing on a small metal balcony. Inside, Taryn and Vivi had been fussing over Leander, who was learning to crawl. The Ghost had asked about Oak’s training and been uninterested in the excuse that he was eleven, had to go to school, and couldn’t be swinging around a longsword in the common space of the lawn without neighbors getting worried."

(this is a flashback) Taryn’s child makes their first debut!! Taryn named the boy Leander. (I’m assuming its a boy name) Since the Ghost is in Vivi’s apartments could that be a hint that he’s romantically involved with Taryn? Or it could also be that he’s accompanied Taryn to protect her. It's super cool to see The Ghost and Oak training together.

"Oak had actually liked making his own sword. It was huge and black with a bright red hilt covered in demonish faces. It looked like the sword of someone in an anime he’d been watching, and he felt like a badass, holding it in his hands. The sight of Oak’s blade had made the Ghost smile, but he didn’t laugh. Instead, he started moving through a series of exercises, urging Oak to follow. He told the prince should call him by his non‑spy name, Garrett, since they were friends."

Love that Holly is still referencing anime in the Elfhame series. Can we also talk about The Ghost’s character development? In TFOTA series he always kept to himself, and now he’s letting his closest friends call him by his real name.

"The prince has been imprisoned three weeks, according to the tallies he’s made in the dust beneath the lone bench. Long enough to dwell on every mistake he has made on his ill‑fated quest."

THREE WEEKS??? What the heck have Jude and Cardan been doing for three weeks??? I honestly expected for him to be rescued asap. If anything Jude and Cardan have been carefully planning to save oak and I guess that takes a lot of time.

"His family must be in a panic right now. He trusts that Tiernan got Madoc to Elfhame safely, no matter what the redcap general wanted. But Jude would be furious with Tiernan for leaving Oak behind and even angrier with Madoc, if she guesses just how much of this is his fault."

I really want to see someone from Elfhame’s POV on Jude finding out on Oak being taken prisoner by Wren. I want to see a raging Jude. I’d be terrified to be in Tiernan’s place, since it was his job to protect Oak, and he failed that.

"Possibly Cardan would be relieved to be rid of Oak, but that wouldn’t stop Jude from making a plan to get him back. Jude has been ruthless on Oak’s behalf before, but this is the first time it’s scared him. Wren is dangerous. She is not someone to cross. Neither of them are."

OHH??? OHHH???? So many things are thrown at us here. Oak has a reason to believe that Cardan doesn’t like him??? To the point where Oak believes Cardan would even be RELIEVED to get rid of him? That was SUPER unexpected. Oak finally takes it in that neither Wren or Jude are people to cross. As much as I hate saying this, I want a Jude and Wren fight. That would be amazing. Not saying I want either of them to die, or get hurt, but that would be an intense scene.

“I can do better,” he says. “And perhaps you might bring me a little gossip to cheer the chilly monotony of my days.” “You’re very silly, Your Highness,” she says after a moment, biting her bottom lip a little.

Oak is using his most dangerous power, seduction. Screaming.

"He remembers Oriana’s warning to him when he was a child. A power like the one you have is dangerous, she said. You can know what other people most want to hear. Say those things, and they will not only want to listen to you. They will come to want you above all other things. The love that a gancanagh inspires—some may pine away for desire of it. Others will carve the gancanagh to pieces to be sure no one else has it."

I'm so glad holly is diving deep into this, We know that Locke also had this power, and how he was wielding it in TFOTA series.

"That night, he wakes to the sight of a snake crawling down the wall, its black metal body jeweled and glittering. A forked emerald tongue tastes the air at regular intervals, like a metronome. It startles him badly enough for him to back up against the bars, the iron hot against his shoulders. He has seen creatures like it before, forged by the great smiths of Faerie. Valuable and dangerous. The paranoid thought comes to him that poison would be one straightforward way to solve the problem of his being held by an enemy of Elfhame. If he were dead, there’d be no reason to pay a ransom."

Oak sees this snake, and he immediately thinks it was sent from elfhame to kill him. Which is insane for him to believe that.

"He doesn’t think his sister would allow it, but there are those who might risk going around her. Grima Mog, the new grand general, would know exactly where to find the prince, having served the Court of Teeth herself. Grima Mog might look forward to the war it would start. And, of course, she answered to Cardan as much as Jude."

"Not to mention there was always the possibility that Cardan convinced Jude that Oak was a danger to them both."

