The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince (Folk of the Air, #1)

by Holly Black

"Lush, dangerous, 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 . . .

Enter the dramatic and thrilling world of the Folk of the Air, brimful of magic and romance from New York Times bestselling author Holly Black.

Reviewed by alisoninbookland on

4 of 5 stars

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I'm still not entirely sure what I thought about this book. I liked it better than Tithe (the other faerie book I read by her). I'm still not used to the world of faeries. It's brutal and weird.

I did however enjoy the court politics. I'm always intrigued by royal backstabbing, mad dashes for the crown, and all the other delightful things that come along with ruthless courts. The twists and turns to the story were interesting and I didn't see them coming. It took for a while for me to fully get into the story though. I was bored and almost set the book aside until the end of book one. *That* certainly turned things around.

I can't say that I'm a big fan of the relationship in the book. I'm sorry but no matter how you dress it up, abuse is abuse. It's just not healthy at all. The other non-romantic relationships were fascinating though. Jude's relationship with her father, Madoc, was certainly surprising. Who would have thought the ruthless general would love? and care for the *other* children of his wife? That's a lot to ask of anyone. Throw in the fact that you murdered the mother and father of the children, that makes everything very awkward. Jude's relationship with her sisters is certainly strained but I'm interested in see how things turn out for them.

Of course this book has to end on a massive cliffhanger. The Wicked King will certainly be a hot book next year.

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  • Started reading
  • 20 July, 2018: Finished reading
  • 20 July, 2018: Reviewed