The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, 1)
By #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, the first book in a stunning new series about a mortal girl who finds herself caught in a web of royal faerie intrigue.
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.
Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him--and face the consequences.
In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *The Cruel Prince* is a compelling dark fantasy praised for rich world-building, imaginative fae creatures, and engaging political intrigu...
I'm conflicted about rating this book. I realize I'm an outlier, but I find it to be a little overhyped. It was extremely well written. I love all of the imaginative fae creatures and the plot was definitely compelling. I was, however, a little bored the entire time. I like fantasy books with political intrigue and world building, but I like a good mix of character driven and plot driven books. I felt that the characters were underdeveloped, maybe because the plot/politics were so developed, but they lacked depth. The relationships between everyone felt sort of one dimensional and I wanted more out of them. I found the setting interesting, with Faerie existing alongside the mortal world, but I was not expecting that going in so it threw me off- not in a bad way, I was just surprised. I will definitely continue with the series though, because I have a feeling the books get better over time, and I am interested to see what happens after that ending.
This was a book I honestly never would’ve picked up if my friend hadn’t asked me to read it with her. I never thought I would like a book about faeries. Mermaids? Sure. Attractive guys with pointy ears and a possible tail? Not so much. But here I am.
I was honestly hooked from the Prologue and it managed to pique my interest a strong majority of the time. Any book that can throw in a a few twists while throwing me off its trail, is a plus.
The only part that didn’t interest me is the political schemes. I’m not one to care for books that are heavily politically based, but this book had a pretty good balance.
Although, at this point now I’m kind of mad that my friend introduced me to this book, now I have to wait six months for the next book to come out. If you are reading this Lisa, I blame you. Haha!
Reread: Jan 2019
So, I wasn’t as obsessed with this book when I reread it this time... but that’s because I only read it for the first time five months ago... so the story was still really fresh in my mind. I decided to reread it to prepare for the second book to come out. (I finished the reread the day Wicked King was released) It’s still a great story and I’m so excited for the second book, I just wasn’t as blown away by the twists this time, for obvious reasons. Plus the first time I read it, I physically read it and this time I listened to the audio. I really enjoyed the narrator, there’s just something of a disconnect whenever I listen to an audio.
I was honestly hooked from the Prologue and it managed to pique my interest a strong majority of the time. Any book that can throw in a a few twists while throwing me off its trail, is a plus.
The only part that didn’t interest me is the political schemes. I’m not one to care for books that are heavily politically based, but this book had a pretty good balance.
Although, at this point now I’m kind of mad that my friend introduced me to this book, now I have to wait six months for the next book to come out. If you are reading this Lisa, I blame you. Haha!
Reread: Jan 2019
So, I wasn’t as obsessed with this book when I reread it this time... but that’s because I only read it for the first time five months ago... so the story was still really fresh in my mind. I decided to reread it to prepare for the second book to come out. (I finished the reread the day Wicked King was released) It’s still a great story and I’m so excited for the second book, I just wasn’t as blown away by the twists this time, for obvious reasons. Plus the first time I read it, I physically read it and this time I listened to the audio. I really enjoyed the narrator, there’s just something of a disconnect whenever I listen to an audio.
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop
I picked up Cruel Prince, wondering if this book would be worth the hype. After reading Book of Night, I was somewhat deterred from reading anything by Holly Black again. Let me just say I absolutely loved this book, and it was worth it.
Great Characterization
Holly Black did a fantastic job with the characterization in this book. Jude is a force to be reckoned with. A human girl in the fae world has to hold her own and learn to be fierce. And she does. Jude is not to be messed with, taking her adopted father’s teachings to heart.
Jude is strategic and clever in her planning. She is cunning, and I love that about her. There is usually a base formula for creating a “strong female character,” but Black goes above and beyond that. Jude does not fall into the cliches; she can stand tall on her own.
Moreover, the story is full of complex characters. It is easy to say some characters are inherently evil, but then there are others like Cardan and Maddoc. Nothing is black or white for these characters; layers are wrapped around them, making them engaging and allowing the tension of the story to rise and rise.
Storytelling
The complex characters and Jude’s badassery were my favorite parts of Cruel Prince. But the story was also incredibly engaging. I loved the world-building and the way the fae live in here. There is a lot of magic and danger in the fae world that made me think about Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The fae in this book was more reminiscent of classical fae tales rather than what has become most popular in fantasy nowadays. It makes it different in a sense. The court intrigue, the way the plot twists keep coming, and the way the story unfolds kept me on my toes.
Honestly, it was brilliant.
Final Thoughts
Cruel Prince is worth the hype it receives. This is worth the read with a plot that keeps the reader guessing and complex characters.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
A true enemies-to-lovers fantasy, The Cruel Prince delivers a story that will keep you on your toes.
I picked up Cruel Prince, wondering if this book would be worth the hype. After reading Book of Night, I was somewhat deterred from reading anything by Holly Black again. Let me just say I absolutely loved this book, and it was worth it.
Great Characterization
Holly Black did a fantastic job with the characterization in this book. Jude is a force to be reckoned with. A human girl in the fae world has to hold her own and learn to be fierce. And she does. Jude is not to be messed with, taking her adopted father’s teachings to heart.
Jude is strategic and clever in her planning. She is cunning, and I love that about her. There is usually a base formula for creating a “strong female character,” but Black goes above and beyond that. Jude does not fall into the cliches; she can stand tall on her own.
Moreover, the story is full of complex characters. It is easy to say some characters are inherently evil, but then there are others like Cardan and Maddoc. Nothing is black or white for these characters; layers are wrapped around them, making them engaging and allowing the tension of the story to rise and rise.
Storytelling
The complex characters and Jude’s badassery were my favorite parts of Cruel Prince. But the story was also incredibly engaging. I loved the world-building and the way the fae live in here. There is a lot of magic and danger in the fae world that made me think about Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The fae in this book was more reminiscent of classical fae tales rather than what has become most popular in fantasy nowadays. It makes it different in a sense. The court intrigue, the way the plot twists keep coming, and the way the story unfolds kept me on my toes.
Honestly, it was brilliant.
Final Thoughts
Cruel Prince is worth the hype it receives. This is worth the read with a plot that keeps the reader guessing and complex characters.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Format: Paperback
This one was a rough one to rate... I truly wanted to give it a 3 at first but then I find myself wanting to know what happens next to some of the characters and thought a 4... drawing me to read book two....Bravo lol. Plot was okay. Definitely alot of interesting characters and their personalities and back stories kind of threw me off. Especially the unlikely "allies". Some things you shouldn't overlook or accept in my opinion but to each their own.
Not alot of romance and spice but a decent fantasy. Looking forward to seeing if the 2nd book with bring what I felt was missing from this one.
#hollyblack #fantasy #fiction #bookworm #booktok #bookstagram #realityescapeartist777
Recap: a human girl gets bullied by fairytale characters for 75% of the book until something finally happens, then she bullies them into doing her bidding.
I hope book 2 is better….
I hope book 2 is better….
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