WHAT IS THIS DISAPPROVAL CARDAN HAS ON OAK?? The fact that Oak believes Cardan sent the snake to KILL HIMM, that's absolute madness. Like what the helll did this man do to Oak to make him feel this way?? Cryingggg.

"It yawns widely enough for him to see silver fangs. The links of its body move, and a ring comes up from its throat, clanging to the floor. He leans down and lifts it. A gold ring with a deep blue stone, scuffed with wear. His ring, a present from his mother on his thirteenth birthday and left behind on his dresser because it no longer fit his finger. Proof that this creature was sent from Elfhame. Proof that he was supposed to trust it."

THIS IS THE RING THAT'S ON THE COVER!! Now we know what the ring means to Oak!!

“Prinss,” it says. “In three daysssss, you mussss be ready for resssss‑cue.” “Rescue?” Not here to poison him, then. The snake just stares with its cold, glittering eyes.

Okay so Jude sent a snake as a messenger to Oak, to let him know that they're coming to save him in three days. Cool….coool.

“Give me longer,” he says, no matter that it’s ridiculous to negotiate with a metal snake and even more ridiculous to negotiate for his own imprisonment, just in order to get a chance to speak with someone who refuses to see him. “Two more weeks perhaps. A month.”

THIS STUBBORN BOYYYYYY. Oh I know Jude would be absolutely furious for that.

"Oak slides the ring onto his pinkie finger, watching the snake as it coils its way up the wall. Halfway to the ceiling, he realizes that just because it wasn’t sent to poison him doesn’t mean it wasn’t sent to poison someone."

BIG MISTAKE MISTER SNAKE, BIGGGGG MISTAKEEEE.

He jumps onto the bench and grabs for it, catching the end of its tail. With a tug, it comes off the wall, falling against his body and coiling around his forearm. “Prinsssss,” it hisses. As it opens its mouth to speak, he notes the tiny holes in the points of its silvery fangs. When it does not strike, Oak pries the snake carefully from around his arm. Then, gripping the end of its tail firmly, he slams it down against the stone bench. Hears the cracking of its delicate mechanical parts. A gem flies off. So does a piece of metal. He whips it against the bench again.

Oak really said “oh hell no, you're not killing the women i love, nah uh,” and then proceeds to kill it in a very violent unsettling manner. Everyone was right when they said that Oak was like Madoc.

Straun spits on the floor in front of the prince’s cage. “No amount of gold or gems will save you. If my winter queen wants you to rot here, you’re going to rot.” “Your winter queen?” Oak repeats, unable to stop himself. The falcon looks a little shamefaced and turns to go back to his post. He’s young, Oak realizes. Older than Oak, but not by so very much. Younger than Hyacinthe. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Wren made such an impression on him. It shouldn’t bother Oak, shouldn’t fill him with a ferocious jealousy.

THE JEALOUSY HAS ME CACKLING. He was imprisoned, neglected in his cell by wren and yet he's jealous whenever someone else has lovey dovey eyes for wren. This man is so down for wren, and I don’t blame him.

The Ghost taught him how to move stealthily, but he’s never been very good at it. He blames his hooves, heavy and hard. They clack at the worst possible times. But he makes an effort, sliding them against the floor to minimize noise.

Super cool to see how much The Ghost has impacted Oak's skills. The court of shadows in general has been a huge part in Oak’s training and it shows.

Oak moves fast, jerking Straun backward and covering his nose and mouth with the cloth. The guard struggles, but inhaling blusher mushroom slows his movements. Oak presses him to the floor until he’s unconscious.

THERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Welp, The excerpt ends in Oak escaping his cell…..after all thar chaos i've become too impatient. Just 3 Months until this book comes out !!!

#CARDAN DOESNT LIKE OAK?? THATS INSANE #JUDE AND CARDAN ARE REALLY COMING BACK #jude duarte #holly black #the folk of the air #jurdan #oak greenbriar #the prisoners throne #elfhame #the stolen heir #cardan greenbriar #the cruel prince #The Prisoners Throne Peeks

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zinniax · 5 months

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Deleted scene tsh oak/madoc

"She was going to send someone else?"

He just looks at me.

"Several someones," I amend.

"And you figured that since she's already angry with me, I'd be eager to make her angrier?" Madoc gives a heavy sigh.

