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

Rating: 4.75/5 Stars Title: The Cruel Prince Author: Holly Black Synopsis: 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. Initial thoughts: I have read a few of Holly Black’s work when I was younger and I’m currently reading the Magisterium series she is writing with Cassandra Clare as they come out, so I have been exposed to her writing style before and have enjoyed her stories. This one I started a little late though because I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the characters as one of them is openly ‘cruel’. I decided to finally pick it up because there are so many people who have said that they enjoyed the story that was written. Excited for a new story involving magic and fae, I felt that I should give it a chance even if there was a chance I wouldn’t like the characters. Plot: What I liked: The main focus wasn't on the romance. Of course there was some romance (if you can actually call the toxic manipulation through emotions romance), but the main focus of this story seemed to be political and world building through the character’s actions which was something I really enjoyed. Jude was also a character that surprised me. I liked her characters a lot and how she handled situations based on her prior experiences learning from past mistakes. I also liked how Black made every character unique in personality and appearance. What I didn't like: I didn't really understand how Jude was so invested in a world that truly only hurt her and why she didn't want to leave. That seemed to be the only thing I had real issue with in this book. Characters: Jude: I liked her and how scheming she was. She was clever and used her skills to her advantage. She was stubborn and stuck to her goals trying to plan ahead even when things didn't always work out. Taryn: She was very selfish and only really thought about how things would affect her. She didn't seem to care about hurting others that trusted her so long as she got what she wanted. She was very similar to Jude in this way. Vivienne: I loved her! She was such a fun character and really cared about her family (other than her father) and was willing to get into trouble for them. Madoc: He was a very interesting character that played father figure and teacher, but also a warlord general. I enjoyed him and the way that he thought throughout the book. Valerian and Nicasia: They were horrible and I kind of hated them throughout the entire book. They were fantastic antagonists, but they really pushing boundaries when it came to what it was that they desired verses what their path toward it was. Prince Cardan: I think that he was the one who surprised me the most through this book. I didn't like him and I didn't hate him either. I hope he continues to surprise me. Oriana and Oak: I didn't like Oriana at first, but she grew on me pretty quickly. And Oak is just precious. Such a cute kid. Prince Dain: It felt almost wrong to like him. I liked him, but didn't trust him as far as I could throw him which isn't very far. The Court of Shadows: I loved each and every one of them! They were fantastic and willing to include which I found endearing to their characters. Overall: I really enjoyed this book and how it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and pulled plot twists that actually surprised me. I will be starting the second book when it comes out and look forward to seeing how Black handles the plot that she set up in the cliffhanger she had at the end of the book. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a gripping and dark fairytale.

Bookstagram really hypes up this book, which I do not completely understand. This book was an easy read for me to the point I was able to guess most (if not all) of the twists and turns that occurred. If I read this book in high school I probably would have been obsessed with it, but as an undergraduate college grad, I got joy from reading this book but I am not completely entirely attached. I think the main character Jude is an amazing independent young lady! I think she was a perfect protagonist, but do wish that this series could have been written when she was in her twenties instead of her at seventeen. I think the author would have been able to add more sexual and graphic detail that it seemed like she wanted to add instead of keeping the romance/lust at the PG-13 level. Jude is a decent role model for girls in high school because she has courage, loyalty, and stands her ground, but I did wish she was not as enthralled with the idea of romance as soon as a male took attention with her. I do have to say that I despise Jude’s twin sister in this book and I cannot believe she did many of the things she did. The romance in this book was iffy because it was there, but not really there. I liked how the book focused more on world-building and drama instead of enforcing that romance had to happen. Somewhere in the middle of the book, it seemed like Jude was worrying about finding romance and she was going to let that fear distract her from her goals in life. Jude had so much determination to go for a certain ‘career’ that the fact that she was going to let the idea of romance get in her way was unbelievable to me. I almost wish the author left out any romance for the Jude and just let it be something for secondary characters. The author could have planted seeds of romance in this work to build up in the other books of the series if she truly cared about having a romance in this work. I think the drama and violence were enough to make this book interesting. I am conflicted over the interpretation of the fae in this work. I liked certain aspects but disliked others. I liked how heavily based on folklore the author created her interpretation of the fae! Actual fairytales and folklore warnings children were told were used as facts, which was refreshing to have an author that actually researched the supernatural creature they were using. There were some random additions that I was not interested in like having humans and fae be considered different species, but then supporting the fact that humans were needed to reproduce with because it could be difficult for fae the reproduce. Like I get humans and fae are different, but emphasizing they are different species that should have been separated and never reproduce together was weird when it was needed for this world. Like fae need the human gene pool, so why the hatred? Also, I thought it was weird the way the author went about discussing the subgroups of the different fae. I understand that there were different fae and the traits they had, but the author had some separated by their preferred values, the royal sibling’s court they were aligned with, and then there are other groups/kingdoms of fae. Maybe I am just used to fae reads having courts and certain groupings for the fae and this interpretation having more leeway of the grouping is throwing me off. So, I am going to applaud the author for taking an approach to grouping the fae in a way that is different than the norm. This book got 4 out of 5 stars because the author is clearly skilled in their writing style and if I were to read something of the author’s that was not exclusively fae based I would probably love it. I want to reiterate that the author is talented in their writing skills and I enjoyed how they wrote, I just did not love the story. I do have a slight obsession with fae based books, so I can be picky about how the story progresses. Things that would have made this a perfect 5/5 is to have the protagonist and other main characters are in their 20s, more adult themes instead of just hints to them, the build-up to the twists without being obvious, and either make romance a priority of this work or plant the seeds to it for the next book. As of right now, I do want to read the remaining two books in the series. I have been gifted with the second book in the series, so I will read it eventually. Unless I absolutely hate the second book, I will probably read the third book.

