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.
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Popular Highlights in this book
“Most of all, I hate you because I think of you. Often. It’s disgusting, and I can’t stop.”Highlighted by 9,666 Kindle readers- I want to win. I do not yearn to be their equal. In my heart, I yearn to best them.Highlighted by 4,831 Kindle readers
- I cannot seem to contort myself back into the shape of a dutiful child. I am coming unraveled. I am coming undone.Highlighted by 3,806 Kindle readers
- I can see why humans succumb to the beautiful nightmare of the Court, why they willingly drown in it.Highlighted by 3,339 Kindle readers
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| The Wicked King | The Queen of Nothing | How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories | The Stolen Heir | The Darkest Part of the Forest | Sir Morien | |
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| Fall under the spell of Holly Black's fantasy worlds! | The enchanting and bloodthirsty sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince. | A curse forces the Queen of Faerie to choose between ambition and humanity in this jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy. | Return to the captivating world of Elfhame with this illustrated addition to the New York Times bestselling Folk of Air trilogy. | Return to Elfhame in the first book in a thrilling new duology, following Jude's brother Oak, and the changeling queen, Suren. | A girl makes a secret sacrifice to the faerie king in this lush New York Times bestselling fantasy. | Full of humor, drama, and adventure, this retelling of an Arthurian Legend is perfect for any knight in training. |
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Post-Read Thoughts & Design
**star rating is still just for the collector’s edition design, not the content of the story**UPDATE:First, a note—the collector’s edition hardcover was a little “creaky” when opened all the way while reading, so it’s build quality seemed better suited for decorative purposes, rather than long or recurring use. Now…I have since read the book. It’s a very quick, lightweight read (finished after 2-3 nights of reading a bit before bed), but it is definitely, very distinctly YA.I was hoping to be as enthralled as I was when I read her earlier works as a tween…but I think I’ve read too many deeply introspective and grandly speculative adult works of high (and even low) fantasy in the decade or so, since, to feel swept up or engaged to the same degree.Don’t get me wrong, it was a little more fun once things picked up a bit toward the very end…but it was too easy to predict most of the twists, and too many of the interactions, relationships, even characters felt too underdeveloped/limited to warrant much investment past a certain point.I will likely read the two other sequels in this trilogy, though maybe just as kindle purchases.I did, however, really appreciate the appearance of past characters from another of her other series as an unexpected surprise—so nostalgic to “see” them again.Overall, I did enjoy the book, but now I’m looking for the next that I can really get lost in.ORIGINAL review of the book art & design (only), BELOW:____________________________I haven’t read the book yet so I’m JUST REVIEWING THE ART and DESIGN! (I will review the book at a later date)I remember reading Holly Black’s books back in middle school (maybe even primary school?), so I always enjoyed her edgy takes on the modern and fairy realms overlapping. So, before I even read the book, I already wanted this moody collector’s edition.(I did read some summaries and spoiler free reviews to make sure it would be worth the investment, of course, but would probably have bought it anyway because I love collecting beautiful and unique books)Thankfully, the book and slipcase was plastic-wrapped. There was a weird waxy residue on the outside along with evidence of scuffing (probably because those giant bubble package fillers sellers always put on ONE side don’t do much if you don’t WRAP the item…it will still slide and jostle around).The slipcase has a waxy, matte feel with reflective inlays/stamping, so it’s a very nice addition for the price. The book itself is uniquely lovely, with foil-like impressions on the front and back and, the best parts, a black velvet coating all around with black painted edges. The title and author is written only on the spine, so depending how you’d display this, you’ll have some options with the front and back being more artistic and symbolic.My one curiosity over the stylistic choices would be the slipcase cover spine.The slipcase is almost an inversion of the book—text on the front only, with a more artistic focus for the back and spine—but the spine just has a few simple graphics scattered on it. I assume they’re symbolic emblems encountered in the book?They’re less intricate than the rest of the designs, so I probably won’t choose that side to display, but I’m curious to see how they’ll come up in the story!Overall, LOVE this edition and I really hope they make a special one for each book in the trilogy ✨
