After dropping one of the biggest plot twists that we’ve ever read, Holly Black has left us wanting more of Oak and Suren’s story as they went back to Elfhame to try to keep Suren’s mother from bringing back The Court of Teeth in The Stolen Heir. But what we saw is all from Suren’s POV. Now it’s Oak’s turn to tell his story and with how it all ended last time, there will certainly be more to come that will get us very excited to read more.
Last year, Cosmopolitan got to reveal Holly’s big return to Elfhame with the reveal of a new duology. And now we’re continuing the tradition by showing off the brand new covers for the second book, The Prisoner’s Throne. The final book in the duology will be released on March 5, 2024, and will include a regular edition (as seen above) and a Barnes & Noble exclusive edition when you can check out below:
Ready to figure out what happens next? Here’s a little bit of what you can expect from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers:
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The highly anticipated conclusion to the Stolen Heir duology by #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black.
An imprisoned prince. A vengeful queen. And a battle that will determine the future of Elfhame.
As with a lot of things in Elfhame, there are a lot of secrets that Holly can’t reveal just yet. But we still couldn’t help but ask her some major questions about the future of the series and what’s to come.
Cosmo: Tell us a bit about the cover and your favorite part about it?
The cover of The Prisoner’s Throne is this winter landscape with berries frozen in ice, a mysterious ring, and an alighting moth. My favorite bit is the way this cover has a subtle relationship to the cover of The Cruel Prince with an object hanging from branches.
We’re getting Oak’s POV next, how was it jumping into his voice and also seeing everything through his eyes?
Oak is a great point of view character in that he knows most of what the reader knows about his family and history, but sees things through the lens of his own relationships with them. He’s a character I had to explore as an adult to write The Stolen Heir, so I knew some of what I was diving into, but I had to do some work to get his voice right. He’s something of a trickster, and he’s something of a loner who is constantly among people. He’s got a lot of guilt on his shoulders, but he’s also someone who really knows what he wants.
A lot of fans have noted that this is darker than The Folk of the Air trilogy. Were you surprised by that reaction?
Well, the first book is kind of an evil queen origin story, so I am not entirely surprised. Wren had a horrific childhood — and instead of finding a new family, the way Jude did, she spent years alone in the woods, becoming progressively more feral. And yet, she starts The Stolen Heir as a genuinely good person. But I am not sure that’s the way she starts The Prisoner’s Throne…
Looking back at this duology, how does it feel to see another story coming to an end? And what do you feel about the future of Elfhame?
The duology is an interesting shape for a story. One of the reasons I wanted each book from a different point of view is that I felt it was something that could most effectively be done within the limitations of two books. It’s been in an interesting puzzle to work out.
As for the story coming to an end, it’s always such a complex thing to let a book go! I feel as though I could tinker with it forever and yet, I also am happy that it will be out in the world and give people some resolution. Plus, we’ll get to see the Shifting Isles of Elfhame again.
There is at least one more thing I’d like to do in Elfhame (which will be very obvious by the end of The Prisoner’s Throne) and a separate thing I am interested in doing in Faerie, so I have many schemes!
I obviously have to ask, what are you working on next?
My next project is Thief of Night, the sequel to my first adult book, Book of Night.
What are 3 words you can use to describe The Prisoner’s Throne?
Siblings. Revenge. Longing.
And any last word for the fans?
Thank you. I so appreciate you coming along on this journey through Faerie with me.
The Prisoner’s Throne, by Holly Black, will be released on March 5, 2024. To preorder the book, click on the retailer of your choice:
AMAZON AUDIBLE BARNES & NOBLE BOOKS-A-MILLION BOOKSHOP APPLE BOOKS KOBO LIBRO.FM TARGET WALMART HUDSON BOOKSELLERS POWELL’S GOOGLE PLAY EBOOKS.COM
Entertainment Editor
Tamara Fuentes is the current Entertainment Editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers TV, movies, books, celebrities, and more. She can often be found in front of a screen fangirling about something new. Before joining Cosmopolitan, she was the entertainment editor over at Seventeen. She is also a member of the Television Critics Association and the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.