He's raised four children, more or less, and all of us frustrate him in one way or another. I am used to being the least frustrating, probably because I am the youngest.I can tell that's about to change.

"She won't do anything that puts you in danger," he says.

She is my sister, of course. Jude, whom he calls by neither her name nor her title. And if that seems to give both even more significance, I will not be the one to make that point. Let him believe that he is snubbing her, not affording her even greater consequence.

"I am tired of being the one everyone protects," I say.

“I can see that," he says. "But there's no shame in deciding you've made a mistake if it turns out that heroics don't suit you."

_______________________________________________

Omg!! How important this scene is and how much oak is still a teenager!! And it’s just like I wonder how oak will react and if he’ll have some type of complex or blame himself when or if he finds out that the only reason jude and madoc are at odds is bc how they wanted oak on the throne but handled it way differently.

Jude wanted the throne to protect oak. Madoc wanted the throne to ultimately control oak. Jude knew madoc would go crazy with power and it would be the downfall of him and their family. In order to stop that she put the person who really hates the “throne” and the power that comes with it.

The similarities between father and daughter is something I absolutely love to read and make connections. Madoc and Jude are both or would be using someone to control the fate of Elfhame but again jude wanted the power to protect her siblings from the fae and madoc wanted to “protect” his family but I think if he ruled he and his family would’ve ended up in danger. It would be as of balkin was king.

Madoc would’ve never gave up the power, he would’ve created unnecessary wars in the name of his hunger for blood. That’s why Jude exiled him to the human world. I think part of it was payback for her parents to send him to the world her mother escaped to but also he’s a redcap and he needs bloodshed, he can’t really do that in the human world. it was a forced rehab in a way. Cardan and Jude are done with the rules and “patriarchy” of the court/throne. They will gladly make the tough decisions and pave the way for that than to have oak to be the one todo that. They want him to have a peaceful happy reign. Again Jude is protecting oak. Protecting oak against madoc. Protecting oak against the court. And again that’s why oak rebelled against Jude wishes. But again madoc knows how deep Jude’s love is for her siblings and even him. Jude will always protect, rescue,help, and love her siblings. She’ll always be there for them and the people she loves.

#and why does oak call madoc’ madoc and not dad?! yk cuz he ‘raised’ him #jude greenbriar #oak greenbriar #cardan greenbriar #jude duarte #madoc tcp #tcp #the stolen heir #the cruel prince #tfota series

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clockworkbee · 3 months

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tfota characters appreciating Jude after tcp

Remember when Jude so badly wanted to be seen for all her effort and just be acknowledged and appreciated? She wanted Madoc to see her as a capable knight. She wanted the court royals to see her worth and make her part of the royal guard. And once she became the spy she never thought to be only to deal with more shit than she ever could have imagined, all she wished for was someone who would see it all and congratulate her.

I have lied and I have betrayed and I have triumphed. If only there was someone to congratulate me.

and of course, your girl here finally decided to compile those few times it actually happened because damn, if I were Jude, their acknowledgement and appreciation would have made me break down and ugly cry-

The Roach appreciating Jude in twk

and it hits especially because, as readers, we know not only what she dealt with in the Undersea, but also what happened right before that and how hard it physically was for Jude to sneak into Cardan’s room after he got her released and how nothing could stop her from getting to him (not even a weak body, like plz)

Cardan acknowledging Jude in qon

Again, this hits not only because it's Cardan who's saying the words but because he actually sees her; he saw her fall, he saw her bleeding, he definitely saw more because he's the one who cleaned her wounds. He saw it all, and he knew, even if it terrified him.

Madoc surrendering to Jude

(and I can not emphasize this enough, when he could've attacked her and we know well enough that he's not so honorable as all that; not above stabbing in the back), which was basically his way of acknowledging her wisdom (or decisions) as a ruler and deciding to bend his knee to the crown.

in short, a friendly reminder <3

#jurdan #jude duarte #cardan greenbriar #the roach #madoc redcap #jude and madoc #the wicked king #queen of nothing #the cruel prince #the folk of the air #tfota #holly black

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ali1552 · 22 days

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Honestly, I want to make an Ode to Madoc.

As an editor, I think he really sums up a lot of the reasons why I love Holly’s writing so much.

(I’m going to yap for a while, but he deserves it.)

We’ve got the classical folklore call-to-arms: an ogre breaks into your home and slaughter your parents. What’s left for you, if not revenge?

