The Folk of the Air is a young adult fantasy series written by Holly Black and published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers. The story follows the journey of a mortal girl named Jude Duarte and a faerie prince named Cardan Greenbriar as they deal with challenges such as hate, betrayal, and contempt while also experiencing feelings for each other. The series is a New York Times Best Seller.

Series

The Cruel Prince (2018) is the first book in the series. It follows Jude Duarte, a mortal girl living in Elfhame, a faerie world. Taken without her choice to Elfhame, Jude and her twin sister, Taryn, must learn to live with powerful creatures who strongly dislike humans and enjoy violent and exciting activities. They also learn about their feelings for faerie prince Cardan Greenbriar.

A Visit to the Impossible Lands (2018) is a short story that tells the events of The Cruel Prince from the perspective of Kaye and Roiben, characters from the Modern Tale of Faerie series. The story was included as a special extra in the Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition of The Cruel Prince.

The Lost Sisters (2018) is a novella that tells the story from the perspective of Jude's twin sister, Taryn Duarte. It is only available as an audiobook and an e-book.

The Wicked King (2019) is the second book in the series. It follows Jude as she gains new power and a role in the faerie world of Elfhame, while Cardan is placed on the throne. The two characters develop feelings for each other as they deal with politics, scandals, parties, and secret plans.

The Queen of Nothing (2019) is the third book of the series. It follows Jude and Cardan as they face Madoc, who wants the power and position of the throne, and also deal with how much they love each other.

Letters from Cardan to Jude in Exile (2019) are a series of letters written by Cardan to Jude. These letters take place between the events of The Wicked King and The Queen of Nothing. They were first included as special extra content in the Barnes & Noble edition of The Queen of Nothing and later released as an e-book three years after the book was first printed.

How the King of Elfhame Learned To Hate Stories (2020) is a novella that tells the story from Cardan's point of view.

The Stolen Heir (2023) is the first book in The Stolen Heir Duology. It is told from the perspective of Suren, the queen who ran away from The Court Of Teeth, now called Wren. The book shows what happens after High Queen Jude judges Wren and her mother, Lady Nore. Wren, who has the only real power to control her mother, now lives wild in the forest. She is unexpectedly taken on a mission with Prince Oak, who has grown up. Wren must protect her feelings for the boy she once knew but cannot trust, while facing the horrors she thought she had left behind.

The Prisoner's Throne (2024) is the second book in The Stolen Heir Duology. It is told from the perspective of Oak, the heir to the throne of Elfhame, who is now feeling lonely in the prison of the girl whose heart he took and the one he tricked to save his father. Full of regret and mixed emotions, Oak searches for a way to find Wren and ask for her forgiveness. He also wants to tell her he still loves her. Suddenly, he runs out of

The Cruel Prince

Jude Duarte, her twin sister Taryn Duarte, and her half-sister Vivienne live in the human world until a fae named Madoc, who is Vivienne’s biological father, arrives and kills their parents. The three sisters are then forced to live in Faerie for ten years with Madoc’s wife, Oriana, and their son, Oak, along with other fae.

Jude and Taryn are often mistreated by Prince Cardan Greenbriar, the youngest member of the Greenbriar Royal family, and his friends, Nicasia, Valerian, and Locke. During this time, the group nearly drowns Taryn and Jude, and Valerian forces Jude to jump from a tower, unaware of a magical protection given to her by Prince Dain that prevents her from being enchanted. Jude and Locke begin a romantic relationship.

At the same time, Prince Dain is set to become king soon. He hires Jude as a spy because humans can lie, a skill fae cannot. He places her in the Court of Shadows with three others: The Roach, The Bomb, and The Ghost. Prince Dain gives Jude a magical spell that protects her from being enchanted. Jude also starts taking small amounts of poison to build immunity to its effects.

Jude has dinner with Locke while wearing the dress of his late mother. She finds an acorn inside the dress, which contains a message about an heir to the throne who needs protection. Before the coronation, Oriana warns Jude about her relationship with Dain and explains that Locke’s mother, Liriope, was once a concubine to the High King Eldred but was later killed. Jude is later attacked by Valerian, who is drunk, and she kills him, hiding his body in the stables.

The coronation begins, but it is interrupted by Prince Balekin and Madoc, who kill Prince Dain. Balekin can only become king if a member of the royal family crowns him. During the chaos, several royal family members are killed, leaving only Cardan from the Greenbriar line. Cardan hides but is found by Jude, and they escape together. Jude later places Cardan in temporary arrest by the Court of Shadows for 24 hours, and they have a private conversation where they admit they care for each other.

Jude discovers that her relationship with Locke was a trick, and that Locke’s real fiancée is Taryn. She also learns that Liriope, Locke’s mother, is also Oak’s mother, and that Oak was fathered by Prince Dain, making him a royal heir. Prince Dain had ordered The Ghost to kill Liriope when she was pregnant with Oak because of a prophecy that said Dain would never rule if the child was born. Madoc planned to crown Oak as Regent to take control. Jude decides to have Cardan crown Oak as Regent while she rules as his advisor. Cardan agrees to this only because he does not want to be king.

