I seem to be the only reader of YA fantasy who doesn't like Holly Black's books and her style. I read The Cruel Prince as everyone was talking about it and I didn't get the hype, but decided to read The Wicked King too, before the third came out. It should have been a quick read for me, but it was SUCH. A. SLOG. I just couldn't get through it. There were far too many characters, all of whom seemed completely interchangeable, and the plot was weak at best. It dragged on even though it was just over three hundred pages, and to be honest, I found the writing to be not only dull, but in places, actively bad. It's awkward and clumpy and read like an amateur writer's first draft, an awkward attempt at fantasy without enough detail or reason to care about the characters.