Then realism, even in a folk world: you’re five, how the fuck are you supposed to avenge them?

- Then, a personal touch to make it even more scary: he’s not an ogre, but a redcap. He bathes his cap into his enemies’s blood. That’s how scary he is. Thanks to Shrek and other tales, Ogres aren’t that scary in the mind of a reader. But a redcap? Yeah, that’s creepy.

But redcap, or ogre, Madoc is the masculine traditional man, with it’s pros and cons. (I really don’t want to make this political, but he kinda is?)

If he were more logical, less violent, he wouldn’t have killed their parents. At the same time, was he a little less honorable, he would have left the twins there. They were toddlers, they would have died somehow.

Bringing them to Elfhame and glamouring them would have been a sign of weakness, because they’re not his problem, but he couldn’t kill children (I’m kinda sure he would, at least before becoming a dad).

Raising them himself is the true show of his character. He thinks of it as a punishment for himself, to pay back for his crime, but in reality it is just a second crime. Not only I’m sure he enjoyed it, but the ones who actually suffer from it are the twins, again.

Was he a little less self-centered, less focused on a world made of honor and punishments, he would have found them an accommodation in the mortal world. Or at least care enough to notice what they were going through.

But he didn’t.

And in the end, the murder wasn’t Jude’s inciting incident, but Madoc’s.

For Jude, it’s her childhood. And even if she spent her childhood in the magical kingdom of Elfhame, having a fucked up childhood is so much more relatable and realistic than avenge-your-parents kind of motive.

Back to Madoc, his “punishment” is simple: he will see his children amount to everything he dreamed for himself, basically every parent’s dream.

But since he is a very fucked up parent, he hates it.

—

To sum up my yapping, Holly manages to mix enough fantasy elements to make us dream, with enough realistic elements to make us see and feel them.

An ogre breaks into your home, slaughtering your parents. How does he feel about it? Will he be a better parent?

But there is no such thing as the better parent. Parents are by definition the most morally grey characters: if they’re good, they’ll do their best.

But that isn’t always the best.

So Madoc, the murderer, the ogre, becoming the parent is absolutely genius.

And it’s also why I’d dying to see Jude as a parent!

#madoc #the cruel prince #jude x cardan #jude duarte #cardan greenbriar #the wicked king #queen of nothing #the prisoners throne #the stolen heir #father #father and daughter #fantasy #bookblr #writing #creative writing #holly black

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waytoooldforthissh · 9 months

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Jude During Her Exile

Alright, screw it.. I need to exorcize this from by brain. Jude thinks she is wiped off the board during her exile, but she actually holds a lot of cards and, if it weren’t about feelings, both Madoc and Cardan would be insane not to either use her or kill her.

Jude is the only person with intimate knowledge of how both operate. For Madoc, she has met every advisor to Cardan, knows the structure of his spies, their level of influence as well as Cardan’s strengths and weaknesses. For Cardan, Madoc taught Jude his strategy and philosophy and, using it, Jude has already out maneuvered Madoc at least once.

Instead of expecting Jude to beg for forgiveness, if Madoc were savvy he would recruit her when she’s at her most pissed at Cardan. Forgive her without an i-told-you-so or anything, to win her trust and loyalty. She may actually start to believe she chose the wrong side and back him in earnest. Instead, he always lords it over her like she is the fool and talks down to her and therefore can never really win her and use her to his advantage.

So instead, Jude–who has always had to keep targets off of both her and Cardan’s back (and was significantly weakened because she was captured to get to Cardan)–is suddenly free to quietly rest and recover off the board and let her two enemies damage each other. Both Cardan and Madoc throwing her out means that all the other parties on the board don’t think she has value, so she can essentially sit quietly and see where the chips fall.

She can go to Grima Mog and, instead of using her to back Madoc like Cardan thought, use her to exploit weaknesses in Madoc’s ally, the Court of Teeth. She could promise Grima Mog the Court of Teeth herself when or if they move on Madoc.

Not to mention, the Court of Termites backs Jude and not Cardan. Cardan let the undersea attack with no repercussions, while Jude killed Balekin and cleared the debt. She went into exile paying that debt while Cardan sat on his hands. Roiben would 100% back Jude. All she has to do is tell him to not show up to whatever little fight Madoc and Cardan get into, and Cardan is significantly weakened by his strongest court’s absence.