I finally read this book after seeing Cardan’s name all over Bookstagram, BookTok, Goodreads and probably carved into a few ancient trees. At this point, avoiding him felt impossible, so I gave in. The story follows Jude, a mortal girl trying to survive in the absolutely unhinged world of Faerie. And let me tell you, these faeries are not the cute little winged creatures from children’s books. These people wake up every morning and choose chaos. Jude was such an interesting character. She’s ambitious, stubborn, determined and occasionally makes decisions that had me staring at the page like “Girl… are we sure about this?” But honestly, that’s what made her so compelling. She refuses to sit quietly and accept her place and I couldn’t help but root for her even when she was making my blood pressure rise. And then we meet Cardan, I was expecting a standard broody fantasy prince. What I got was a walking red flag wrapped in silk, sarcasm and emotional damage. He’s cruel, confusing, dramatic and somehow still manages to be one of the most intriguing characters in the book. Every interaction between Jude and Cardan felt like they were one insult away from committing a crime or falling in love. Sometimes both. I also loved seeing Vivi, Taryn and Oak. I especially wanted more Oak because every time he appeared, I was like, “Yes, thank you, tiny king. Continue.” One thing Holly Black absolutely nailed was the Faerie world. It felt beautiful, dangerous and slightly terrifying. I trusted absolutely nobody. Every time I thought I knew what was happening, someone would lie, scheme, betray someone else or casually reveal a secret. The court politics were basically one giant game of “Who can ruin whose life today?” Now, I won’t lie the first half was a little slow for me. I spent a good chunk of it waiting for the story to really kick into gear. But once the political intrigue started unfolding, I was hooked. Suddenly there were plots, counterplots, betrayals and enough scheming to keep me turning pages way past my bedtime. By the end, I went from “This is interesting” to “Well, I guess I’m reading the next book immediately.” Final Thoughts Was it a perfect read? No. Did I spend half the book questioning everyone’s life choices? Absolutely. Did I immediately understand why the internet has been obsessing over Cardan for years? Unfortunately, yes. If you love morally gray characters, dangerous court politics, enemies who absolutely cannot stand each other (or can they?) and faeries who are equal parts beautiful and terrifying, then this boom is definitely worth picking up. Just give it a little patience in the beginning. The payoff is worth it and now I, too, have joined the Cardan support group.