Balekin hosts a banquet, and Jude and Cardan attend. Jude fights Madoc and wins because of her immunity to poison, which weakens Madoc. A bomb (set by The Bomb) explodes, causing chaos. During the confusion, the crown is given to Cardan, who is crowned by Oak, unaware of Jude’s plan for Cardan to rule. Cardan is angry. In the end, Cardan tells Jude that he will be her puppet king but will make it difficult for her to control him.

The Wicked King

Five months have passed since the events of The Cruel Prince. Cardan is now king, and he has been under Jude’s control for five months of his one-year-and-one-day agreement. No one knows that Jude, his advisor, holds power over him. Their mutual dislike continues. Jude hopes to extend her control over Cardan until her brother, Oak, is old enough to return to Faerie and rule.

Jude’s spies found a message from Balekin, asking Cardan to visit him in prison. Jude goes to the prison and discovers that Balekin and Orlagh, queen of the Undersea, are exchanging messages to weaken Cardan’s rule.

Jude’s twin sister, Taryn, asks Jude to attend her wedding to Locke. Later, Jude learns that Nicasia shot an arrow at Cardan. Nicasia admits she was angry to see Cardan with another girl. She intended to harm the girl but accidentally injured Cardan instead.

Orlagh announces her plan: she wants her daughter to marry Cardan. If he refuses, there will be consequences.

Madoc contacts Jude, asking her to help him achieve a shared goal. He wants to prevent Cardan from marrying Nicasia, fearing Orlagh’s ambitions. Madoc suggests using Oak as bait to lure Orlagh out, but Jude refuses.

Cardan calls Jude, suspecting she is hiding things. She admits to intercepting messages from Balekin. Cardan and Jude share a passionate kiss. Later, Cardan tells Jude about Orlagh’s planned actions. He also mentions their recent intimacy, but Jude stops him.

Jude shares information about Orlagh’s attack plan with Madoc, and they work to protect Oak. Later, Madoc overhears Jude giving orders to Cardan, learning of her control. Madoc agrees to help defeat Orlagh but warns they will become enemies afterward.

Jude learns that Orlagh rescued Balekin from prison, hoping to marry Nicasia to him and make him king. The Ghost joins Orlagh’s forces and reveals he has betrayed Jude.

Jude is captured in the Undersea and questioned by Orlagh. She learns that the legendary blacksmith Grimsen is crafting a new crown for Balekin. Cardan makes concessions to free Jude, including allowing Balekin to live as an ambassador to Elfhame from the Undersea.

Taryn tells Jude that Cardan and their father made a truce to try to get her back. Jude is summoned by Dulcamara from the Court of Termites. She learns that Cardan allowed the Undersea to attack the Court of Termites as part of her ransom. Dulcamara asks Jude to kill Prince Balekin, even if it causes war with the Undersea.

Jude goes to the palace to speak with Cardan, but Madoc locks her out. She finds evidence and sneaks into the palace to warn Cardan about Orlagh and Balekin’s plan to kill him. Cardan confesses to Jude that he betrayed others to get her back, as he had grown fond of her.

Cardan is poisoned, and Balekin sends a message claiming he has the antidote, offering to give it to Cardan in exchange for the crown. Jude duels Balekin for the antidote and kills him. When she returns to Cardan, she discovers Madoc had Taryn pretend to be Jude to trick Cardan into giving Madoc half of his army.

Later that night, Cardan asks Jude to return his free will by marrying him. This would allow her to give him royal orders directly, without needing to control him. He suggests they only need to stay married until Oak is ready to rule. They perform the ceremony themselves, and Jude releases him from her service.

The next morning, Cardan learns that Jude killed Balekin in a duel. Orlagh arrives, demanding Cardan explain why Jude killed her ambassador. Orlagh threatens war, and Cardan uses magic to trap Nicasia in a tree. Orlagh agrees to stop the war in exchange for Cardan freeing her daughter. To maintain peace with the Undersea, Cardan exiles Jude to the mortal world with Vivi and Oak, despite her objections.

The Queen of Nothing

A prophecy was made when Cardan Greenbriar was born. It said he would be the last child of Eldred and would destroy the crown and ruin the throne. The Royal Astrologer who made this prediction also said that a great ruler could rise from Cardan’s spilled blood, but only after the prophecy was fulfilled. Because of this prophecy, Cardan was treated poorly and raised in poor living conditions.

Jude returns home and finds that Taryn has come from the Faerie realm. Taryn tells Jude that she is pregnant, her husband Locke was abusive, and she killed him. She explains that an inquest will investigate Locke’s death and asks Jude to return to Faerie, pretending to be Taryn, so Taryn can falsely claim she did not murder Locke and avoid punishment. Jude agrees, even though it is dangerous because Cardan had banished her from Faerie with a death penalty unless she is pardoned by the crown. Jude returns to meet Cardan and the court, pretending to be Taryn. After the inquest, Cardan confronts Jude and reveals he knows she is not Taryn. He asks why she did not respond to his letters, and Jude says she never received them. An attack happens in the palace, and Jude is kidnapped by Madoc’s army, who believe she is Taryn.

