The Prisoner’s Throne felt like coming home—a home belonging to my murderous and secretive fae family. Holly Black is back with a twisty adventure in Elfhame that gave me the same drunk-on-faerie-wine feelings I experienced with The Cruel Prince series. But this time, we hear it from Prince Oak’s perspective as his past and future collide in a dangerous game to rule Elfhame. Spoilers for The Stolen Heir ahead.
Wren has come into power in the Court of Teeth, and Prince Oak is wasting away in a dungeon cell. It’s not Oak’s first choice of predicaments, but he’s working on a way out, or at least his sister, Jude, is. Fans of Black’s novels know that power is a fickle thing among the fae of Elfhame, and uncertainty tinges the air now that there’s a new queen on the throne. Can Oak prevent a war between Wren and Elfhame, uncover harmful plots against his family, and convince a queen that his feelings are true?
Where The Stolen Heir was more of an adventuring and quest-driven story, The Prisoner’s Throne changes it up and focuses on political machinations and power-hungry plots for many thrones. Now that I’ve finished this duology, Heir feels much more like a setup book to establish Wren, Oak, and the current state of affairs in Elfhame. As a result, Throne becomes the fun, rewarding, and devastating culmination of everyone’s dastardly deeds. Once again, Black continued to expand the world and cut deep by revealing secrets from The Cruel Prince series that are now coming back to haunt Oak. I love how interconnected everything felt. Events from the main series affected the current tale, but Oak still had his unique trial that spurned even more chaos, all the while dealing with his past.
In my review of book one, I shared that I had a hard time connecting with Wren. My feelings were validated recently when I attended Holly Black’s book tour. Someone asked Black who the hardest POV was for her to write, and Black revealed that it was Wren. Black shared that she felt vulnerable writing Wren, and it was hard writing a character who did not want to “protag” and instead wanted to shy away and hide. This was illuminating to me, and I already plan to revisit book one to see if I can see Wren through a different lens. But I share all this with you because if you felt shaky about book one’s perspective, Oak’s blinding charm will win you over in book two. Oak is a forbidden, delicious fae treat that you should absolutely stay away from at all costs. He is a handsome, powerful rake who is always twisting words and looking for openings to further his own ends. He was the perfect POV for the culmination of this story, and I enjoyed getting to know him better. I have a much better understanding of what his childhood was like through The Cruel Prince and how his interesting family has shaped him into the young man he is today.
Not only is Oak a fantastic POV for this particular story, but I truly enjoyed seeing the world and the other characters from his perspective, especially when it comes to Wren. I like her but feel unsure around Wren, but Oak leans into his fear toward her and thrives in the uncertainty around their relationship. Wren is a thrilling puzzle to him, but he also sees her in such a lovely way with all her sharp teeth and feral fierceness. We also get to see the rest of his dysfunctional but loving family through Oak’s eyes which is completely new territory for fans of the series. Jude has her own distinctive relationships with the family, and the same is true for Oak. It’s interesting to see his thoughts toward each character while we also try to parse what they think of him. With two completed series, we know the cast of characters so well, but a lot has changed in the decade since The Cruel Prince, so there was lots of new drama stemming from Oak that we get to sift through.
I had a blast with The Prisoner’s Throne. Holly Black captivates us with a dashing new POV while continuing to pull threads and tease us with the past, present, and future of Elfhame. Wren and Oak’s tale was enchanting, and there’s something new on the horizon that’s enticing me to throw my responsibilities to the wind and stay in Elfhame.
Rating: 9.5/10
-Brandee
You’ve captured my feelings on the duology perfectly. I reread The Stolen Heir to prepare for The Prisoner’s Throne and while I appreciates SH as a setup, it was a bit disappointing as a Holly Black offering. PT was so good at tying the threads together I wanted to revisit the whole world and immediately reread Tithe.
I have a greater appreciation for SH after my second re-read, but PT is definitely the star of the duology! I have not ventured into Tithe yet… I need to pick that one up!