How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories

SPOILER WARNING

***How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories*** is a novella that focuses on Elfhame's enigmatic High King, Cardan. But it's no straightforward origin story. Everything is told wholly from Cardan's perspective.

## Blurb

An irresistible return to the captivating world of Elfhame from bestselling Folk of the Air author Holly Black Once upon a time, there was a boy with a wicked tongue…

Before Cardan was a cruel prince or a wicked king, he was a faerie child with a heart of stone. In this sumptuously illustrated tale, Holly Black reveals a deeper look into the dramatic life of Elfhame’s enigmatic high king.

This tale includes delicious details of life before *The Cruel Prince*, an adventure beyond *The Queen of Nothing*, and familiar but pivotal moments from *The Folk of the Air* trilogy, told wholly from Cardan’s perspective.

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

Each chapter is paired with lavish and luminous full-colour art, making this the perfect collector’s item to be enjoyed by audiences both new and old.

## Teaser

**Teaser 1:**

*“So long as you’re begging, he doesn’t mind a bit.”*

**Teaser 2:**

“*A prince of Faerie, nourished on cat milk and contempt, born into a family overburdened with heirs, and a nasty little prophesy hanging over his head — since the hour of Cardan’s birth, he has been alternately adored and despised. Perhaps it’s no surprise that he turned out the way he did; the only surprise is that he managed to become the High King of Elfhame anyway.*

*Some might think of him as a strong draught, burning the back of one’s throat, but invigorating all the same.*

*You might beg to differ.*

*So long as you’re begging, he doesn’t mind a bit.”*

**Teaser 3:**

*““This?” he demands, looking down at the waves far beneath them. "*This*is how you traveled? What if the enchantment ended while Vivi wasn’t with you?”*

*“I suppose I would have plummeted out of the air,” Jude tells him with troubling equanimity, her expression saying,*Horrible risks are entirely normal to me*.*

*Cardan has to admit that the ragwort steeds are swift and that there’s something thrilling about tangling his hand in a leafy man and racing across the sky. It’s not as though he doesn’t enjoy a little danger, just that he doesn’t gorge himself on it, unlike some people. He cuts his gaze toward his unpredictable (page ends)...”*

**Teaser 4:**

*“’You don’t think that monster girls and wicked boys deserve love?’”*

**Teaser 5:**

*“’A heart of stone can still be broken.’”*

**Teaser 6:**

*"He stalked back to the enormous moth, but it wouldn’t return him to Elfhame until he went to a nearby general store, glamoured leaves into money to buy it an entire six-pack of lager."*

## Gallery

### Covers

US/UK CoverB&N Exclusive Edition CoverBook Reveal (18th May 2020)Fairyloot EditionRomanian Cover
### Teasers

Artwork by Rovina Cai from the bookTeaser 2Teaser 3
## Trivia

* The B&N Exclusive features an alternate jacket + bonus art & sketches with commentary from Holly Black.
* In an interview with EW Black said "I planned a novella to go with the *Folk of the Air* series centered on Cardan, but I realized I couldn’t do justice to his story until the trilogy was over. I am thrilled to finally get to tell you a bit more about the sullen, annoying, and enigmatic High King of Elfhame and I am especially excited to be partnering with Rovina Cai, whose artwork is witty and atmospheric and absolutely perfect to go with this tale."

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/thenovl/status/1296167550921912320?s=21 – @Novel on Twitter, 19/08/2020
2. ↑ https://twitter.com/thenovl/status/1305951015766642689?s=21 - @Novel on Twitter 15/09/2020
3. ↑ https://twitter.com/thenovl/status/1313938648342179840?s=21
4. ↑ https://twitter.com/thenovl/status/1326999962681425921?s=21
5. ↑ https://ew.com/books/holly-black-folk-in-the-air-book-illustrated/ —  EW on May 18, 2020