While still believed to be Taryn, Jude is protected by Madoc. He has planned with the Court of Teeth to overthrow Cardan’s rule. Madoc hired the legendary blacksmith Grimsen to forge a sword that can overpower the Blood Crown Cardan wears. In the Court of Teeth’s camp, Oriana finds Jude and agrees to help her escape. While waiting to escape, Oriana discovers the Ghost, who is chained by Madoc. She learns that Locke knew the Ghost’s true name and shared it with Madoc as part of his marriage to Taryn.

During her escape, Jude is captured by Madoc, who stabs her and nearly kills her. As she bleeds on the snow, flowers bloom where her blood falls. Jude recalls that Baphen told her that things grow when the High King’s blood falls, confirming that she is still the High Queen of Elfhame.

Jude returns to the palace. Madoc and his army arrive with a sword forged by Grimsen, which matches the power of the Blood Crown. Madoc challenges Cardan to a duel to decide who will rule Faerie. He offers the sword to Cardan and thrusts it into the ground, causing the ground to crack and destroy the throne. Madoc questions whether Cardan has the people’s loyalty. Cardan recalls the prophecy about his birth and explains that people should choose their ruler freely, not be forced by a crown. He breaks the crown in half, not knowing Grimsen had cursed it, which turns Cardan into a snake. Grimsen warns that as a snake, Cardan will poison the land, and only death can stop it. Cardan, in snake form, kills Grimsen before burrowing into the ground.

Jude, acting as Queen, tries to find a way to rule against Madoc and cure Cardan’s curse. Madoc and the Court of Teeth give Jude a bridle that could control Cardan. Later, Jude learns the instructions given were incorrect, which would have trapped her with the snake and left Madoc in control. A plan is made for Jude to capture the snake, but instead of using the bridle, she cuts off the snake’s head. The second part of the prophecy is fulfilled when Cardan, in his original form, rises from the pool of the snake’s blood. In the Epilogue, Cardan and Jude are crowned as rulers, and Madoc is banished to live in the human world.

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories

The book is a group of short stories arranged into nine chapters, each filled with pictures. The chapters include tales from Cardan's early childhood, which take place before the main series; stories that happen during the time of the main series, told from Cardan's perspective; and stories that occur after the events in The Queen of Nothing.

Characters

• Jude Duarte: High Queen of Elfhame. She is the daughter of Eva and Justin. She is the twin sister of Taryn. She is the half-sister of Vivi. She is the foster daughter of Madoc. She is the adopted sister of Oak. She is the wife of Cardan.

• Cardan Greenbriar: High King of Elfhame. He is the son of Asha and Eldred. He is the half-brother of Balekin, Kaeliq, Elowyn, Dain, Rhyia, and Caelia. He is the husband of Jude.

• Madoc: Former Grand General of Elfhame. He was previously married to Eva. He is the father of Vivi. He is the adoptive father of Jude, Taryn, and Oak. He is married to Oriana.

• Taryn Duarte: Daughter of Eva and Justin. She is the twin sister of Jude. She is the half-sister of Vivi. She is the foster daughter of Madoc. She is the adoptive sister of Oak. She was previously married to Locke.

• Vivienne "Vivi" Duarte: Daughter of Eva and Madoc. She is the adopted daughter of Justin. She is the half-sister of Jude and Taryn. She is the adoptive sister of Oak. She is the girlfriend of Heather.

• Oriana: Former lover of Eldred. She is a friend of Liriope. She is the second wife of Madoc. She is the foster mother of Oak.

• Oak Greenbriar: Son of Liriope and Dain. He is the half-brother of Locke. He is the adopted son of Oriana and Madoc. He is the adopted brother of Jude, Taryn, and Vivi.

• Locke: Former Master of Revels of Elfhame. He is the son of Liriope. He is the half-brother of Oak. He was a former friend of Cardan and Valerian. He was previously involved with Nicasia. He was previously married to Taryn. He was killed by Taryn.

• Nicasia: Princess of the Undersea. She is the

Development

The series includes characters from Black's earlier Modern Tale of Faerie trilogy and her standalone novel The Darkest Part of the Forest. This shows that those books take place in the same world as The Folk of the Air series. Holly Black has also set her most recent book, The Prisoner's Throne, in Elfhame. This book is the second in a two-book series and comes after The Stolen Heir.

Special editions

The Folk of the Air series has been printed in special editions by several companies, including illumicate, Fairyloot, and Barnes and Noble. In 2022, Litjoy announced special editions with all the books from The Folk of the Air series. Two years later, Litjoy released a special edition of The Stolen Heir.

Film adaptation

In June 2017, it was announced that the book The Cruel Prince was selected for a movie version. Universal Pictures and Michael De Luca are producing the film.