How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories cover art

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories

The Folk of the Air

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories

By: Holly Black
Narrated by: Caitlin Kelly
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

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.

©2020 Holly Black (P)2020 Bonnier Books UK
Fantasy Fiction Literature & Fiction Royalty Science Fiction & Fantasy Young Adult Heartfelt King
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Fourth Wing (Part 1 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation) cover art
Divine Rivals cover art
Burly Tales cover art
A Shadow in the Ember cover art
A Court of Thorns and Roses (Part 2 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation) cover art
From Blood and Ash cover art
Queens of the Fae: Books 1-3 cover art
Fly with the Arrow: A Bluebeard Inspired Fantasy cover art
Nocturne cover art
The King Must Fall cover art
Milady cover art
The Symmetry of Stars cover art
New Spring cover art
Warcraft: Day of the Dragon cover art
Dragon Blood - Omnibus cover art
Doctor Who: The Ruby's Curse cover art

What listeners say about How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    199
  • 4 Stars
    97
  • 3 Stars
    34
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    225
  • 4 Stars
    55
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    177
  • 4 Stars
    71
  • 3 Stars
    39
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Nice addition

Nice addition to the series. I hope the next book still has Jude and Carden in it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Stories and the meaning behind them.

It's a nice addition to the series, not as action packed as I expected. But still worth adding to your collection if you loved the first four books of the series, four been the prequel lost sisters. I would have given it five stars, but I felt like it was missing some of the cruel edge and characteristics of the main book. Carden almost felt like a cute kitten rather than a dangerous lion, like in the original books. I only point this out because I loved him so much in the series, he left an unforgettable impact on me after reading these.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Physical read & audio review

“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.”

I had a stack of books I planned / hoped to read this month, and because I completely forgot about pre-ordering this book it was not on my list.

Did I ditch my entire tbr the moment it arrived? Yes, yes I did!

Holly has a way of captivating me completely. I zoned out and devoured this in one quick sitting.

I loved the flow and the direction the story went in. It was nice to get an insight into Cardan, not just as he is now but as he was growing up.

I didn’t think it was possible to fall even more in love with Cardan, but alas, it has happened.

I loved everything - and the illustrations added an extra touch of magic to this beautiful story.
I’m so glad I own a copy of this book, it will definitely be one I reread often.

“You didn’t hear the story I told,” he goes on. “A shame. It featured a handsome boy with a heart of stone and a natural aptitude for villainy. Everything you could like.”

Reread: April 1st

"A heart of stone can still be broken."

I decided to give the audio a try after a recommendation and I'm so glad I did. I absolutely love how it was read, it added a little something extra to something I was already familiar with, and I love that.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A good little add on

Good Narrator and a good little story. It is very short so I wouldn't recommend to spend a token on this one. But I listened to this through the included catalogue so it made it worth it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Gorgeous addition to the series

I loved The Folk of the Air series, and this novella is a really fun extra for fans of the main series. Great narration as always, and a nice insight into Cardan.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

enjoyable

Good story, well narrated. Much shorter than other books, but enjoyable all the same. Easy listening.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great!

It was nice to have a little insight back with the characters, I had missed them. Also I love stories.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

It was so good I wish it was twice as long if not longer! Great narration and great story! Loved it every minute and I am going to listen at least once more!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great short book

It has the same enchanted fairy tale like tone as the other books in the series, more so actually as we follow Cardan from childhood and get to understand a little better why he was the way he was. Loved it. Great performance, Caitlin is exceptionally talented at narrating fairy tales.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect bedtime story

I love the Folk of the Air series and this little book is a welcomed bonus. Caitlin is definetly one of my all time narrators and her voice is perfect for such a magical series. Both Jude and Cardan sound exactly how I 've imagined they would

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!