The Cruel Prince (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.

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.

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.

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

“I have lied and I have betrayed and I have triumphed. If only there was someone to congratulate me” Four treacherous stars for a dark fantasy that is driven by greed, betrayal, deception, and desire. A book that is simple in its story telling, fascinating in its characters and enthralling in its plot. The Plot Jude is the 8-year-old daughter of parents who are murdered by the emotionless hand of the king Madoc. A man who enjoys playing all sides in a conflict and world of deception that is not obvious through the book or to many of the characters in the story. Until thee event !!! With a mission to recover his natural daughter Vivi, Madoc kills the parents of the three girls but vows to bring all three sisters up as his own, in the world of Faerie. With a roof over their heads, luxury to enjoy, and an education, none of the girls want for anything except the love of a parent, a childhood devoid of cruelty and a life in a mortal world. Which brings us to cruel prince Cardan. Cardan, along with his band of merry friends, torment and subject Jude to life of brutality both physically and emotionally, earning Cardan the title of ‘The Cruel Prince’. Yet he is a boy possessed with a charming tongue laced with words that can manipulate, entice, and charm!!! With no desire to rule, Cardan must endure his own cruelty as a victim of his brother’s torturous ways and as the second child who struggles to find his own place where status matters. Jude’s two sisters also play an important role in a story of cruelty, survival and corruption. Vivi is the natural born child of Madoc and has security that none of the other sisters are afforded. Meanwhile, Taryn is caught in a love triangle with her sister Jude over the charming Locke. However, whilst each of the sisters turn anger and resentment towards each other, Locke cunningly seeks to play both for his own amusement. Review and Comments You have probably guessed the enjoyment from the book came from the characterisation with an intriguing plot taking second place in terms of appeal. The characters Jude and Cardan, were intoxicating, I loved the vulnerability that was allowed to show through the characters, yet they possessed sharp wit, cunning minds, and scheming brains that were tested in the most sensational way as they attempted to pull off a very dangerous coup. However, not the stuff of fairy tales, as Jude ponders "Let me not be that kind of fool to base my strategies on riddles" We were treated with an abundance of deliciously evil characters, charming players, dark royalty and the cunning spies, which I enjoyed. But what I loved more was that each were allowed to play their part creating a thrilling multi layered story. For example, I haven't yet mentioned that recruited by Dain, the prince of spies. Jude lives a duplicitous life as one of Dain's hired agents, watching, luring, and observing. A role that must remain undetected from the King, the powerful and fearless Madoc, others from the court and even her own sisters. This dynamic was the best part of a storyline and a plot that was a little too predictable which took the book down in rating. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the world building, the scheming and how the whole plot came together in the end. Be prepared for a ramp up in action and thrill, because the story builds with a much better second half. Holly Black is another force in the world of dark fantasy. As for who will enjoy the book?. It is recommended for readers of the 'The Court of Thorns and Roses', 'The Crooked Kingdom' and the 'King of Scars'

Najsss

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.

had read this as an e-book but decided to get the actual copy because it’s that good!!