I read the first book and was not really that intrigued. Fantasy books are not something I prefer, but I must say I liked the second book. The Wicked King opens a few weeks after the ending of the first book, The Cruel Prince. Almost immediately we are thrown back into the action and politics, and catch up with all the main characters and how what happened at the end of the previous book is affecting them/ how they are dealing with it. Many people recommend it for the enemies-to-lovers romance but, honestly, you should not read it only because of that. The romance is not the main focus of the book. So, if you are reading it because of that - I would not recommend it. With that being said, Jude is a great main character to follow, and I love how this series plays around with morality and virtue.
In this situation, the second book is definitely better than the first one.
In this situation, the second book is definitely better than the first one.