Item: The Cruel Prince
Rating: 5.00
Author: thespookybookshelf

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.

Stories about Faerie fascinate me. The many different takes that never fail to include one common thread - Faerie is cruel, violent, & just plain a place no one should want to go.

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.

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

by Holly Black

Reviewed by Charli G. on Apr 7, 2019

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