This was a recommendation, and the first thing I noticed was its beautiful presentation. The illustrations have a hand-drawn look, and the gold design beneath my copy’s dust jacket was a lovely surprise. Finding a poem by Robert Graves—one of my favorite poets—made it even better! The story follows Jude, a mortal raised alongside her sisters in Elfhame. Surrounded by powerful Fey who look down on humans, she is determined to earn her place. But finding power means navigating dangerous court politics, divided loyalties, and Prince Cardan’s cruelty. The story was fantastic, but the cruelty felt overwhelming at times. I expected a cruel prince—I didn’t expect almost everyone around him to be just as bad! I admired Jude’s determination and understood her desire to stop feeling powerless, even when her choices made me nervous. Her complicated relationship with Madoc was another highlight. Holly Black makes love, fear, and loyalty difficult to untangle. Cardan took more convincing. Understanding someone’s behavior doesn’t automatically excuse it, and I struggled with how he treated Jude. Chemistry alone wasn’t enough to win me over. Holly Black kept surprising me with secrets, shifting loyalties, and twists I didn’t see coming. But what really left me torn was Jude and Cardan. I had finally started warming up to him and hoping they could get along when Jude made a choice that put them at odds again. Part of me wanted to say, “Jude, we were finally getting somewhere!” But with her little brother’s safety at stake, I understood why she did it. The cruelty was sometimes overwhelming, but the story was fantastic. By the end, I was frustrated, impressed, and far too invested in these characters to stop here. I NEED to know what happens next!

I used to never be a reader who gave into the hype and buzz a new book can sometimes bring along with it. But while Instagram has taken book marketing to an entirely different level, some books are becoming difficult to ignore. Literally thousands upon thousands of readers, reviewers, publicists, and enthusiasts are pushing the free marketing of books attached to hashtags and accompanied by beautiful and creative photography upon Instagram and other social media site purveyors daily. The Cruel Prince was one book that began to saturate my feed as readers latched on to the newest novel by fantasy maven Holly Black; their accolades and insistent cries that the book shattered them caught my interest and I decided to dive in. The opening is brutal. Young Jude and her two sisters are enjoying a quiet afternoon at home, the TV lulling them into a comfortable slumber while their parents tinker about in other parts of their cozy home. Unbeknownst to them, this is the day that everything they have ever known will change, as the man watching their home from across the street decides to finally make his move. The stranger barges into their haven and shatters the idyllic scene by murdering both of Jude's parents in a quick and succinct fashion. Whisked away to the land of Faerie, Jude and her sisters are forced into a life settled firmly on the borders of being outsiders. Her oldest sister, Vivi, being the cause of the disruption in their lives, is ironically the most unhappy with their new situation. She is only Jude's half-sister, the result of their mother faking her own death and spiriting herself and her pregnant belly back to the mortal world, with the help of a secret love. Previously attached to a brutal war general of Faerie, Jude's mother committed the ultimate act of betrayal by hiding the child, and the result was her execution. By the laws vested in Faerie, General Madoc became responsible for the children of his wife the moment she died at his hand, and he takes his responsibilities very seriously. Growing up in Faerie has had its difficulties, almost from day one. Jude is not one of them, not a member of the Fair Folk. She is human: dispensable and fragile; a veritable non-starter. Her saving grace, however, is that she is a member of the upper class and elite. Having been raised by Madoc garners her a touch of reverance. He is a man who commands respect and if he doesn't find it, he takes it by force. Having risen to become the right hand of the Faerie King by hook, crook, and buckets of blood, Jude is afforded a modicum of respect in Madoc's stead. But behind the scenes, she is taunted and ridiculed by her peers, looked at as a pretender, and as a frail human who has no real worth or talent. To say the situation is complicated is an understatement. The worst of those who bully her is Cardan, the beautiful young Prince of Faerie who chooses to amuse himself by taunting her and putting her right onto the cusp of deathly danger before ripping her back. He skulks around the periphery of her life with his band of merry friends, waiting for any opportunity he can find to make her life miserable. Her twin sister Taryn also suffers the same fate of having her life soaked in nasty words and actions . . . but there is something different in the way Cardan treats Jude - almost as if he divines immense pleasure from making her bleed from within, from personally making her feel like less than human . . . and more like an animal. Cardan is cruel, to say the least of it. But Jude has other things on her mind. She has to find a way to solidify her place in Faerie as the impending years of her adulthood begin to creep just over the horizon. She has some ideas on how to do this, but she finds that she's blocked at every turn by her pseudo-father, Madoc. He insists that he has her best interests at heart, and he has always treated her just the same as his true born daughter Vivi, but Jude is cloaked in a blanket of frustration and raw anger. She wants to fight. She's trained for it. So why won't he allow her her chance? She's also finding herself strangely attracted to a member of Cardan's vicious pack, but the man in question seems to have secrets of his own, hidden within the endless depths of his mysterious soul and locked behind the doors of the expansive empty mansion on the outskirts of the forest that he calls home. And then a proposition is brought to Jude, from the most unlikely of characters. The man most believed to become King after the current reign is over comes to her in secret, seeking an alliance. Prince Dain offers Jude her innermost heart's desires, in exchange for information. He wants her to become his spy, part of his Court of Shadows. And Jude must toe the thin line between safety and sure death to get the Prince what he demands. But before Jude can achieve her goal and find her place in Faerie, everything begins to unravel like so much thread from a well-worn sweater. And on an evening that was supposed to be dedicated to a fresh new start, Jude will watch everything burn to the ground, leaving her to pick up the pieces and put them back together all on her own. The Cruel Prince is the first book in the Folk of the Air trilogy, and before I recommend this to you let me say - you will be clamoring for more from the moment you turn the last page. This novel, set in the high-fantasy world of enigmatic Faerie, is sharp and deceptive, taking the reader on a roller coaster ride full of darkness and delight. The writing is masterful and faithful to the fictional world of Faerie as most high-fantasy readers know it. Sometimes YA books can come across as a bit corny, but this one was full of strong female characters and flawed systems. Nothing was obvious, and the plot was well-played. This is one book that lives up to the hype. Appropriate for readers ages 13+, fans of The Cruel Prince would be wise to look into the rest of Black's literary catalogue, as the worlds of her novels have finely tuned connections. Also, the cover art and a sneak peek excerpt has been dropped via Entertainment Weekly - both can be viewed on their website.

