I had been looking forward into reading How The King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black since August 2020, so when I read it first thing this year, the book almost looked up to all my expectations. *Almost.*

I got introduced to a side of Cardan that was a mystery to us before – an emotional, sophisticated side of him that I fell in love with all over again. I got to see a deeper part of him that was beyond his wicked mind and sharp tongue. We also got a glimpse of Cardan and Nicasia’s relationship and their scandalous breakup which was super fun to read. The illustrations inside the book were so beautiful, and even though I am a reader who loves words more than pictures, I had to stop a minute to admire the artworks.

However, I was once again hoping to get more of the Cardan and Jude chemistry in this book which I hadn’t gotten in The Queen of Nothing, but I still couldn’t get it. There was a tale in between the story which was constantly under a highlight, and it was something that was repeated thrice. I found that kind of tiresome to read through as it sounded almost always the same but with a different ending. I really expected to read the things the author couldn’t add in her last book, but unfortunately I was still not fully satisfied.

I will keep my first book review of 2021 precise and only say this: whatever my complains might be; as it’s a Holly Black book, you’d definitely love the story and the characters a lot none the less. 3.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️