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

This book is UNPUTDOWNABLE! The story is addictive and the world building and character development is just as good. The plot twists are devastating and beautiful and the characters' inner turmoil is gorgeous as well. On a side note, I'd just like to warn you that a lot of people go into this books being told that it is a romance and come out of it disappointed. It is NOT a romance! It is a political fantasy and deeper into the next books there is romance.

So as I am on my fantasy journey this was one that kept coming up on my for you page. So I dived in and was soon hooked. The story is captivating right from the start. You have action packed goodness from the beginning. In the mortal world Jude and her sisters lives are blown upside down when Viv's father Madoc comes crashing in and takes the lives of their mother and father. He then moves them back to Faerie. Judes life is forever changed. Mortals are not well liked there and jude and her sister are bullied from the start. Cardan dishes out the hate more than anyone. This book is fast paced and full of twists and action. Jude is a character you can't help but love she is strong willed, sassy and doesn't let things or people hold her back. She is very much like her adopted father Madoc. Determined to become a knight she takes her own path. Her twin sister Taryn is a different story. she is one person you don't trust from the start and Locke who you just can't help but think is up to something at all times. While this is a YA book it does pull you in and keep you reading. I decoured the story and moved on to the next book very quickly.

The Folk of the Air is one of my favorite fantasy romance series and a must-read for the genre. Jude and Cardan have easily become two of my all-time favorite leads. Holly Black’s prose is masterful, giving both characters very distinct voices, from Jude’s pragmatism to Cardan’s coy playfulness. The banter between them is top-tier, and their electric chemistry makes for an incredible emotional payoff after so much pining. Be forewarned that this begins as a bully romance; if that trope is a dealbreaker for you, this might not be the best fit. However, for me, it was incredibly satisfying to watch them transition from mutual loathing to a complex, hard-won alliance. While I occasionally found myself wishing the series had more of a New Adult edge in its romantic execution, the story itself is so compelling that it remains a favorite. 1: The Cruel Prince ⭐ 4 1.5 The Lost Sisters ⭐ 2.5 2: The Wicked King ⭐ 4.5 3: The Queen of Nothing ⭐ 4.75 3.5: How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories ⭐ 3.75

Most of my positivity to this book comes from an appreciation of its technical aspects: I think the writer did a decent, though not exceptional, job of crafting her prose. She especially has a knack for describing clothing, and her research into archaic vocabulary helped add flavor to the story. Some of this was especially nice as it related to the food the characters ate, with some very interesting dishes pulled from both imagination and history. I felt she fell short with her descriptions, however. They were dashed off so thinly that I didn't acquire a very lush mental picture of what was going on. As a reviewer pointed out, it wasn't unusual for her to simply say, for example, that "a troll" was in a scene without even bothering to describe what a troll in this world looks like. In terms of story structure, I thought that she came up with some original ideas. But one place where the story failed, and failed hard for me, was with the characters. They were very well fleshed out as far as their personalities; unfortunately, I found them so dull and uncompelling that it was an absolute struggle to make it through this book. The main character was, for me, immensely uninteresting -- an incredibly flat character who has a couple of moments in the book when she wonders at how broken emotionally she is but does nothing about it. In other words, there is no character arc in this book--and I really rely on that to draw me into a story. Perhaps the protagonist has gone from someone who seeks personal power for hazy selfish reasons (so she can be safe? so she can one-up her enemies and "show them"? because she doesn't want to be controlled? it's never very clear, nor are her motivations very likeable) to someone who seeks personal power for new hazy reasons (so she can protect people from the danger that a new king might possibly, though not for certain, turn out to be a bad ruler? or is it all still mainly so she can protect herself? again, not very clear), but she's still power-hungry, and it doesn't feel like much of an arc. Nor does it feel very consistent that she would suddenly care about anything larger than herself. It doesn't help that her tiny arc doesn't start until the last 50 pages of the book or so. So it means that for most of the book, it's a real slog to follow a main character who has a taste for power and sadism, an inexplicable desire to remain in a brutal Faerie world that never really makes sense when she could just leave and easily survive in the human world, a desire to remain with a foster father who killed her parents for no good reason, who wants to be like a fae while also despising them ... it is just very, very weird. I would really have preferred if the book focused on the one likeable character in it instead: her sister, Vivi. Vivi had the sense to hate her murderous foster father and to want to leave Faerie. She even had a great character goal -- finding love with a human -- and impediments to that goal that added drama (having to reveal her fae nature, her family's disapproval, etc.). It's too bad we had to read about Vivi's unpleasant sister for the whole book instead. Vivi would have made a much more enjoyable protagonist.