I really enjoyed this book. I live the world of faerie in it, and how it meshes with the mortal world. It’s such an amazing, mesmerized world, that promises everything but happy endings. The characters are so twisted you don’t know what is what. And the plot is just plotting away. And for me as a reader, that’s just addictive. The fmc Jude is amazing. The way she, as a human, navigates the trickery of faerie is sublime. How she wants to belong, but not as a “faerie” but as herself; a human that has grown up in faerie. Happy reading.

Holly Black returns to the world of faeries with her newest release, The Cruel Prince! And wowzers…this was epic!! I was actually quite thrilled to learn while reading that this is still the same fae world we knew from Tithe, just in another part/region! I’ll touch on that more in a bit! Needless to say, this is the book I’ve been waiting for without ever knowing it! When Jude was seven, she witnessed—along with her sisters—her parents murdered by a faery. Turns out, Jude’s mother was once married to a faery named Madoc and ran away one day with who would be Jude’s father. Her sister, Vivi, is actually Madoc’s daughter, while Jude and her twin, Taryn, have another. Madoc takes the girls back to faerie with him and from then on, Jude’s life would be changed forever. Jude has always struggled with being in faerie. She wants so much more for herself than what is expected from a human living there, which is either servitude or being married off to a faerie that fancies humans. Her sister, Vivi longs to go back home in the mortal world while her twin, Taryn wants to find love and happiness within faerie. Jude knows what she wants for herself though and that is to earn knighthood with the realm that she lives in. Though knighthood for a human is laughable among her peers. Jude senses her dreams coming true when Dain, the soon-to-be king comes to her and asks her to basically be a spy for him. When he receives the crown, she will be granted knighthood just like she always wanted. Though Jude does have a few enemies, namely the peers that like to torment her. Let’s just say that faeries are not ordinary bullies. Especially ones who do not like humans. There was quite a bit of politics and history at play here, I’ll admit sometimes there was an overflow of names, it was a tad more confusing since some of the names being thrown around were from characters that have previously died. So when they are first mentioned and then pop up some hundred pages later, it was hard to find the connection to the moment in time. Stepping back I can just understand the events in the past enough to apply them to the present, but yeah, there were a few befuddling moments for me throughout, but nothing that ever kept me from reading on! This story really enraptured me! I loved Holly’s Tithe that I read some years ago (for the first time) and it pretty much cemented my intrigue with the fae. It’s hard to differentiate what we know from faeries from Disney versus almost anything else! For the most part in the sense of literature, we know that faeries can be devious. The faeries here are no different. Most have no love for humans and having two in their realm doesn’t make most of them happy at all. Such as Cardan, Jude’s most vicious bully, and one of the faeries who could be king as well. Then there’s Locke who doesn’t seem as bad as the rest, but for me that sent its own set of red flares up! Needless to say, never trust the fae! Holly does throw in just the tiniest bit of romance in this one, but it’s almost immediately challenged by the end! It definitely makes one wonder what will be in store next for Jude and…someone! I feel like by book two I can better explain my feels over this romantic element. It’s hard to describe without getting into details and possible spoilers, but yeah, it’s complicated. The ending was quite astonishing as well, though I sort of anticipated something like this happening, but I guess my thoughts went astray and I missed what was meant to happen but didn’t. If I haven’t confused you yet there, then yay! Basically plans were made and changed and then changed again and I somehow missed the first change. There were several sets of plans going before one was decided upon! Lol!! Things are left at a very tense moment. Nothing cliffhanger-y per se, but ultimately tense indeed!! I cannot wait for the next installment! Holly Black weaves a tale of magic, adventure, and intrigue that will leave you spellbound! Overall Rating 5/5 stars

