How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories

By: Holly Black, Rovina Cai - illustrator

Narrated by: Caitlin Kelly

Length: 2 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's Summary

Return to the captivating world of Elfhame with this addition to the New York Times best-selling Folk of Air trilogy that began with The Cruel Prince, from award-winning author Holly Black.

Once upon a time, there was a boy with a wicked tongue.

Before he was a cruel prince or a wicked king, he was a faerie child with a heart of stone. Number one New York Times best-selling author Holly Black reveals a deeper look into the dramatic life of Elfhame's enigmatic high king, Cardan. This tale includes delicious details of life before The Cruel Prince, an adventure beyond The Queen of Nothing, and familiar moments from the Folk of the Air trilogy, told wholly from Cardan's perspective.

This new installment in the Folk of the Air series is a return to the heart-racing romance, danger, humor, and drama that enchanted listeners everywhere. 

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Holly Black (P)2020 Hachette Audio

Critic Reviews

"Offers new delights along with familiar moments retold...fans will rejoice in every dark, luscious moment."—Kirkus 

This was a good story

I liked it all but it was short. I do not think it should have cost the same as a full audible book. Since the average audible book is over 6 hours. I did use a credit but still it was too short to cost almost $20. That is my only complaint

Why is it sold separately?

Not worth a full credit. This short story, as entertaining as it is, could easily have been woven into the trilogy, were it not for the chosen narrative POV. It is not as extensive or informative as “Four” tagged on to the Divergent trilogy.
As is stated in this short story, writers can make stories mean anything. It would be interesting to see how Gregory Maguire would rewrite the events in Elfhame.

i love cardan

Audio:
Easygoing and melodic. There was no need to speed up narration rate, or slow it down.

Personal:
I ʟȏṿє how the same author was allowed to continue the narration. Her voice is perfect and she is highly enjoyable. I had gone ahead and bought the continuation without checking, panicked before I fell back into Elfhame with her voice.

Overall:
I adored how well this wrapped up (gave me more details I wanted desperately) my favorite parts from previous 3 books. And how it also included a bonus for our king and queen, was the cherry on top.

This was a small collection of short stories told from from Cardan’s point of view. Some of the stories we already knew, while others are heartbreaking yet expected. This short novella was the absolute BEST way to end my journey in Elfhame.


Final Words:
The past (and furthered) stories served to endear me even more to my favorite villainous power couple. Holly Black is magnificent with her faerie tales. Now that I’ve seen what she can do, HB is on my short list of auto-buys.

Cardan and Jude truly deserve each other.
Long may they reign!

Additional. Auxiliary. Addictive.

I love any kind of inclusion to a wonderful series! Just like The Lost Sisters, this wasn’t a proper sequel but an insightful addition nonetheless. In typical Black fashion, she doesn’t just add to the series, but gives us a whole different perspective on the characters through a specific event. A great read for those who love The Folk Of The Air.

Fun & short

Story was fun to hear but it should be longer. And, story should have included more flashbacks to TWK and QON i.e: queen of mirth, undersea, exile, etc...

Disappointed

I was disappointed. The story wasn't terrible but the problem was most of it was the same story told three times in different ways. There was barely anything about Jude and for a story so short I thought there would be more about there relationship.

lovely just lovely

I absolutely love all 5 of the books please feel free to write a six

Just ok

I love Holly Black, but I wouldn't pay for this again. It's so short, I suggest reading it instead. Usually you get more insight as to what the other POV is thinking during interactions with the other main character, but you get veerrrryyyy little of that. You do get a bit more insight into his childhood, but it's super short, more of a teaser. The writing is good as is the narration, it's just not worth the money.

Good story, too short

I really enjoyed this story, but I wish it had been longer. I would have loved to have gotten even more of Cardan’s perspective during what happened in the rest of the books, and more of how his relationships with his family unfolded. Maybe even a little bit more about some of the other characters in the court of shadows, and Taryn.

I wasted my time and money on this one

I already have problems with the way the story is narrated. it sounds as if the narrator is reading word from word like an elementary school student.
Not only was the voice over work terrible but the whole story was a disappointment. I really enjoyed the other books in the series and looked forward to hearing it from Carden's pov. but this was a serious let down. we don't learn much from his perspective and the whole thing sounds like filler and an author's desperate grab to remain relevant and popular.