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.

If you didn't believe in the fae world before you read a Holly Black faerie story, you will after you read this book. Her characters and the beautifully deceptive faerie world make you feel as though you've stepped into a world of real make believe. The Queen of the Fae doesn't need faerie fruit to enchant you. Black lores you in with her enchanting writing, mesmerizes you with story, and makes you wish you could make a bargain with the fae just so you could get the next book in this series. Oh this book, and all it's book feels. I absolutely LOVED this book. It's a delightfully intriguing, sinister at times, and down right wicked at other times, story full of cunning characters, Faerie Princes, and human sister's who have been raised among the Fae in their brutal world. In essence, it's a Holly Black masterpiece! This story doesn't lack in family and friendship dynamics, faerie politics and their court dynamics, surprising political alliances, deception, betrayal, and unpredicted plot twists. Not to mention well written characters whom who love, love to hate, and are completely shocked by. Black's faerie characters and their world are just as I would except them to be. Jude is definitely my favorite character of this story. Jude is one of those lead characters who's will and strength I wish I emulated. It's unbreakable. What makes Jude so easy to connect with, is her vulnerability in the Fae world. Humans never fair well there, but she and her sister have. Jude is as fierce as she is vulnerable. I love that about her character. Her vulnerability is turned into an unbreakable will power, and inner strength no one can trump. Not even her "adoptive" family, or the crazy hell bent Faerie Prince who despises her. I love how everything she's forced to endure, molds her into a cunning, calculated character that should not be underestimated. It wasn't hard for me to root for her from the get go. I'm at a loss for words when it comes to Jude to and the faerie Prince Cardan. Oh are their scenes interesting. I wasn't excepting that turn of events that made me realize that maybe the two of them have more in common than I thought. The surprising turn of events also made be realize that while the Fae may be bound to do or not do something, Jude is cunning enough to out smart even them, and their centuries old, unbreakable customs, to put her plan into action. It is seriously AWESOME, though I'm a bit worried about what's to come in the next book. There's always a price when it comes with the faeries. OH MY WORD, THAT ENDING! Yes this deserves all caps, because THAT ENDING. *Insert incoherent words* Holly Black proves once again why she's the Queen of the Fae. She is the queen of storytelling, character development, world building, deception, and making readers weep. Oh this book is all the book feels wrapped up in a beautiful cover, and an addicting storyline that will leave you wanting so much.

This book completely deserves the hype. The Cruel Prince pulls you into a cruel, political, and morally gray fae world from the very first chapters. The atmosphere is dark, tense, and emotionally charged, and the power dynamics between characters are constantly shifting. Nothing feels safe, and that’s exactly what makes it so addictive. Jude is a strong and complex main character. She’s not perfect, not soft, and definitely not naive. Her ambition, anger, and determination make her feel real, especially in a world that constantly reminds her she doesn’t belong. The writing is sharp, the pacing is excellent, and the court politics keep you hooked without feeling overwhelming. I won’t go into spoilers, but if you like fantasy with enemies to lovers tension, ruthless politics, morally questionable characters, and a dark fairy tale vibe, this book is absolutely worth reading. It’s one of those stories that makes you immediately want to grab the next book in the series.