One of the perks about living in New York is knowing that there is no shortage of events happening near you. Another thing I love about the city is how book orientated it is. As someone who was raised surrounded by nonreaders, I didn’t really have a group of people to bond with. However here, in the Big Apple, it’s the norm.
A year ago, I was asked to interview #1 “New York Times” bestselling author Holly Black for my Author Spotlight series for “The Stolen Heir,” which is a book set in the world of Elfame. Her new duology follows eight years after the events that take place in her previous “Folk of the Air” romantic fantasy series. Many may recognize Black’s name because she is dubbed the Faerie Queen in many online circles.
Regardless of how you may or may not know Black, the whole book publishing industry loves her. As someone who is pursuing publishing, I was so excited to find out that she was not only releasing the conclusion to her “Stolen Heir” duology but to discover that she was also celebrating her launch at Books of Wonder bookstore near the Flatiron district with a midnight book party.
Midnight launch parties are becoming common for books, especially in the romantic fantasy genre, since it creates an event that readers will never forget. With romantic fantasy books on the rise thanks to social media and avid fandoms, it’s no wonder that midnight book launches are rising in popularity.
“The Prisoner’s Throne” is Black’s highly anticipated conclusion to the “The Folk of the Air” series and continues Prince Oak’s journey. Oak is the brother of Jude, who is the heroine in the series. Imprisoned in the icy north and bound to the will of a monstrous new queen, Oak must rely on charm and calculation to survive. With High King Cardan and High Queen Jude willing to use any means necessary to retrieve their stolen heir, Oak will have to decide whether to attempt regaining the trust of the girl he’s always loved, Wren, or to remain loyal to Elfhame and hand over the means to end her reign—even if it means ending Wren, too.
I arrived at Books of Wonder and knew I was in the right place when I found a sea of people dressed up in Renaissance-esque costumes. From having their hair braided into horns to portray Jude’s character, or even wearing sharp teeth and pointed ears to mimic Wren, Holly Black fans take dedication to another level.
Once checked in to the event, every attendee received a midnight black tote bag with activities to pass the time, along with a gold leafed headband to welcome everyone into the world of Elfhame for one night only. With a 250 person capacity, the event was sold out and every aisle was filled with readers sitting on the floor waiting for the Faerie Queen herself to appear.
Before Black appeared for the Q&A portion of the night, attendees had the chance to visit stations that were marked with different court names to keep the fantasy theme alive. There were interactive stations where people could write notes to the author and jot down some of their predictions for the next book. Throughout the night, there was a trivia and costume contest where winners would be announced and given a gift from Holly Black. There was even a photo-op corner which would later be used as the signing station once the clock struck midnight.
When Black arrived, the whole bookstore buzzed with excitement. She began thanking everyone for coming and reminiscing about the time she came to Books of Wonder for her launch event of “The Cruel Prince” when hardly anyone showed up. “I was nervous writing Wren because we as readers love to run towards stories, and Wren just wanted to be by herself,” Black said. “It meant so much to me when people liked her since I feel like I function like her.”
One of the best moments of the event was seeing the way that fans interacted with Black’s words and her ongoing writing journey. She never sugarcoated her process, which made her connection to her fans realer. “Protagonists are hard to write,” Black said. “The person who is the most fun to write is Madoc. I’m really good at giving bad old guy advice. I would love to write a Madoc advice column.”
A few people in the back of the bookstore shouted that they would read the hypothetical advice column, which made almost everyone in the audience laugh. Hearing and seeing all of these readers support Black as an author was one of my highlights of attending book launch events
After the Q&A where fans eagerly asked about her cast of characters and her fantasy writing process, everyone was directed to their assigned “courts” to pick up their copies of “The Prisoner’s Throne.” Shortly before midnight, there was a cider toast where everyone rang in the success of Black’s new book being in stores everywhere. Afterwards, fans would meet the Faerie Queen and have their array of books signed.
Overall, my first midnight book launch was such a memorable time. I met so many avid readers and was surrounded by people who enjoy the YA romantic fantasy genre as much as I do. Black said that one of the reasons why she writes is because she “still truly love[s] reading and books that make [her] excited to scream and cry.” As she suggested, reading can take you to new places. For me, it took me to the world of Elfhame where I could forget the noise of New York and roam among the fae, if only for one night.