Maybe the Undersea backs Cardan, weakening Madoc, maybe they don’t as Cardan can’t give them the spot of Queen anymore because he’s already given that away.

Whoever wins is going to be beat up at the end. Maybe Madoc gets to Cardan but realizes he can’t actually take the crown because Jude is queen and both monarchs have to step down. She exploits weaknesses in the Court of Teeth through Grima Mog. She uses her power of the land that Madoc does not expect her to have. Also, she has the fresh Court of Termites.

Maybe Cardan wins, but takes heavy casualties. Now Jude shows up fresh with the Court of Termites and another fresh redcap general. She knows him and his Court of Shadows better than anyone, she could take them while they are weak.

So, yeah, Jude could cripple both sides by just staying home and getting her allies to stay home.

How does she actually take back leadership? This one is more of a stretch, but installing Roiben as regent until Oak is of age. He has seelie and unseelie backing and a dangerous reputation. She has the power of the land and the crown (particularly important to hold off usurpers from the Undersea).

So,yeah, if Jude was thinking clearly, the exile actually did her a huge favor. It took the target off her back and let her rest and plan while her two enemies went at each other. Leaving her to come in and wipe the victor off the map and maybe even continue to hold a similar amount of power, eventually putting Oak on the throne.

#folk of the air #jude duarte #jude x cardan #cardan greenbriar #madoc #the wicked king #queen of nothing #cruel prince #tfota

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cromulentreader · 6 months

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The parallels between the relationships between Jude and Madoc vs Cardan and Balekin in TFOTA are so interesting to read (over and over again).

Jude is a human who is nurtured by a redcap. She feels insulted by the idea of not being believable as an assassin - thinks about this as often as about Cardan's long fingers in the first part of TCP. This makes me believe Madoc was nurturing something in her nature. It's not like Madoc was aiming to make her into a killing machine. Neither it was the easiest way to live as a mortal in Faerie.

I didn't think much of this one the first time I read TCP, but it's so telling that Cardan's morals do not come from Balekin. No one was raising Cardan - I wonder how this came to be. In Valiant, set in the same world, there's a reference to folk not liking being reminded of death. Perhaps this is not an unusual view, and it's not noticeable from Jude's POV, either because she's raised in Madoc's household or because she's normalizing murder regularly. Or Cardan might have set his morals more on the theory since he didn't truly have a family growing up.

#cardan greenbriar #jude duarte #tfota #the cruel prince

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elconejitolector · 8 months

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The folk of the air

A few days ago I made a review of the three books of this series in Spanish , but I wanted to make a comment in English too. I won’t make another review because basically I would be translating what I said before, and right now I just what to share my opinion in a more casual way because seriously, I can’t get the series off my mind.

The folk of the air caught me. I was so attached by it so quickly that I’m still surprised, because it doesn’t happen often. I just have to say that I fell in love with the whole story. I love how I was forced to put myself in the other charachters shoes to understand their behaviour. I love that all the characters have their bad and good things, just like in reality. I simply fell in love with Cardan Greenbriar, even though I’m pretty sure everyone started hating him. But as the story develops, we get to know more about Cardan's past and feelings, and we get to understand why he is how he is. The same happens with characters like Madoc, who in my opinion, is not totally bad. We are forced to understand that in Faerie things aren’t like in our world. The moral in Faerie is totally different from ours, so we are forced to at least try to understand Folk's behaviour by their nature. For example Madoc, who is a redcap which means he is blood thirsty by nature, so that can explain some of the decisions he makes. I think the best example of what I’m trying to explain is Cardan. Cardan, who despite being born under the crown and being a prince, was neglected, mistreated and despised by everyone who was supposed to love him. We see how when he was a child, he craved and begged for his mother’s attention, who would only push him to the ground and let him be suckled by a cat so she could go to revels. He was so jealous of Jude because she, being the result of the treason by Eva, her mother, to Madoc, she was loved and never pushed aside by her foster father, while Cardan, even after Asha was sent to the tower of forgetting, was still being mistreated by his brother. I love the fact that Cardan slowly begins to feel, he stars caring about other person than himself, and I love that. Of course the other characters past and nature can’t justify the bad things they make, but at least we can understand them, and try to sympathize with them.

I seriously recommend this series to everyone who loves fantasy stories. It has a cliché that is handled so good it’s exquisite and tortuous at the same time.

#cardan greenbriar #the folk of the air #books and reading #book #books #jurdan #jude duarte

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