Throughout The Folk of the Air series Holly Black managed to do something very few authors have been able to: take a character I hated from their very first introduction and turn them into someone I love deeply. Cardan Greenbriar is far from perfect. In fact, he is at times cruel and terrible. But his wickedness doesn't run as deep as he or others believe. With How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories we see how Cardan became that way, the darkness in him fostered by neglect, abuse, and insecurities. We also see how love outshines that darkness over time, letting the good in him grow. Each new part, paired with wonderful illustrations, made the story that came before that much better.