The Cruel Prince is a captivating fantasy filled with political intrigue, unforgettable characters, and unexpected twists. The world of Faerie is richly imagined, and the story keeps you engaged from the very first chapter. Jude is a strong, determined protagonist whose journey is both exciting and inspiring. The writing is immersive, and the tension between the characters adds even more depth to the plot. Overall, this is a beautifully written fantasy that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys magic, adventure, and complex character relationships.

The story was amazing. Just yk because it is paperpack so the experience was not so good but the quality was okay.

Un libro que vale la pena leer. Increíble narrativa, un buen desarrollo de personajes, pero sobre todo, un ambiente tan bien construido que desde el inicio te sumerge en la historia. Llegó en perfectas condiciones y dentro del tiempo estimado. Una excelente compra. Pd: sugeriría comprar la trilogía completa desde el principio, porque el final del primero te hará querer leer el segundo de inmediato.

Looks gooddd

Kitap siparişi verdikten iki gün sonra geldi. Ki büyük şehirde yaşamıyorum. Bu yüzden kargodan inanılmaz memnun kaldım kargocu abi de çok tatlıydı. Türkçe çeviri o kadar iyi değil denildiği için ve de İngilizce pratik yapmak için İngilizcesini aldım daha okumaya başlamadım ama çok güzel görünüyor. Kitapta hasar falan yoktu patpata sarmışlar zaten. Kapağı falan şok güzel duruyor. Bayıldım.🤍

"The Cruel Prince" è stata una rivelazione per me. Da qualche anno mi ero allontanato dal genere fantasy perché volevo improntare la mia attenzione verso qualcosa di diverso e più contemporaneo. Dopo diversi anni invece mi sono ritrovato, sotto consiglio di mia cugina, ad avere tra le mani questo libro ed improvvisamente sono stato di nuovo risucchiato nel vortice del fantasy. Esteticamente la copertina è meravigliosa anche al tatto: l'edizione che mi è arrivata ha la copertina in cartoncino sottile ergonomico e tutti i soggetti messi in risalto da carta lucida. Da un punto di vista contenutistico il libro per le prime ottanta pagine non ingrana perfettamente. Queste pagine sono un po' di presentazione dell'ambiente di narrazione e dei personaggi. Ciò che mi ha maggiormente colpito è stato da subito l'intento della Black a non voler dipingere i personaggi fatati come le creature a cui siamo di solito abituati (siamo infatti soliti associare le fate ad entità benigne che aiutano nei momenti di difficoltà). In questo libro il concetto stesso di fata viene molto rivisto e, da un certo punto di vista, integrato: sono esseri quasi apatici che complottano, uccidono ed arrivano anche ad essere crudeli. Per quanto riguarda il finale invece: alcuni lo troveranno banale e forse, sotto certi punti di vista lo è, ma non è scontato. Il libro si auto conclude o meglio si dà una buona chiusura aprendo la pista al suo sequel "The Wicked King" che, detto fra noi, non vedo l'ora di leggere. Piccola nota: il libro, dopo la sua conclusione contiene, almeno nella mia edizione, il prologo del sequel ed una storia a sé stante che racconta l'incoronazione sotto il punto di vista di altri personaggi più marginali. Quindi infine, "The Cruel Prince" è un valido apripista di questa trilogia che setta le basi per una storia affascinante. Consiglio di leggerlo in lingua originale in quanto Holly Black ha steso questo libro con un lessico non eccessivamente ricercato ed ha reso la narrazione scorrevole e mai prolissa, complice anche la scelta dell'utilizzo della prima persona (ma forse questo è un quid particolarmente soggettivo).