Brianna
Written on Jun 23, 2019
First in the bestselling Folk of the Air trilogy. The sequels - The Wicked King and The Queen of Nothing - are the winners of/won the Goodreads YA Best Fantasy in 2019 and 2020.
Nominated for the CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL 2019. Winner of the silver INKY for best international YA book.
"A dark jewel of a book . . . intoxicating" - Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Six of Crows
Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
One terrible morning, Jude and her sisters see their parents murdered in front of them. The terrifying assassin abducts all three girls to the world of Faerie, where Jude is installed in the royal court but mocked and tormented by the Faerie royalty for being mortal. As Jude grows older, she realises that she will need to take part in the dangerous deceptions of the fey to ever truly belong.
But the stairway to power is fraught with shadows and betrayal. And looming over all is the infuriating, arrogant and charismatic Prince Cardan . . .
Dramatic and thrilling fantasy blends seamlessly with enthralling storytelling to create a fully realised and seductive world, brimful of magic and romance.
- ISBN10 1471407276
- ISBN13 9781471407277
- Publish Date 26 July 2018 (first published 2 January 2018)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Hot Key Books
- Format Paperback
- Pages 400
- Language English
Reviews
Charli G.
Written on Apr 7, 2019
The Cruel Prince is everything Faerie is made out to be, but with one twist - mortals, humans, can play the games as well if they're smart about it.
Jude is the one who doesn't fit in, kidn of wants to, but at the same time wants to fit in on her terms. She wants to be one of them, but not? Jude wants to fit in by being a member of the Court as someone's knight.
Taryn just wants to fit in. She just wants to be one of them, but not in the same way her twin sister Jude does. Taryn wants to fall in love and become the wife of one of the Gentry and fit in that way.
Vivienne is half-fey, half-human. She's the reason Jude and Taryn ended up growing up in Faerie in the first place. She would honestly rather live in the mortal world.
Cardan is an ass, but he's a loveable ass in a way. You realize that his hatred for Jude isn't what it appears to be.
This was one of the best representations of Faerie I've read and the best recent novel dealing with Faerie. I didn't want to put it down. It has such a unique perspective. You don't usually get Faerie novels from a mortal's point of view.
Extremely well written, this book needs to be read by anyone who has a love of Faerie. I gave this one 5 stars because it is just excellent.
thepunktheory
Written on Feb 26, 2019
To be honest, I bought this book without really knowing what it was about. I fell in love when I saw the cover on Instagram and was completely convinced when I saw some fan art on tumblr.
Well, Holly Black didn't disappoint me! The story is absolutely brilliant and the characters are super intricate. If you decide to read The Cruel Prince, make sure you pay attention to every little detail, as Black really likes to hide little hints for huge plot twists!
Once I had opened this novel, I wasn't able to put it down. Sure, it's not perfect but it certainly is hell of a ride. Believe me, I had no idea where this story would take us.
I am grateful that her characters didn't feel like your usual YA blueprint heroine. That's something that really annoys me and is a problem with many other books I read. Black's characters are more intricate than they seem at first and are certainly anything but predictable.
Quirky Cat
Written on Jan 25, 2019
I’ve been a fan of Holly Black for a while now. So I knew right away that I was going to have to read The Cruel Prince. I didn’t get to it as quickly as I would have liked, but at least I finally made time for it! And the sequel is already out too, so I don’t have to spend any time anxiously waiting for it. Bonus!
The Cruel Prince is exactly the sort of fae story I would hope to find. Its dark, has fae rules, laws, consequences, and isn’t afraid of showing how terrifying the fae can truly be. There are tons of politics going on, the sort that makes human politics look kind and pretty.
This isn’t a novel full of pretty air-headed little fairies. Okay, they’re still pretty. But if you underestimate them then you’re unlikely to survive very long in their world. Even knowing how dangerous they are, the odds are still against you.
It’s so hard to find a fae novel that really delves into the darkness of the fae, so I rejoice when I come across one. To anybody else out there on the same search as me; give this series a try. It’s worth it.
Warnings: The Cruel Prince is an aptly named title. It does a wonderful job of showing the brutality of the fae. That does mean that some heavier subjects are touched upon. Choking, poisoning, kidnapping, mind control, and anything else you can think of.
I loved every minute I spent reading The Cruel Prince. I was actually terribly disappointed when it was over, simply because I wanted to be able to keep on reading. This was exactly the sort of novel I had been hoping for from Holly Black, and boy did she deliver.
Holly Black has a way of making us truly care about her characters. Or, more accurately, she has a way of making us feel something about those characters. Sometimes we love and root for them. Other times we love to hate them. There’s a variety of emotions in between as well. It’s quite wonderfully done.
I adored Jude’s character. I really wanted to see her succeed, even as I found myself cringing whenever she made a move that felt unwise. I love how brazen and determined she is, how she refused to give up even against the worst odds.
Jude is nothing like her twin sister, whom I’ll admit I was less than fond of during this novel. I don’t know how Holly Black was able to make these two characters so different and similar at the same time, but somehow she managed it.
There were lots of elements I loved in this novel. For example, her adoptive father and many of the details about him. Like what type of fae he was and his particular…habits after a battle. I love that Jude had to constantly fight with herself not to love him, as she so badly wanted to. It was really interesting, but also so painfully human. It made the whole situation feel that much more real.
The complexity of the political situation and schemes going on in The Cruel Prince was pure perfection. Some of it was predictable, while other parts were laid out to appear to be predictable, only to pull the rug from under us. And then there were the parts that went even beyond that. All these maneuvers wove together to create an intricate society that I’d expect from the fae. It was really well done.
The one bright side about being behind in reading a novel like this is that I don’t have to wait to get my hands on the next one. It’s already out! The Wicked King is already available, and it’s gotten pretty decent reviews. It looks like there’s a short story (The Lost Sisters) between the two books, so I’ll probably take the time to read that one first. Just in case. It looks interesting.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Leah
Written on Jan 25, 2019
I loved this book so much. I pretty much devoured the majority of it in one sitting because it just kept getting better and better. Bravo Holly Black, The Cruel Prince is easily one of my favourite reads of the year so far.
Djilan
Written on Jan 23, 2019
I guess I love a bit of drama and this book has plenty of that ;)
Glad to have the Wicked King underway :)
Steph L
Written on Jan 17, 2019
Emma (SCR)
Written on Dec 15, 2018
The main character in this book is Jude. Jude is a human growing up in a Fae world. She has a twin sister and an older fae sister. Because she is human a lot of the fae underestimate her. Jude was quite a likeable character. She went through a lot at such a young age and to have to live with the person who murdered your parents has to do something to you. Jude is strong, brave and deeply flawed.
Jude has to put up with the Fae children who endlessly torment her and her twin sister. The leader of the pack is Prince Cardan. Prince Cardan it seems hates Jude but, it's quite obvious he also loves her. He doesn't want to because she is human and he is fae but the heart wants what the heart wants.
The characters in this book are cut throat. While the Fae cannot lie they are very good at telling twisted versions of the truth. The court is full of backstabbers and political wars. This book is no fairytale and some of the actions may shock you.
There were some unexpected twists in this book and I cannot wait to see how it pans out in the Wicked King.
moraa
Written on Nov 19, 2018
I feel like making it longer would have been a wise decision but otherwise it was a very enjoyable read.
Laurie
Written on Oct 9, 2018