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

Jude and her two sisters are taken to Faerie to live with their mother's former Fae War General lover, growing up in a harsh world of magic and unfriendly Folk. Jude hates that she is mortal and covets many things about the fey. Her life becomes dangerously entangled as her desire for respect, power and adventure meets the attention of the royals...especially Cardan, the prince she hates above all.

THE GOOD

The world, the diversity, the sense of each character--even the side characters. We aren't entrenched in learning only about Jude and her relation to the world as the MC. Instead there is an array of well-developed and independently driven characters who leave little breadcrumbs about what they've been through, where they've been, and who they've been with. Because the Folk can't lie, they craft their sentences in a way that can leave things with a lot of ambiguity, but when it all starts to click...it is one heck of a ride.

From the first brutal pages, the author makes no apologies for the blood-driven power of Madoc, the true father of the eldest sister Vivienne, who has come to reclaim his daughter (and her younger sisters) from the mortal world. You can feel the immediate fear and reverence for the immortal. I love the way that Madoc is made; incredibly strong and strict, but also pliable and deferring to his daughters' whims and wills at times. And his family is, as you can imagine, is not a status quo, nuclear unit. His first wife is slain, his new wife is fey and has a son, and then he has Vivienne, Taryn and Jude. He loves, protects and educates all of them, but he is so much more than a father and the image he projects.

Faerie and the mortal world. Yes, you get two coinciding worlds in this beauty of a book. Instead of making the worlds geographically separated by a wall or continent or a magic parallel world, these worlds are overlapped the way you may have seen in early fairy tales. Vivi, while she is one of the folk, likes to travel back to the mortal world with her sisters, and by herself at times. Her rebellion against Madoc is to shun Faerie and enjoy all the human joys of malls, a secret human girlfriend, and indulging her sisters with coffee, candy and shopping. One of my favorite moments is when Jude gets to glimpse part of the mortal world while in Faerie. The description was fascinating and gorgeous. It made me feel how close they were, how far they were, and where Jude's real interest was in this world.

The royals are equally fascinating. We don't get to intimately understand all of them, however we learn just enough about each, chapter by chapter. The ailing king. The Crown Prince Dain, the "Cruel" Prince Cardan, the power-hungry Prince Balekin, and glimpses of the princesses and others, including royals from other courts. Cardan was by far my favorite, being deliciously complex and...well, I should move him to the next section.

THE GREAT

“He looks like a faerie lover stepped out of a ballad, the kind where no good comes to the girl who runs away with him.”

The anti-love interest. I know I am a huge fan of anti-heroes, but I didn't quite understand the anti-love interest until now. But now I get it. And it's glorious.

Cardan is Jude's main source of torment and her favorite thing to hate. So from this first introduction in the quote above, I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but to think of Rhysand from ACOTAR. The acknowledgment of an unworldly beauty that draws someone in, but also compels them in the other direction. They are satellites of each other in this book, much like Rhys and Feyre were in the first book...entangled by circumstance, but that is where the similarities end. Cardan is a tormentor to her. Jude is a disrespectful and unworthy human to him. Hence, their classmate and royal vs. human relationship statues hold magnificent tension. I don't want to spoil anything, but there are a few twists in this book for them.

“I love my parents' murderer; I suppose I could love anyone.”

Jude. Jude is the other great of this book. I loved her sisters, but I loved Jude the most because she is so incredibly flawed and aware of it. And what's better...she doesn't act like you would expect a heroine to act. Maybe because she isn't going to be a heroine, ultimately. Two more books to figure her out. She has some noble thoughts, but is also a jumble of envy, longing, rapid mood swings, sisterly love, sisterly hate, and a fair dose of scheming. She isn't described as particularly beautiful, which I think made me love her more because we are seeing her through her eyes. Jude comments on noticing things like her height and hips and the heavy weight of her breasts in comparison to the lithe fey bodies around her. She feels nearly gross with humanness, having to deal with things like deodorant and tampons. In short, she felt like a real teenager.

My favorite thing about Jude though? She doesn't know exactly what she's capable of. She has a gut-sense of what to do, but mostly she seems to be getting by on her training from school, from Madoc, and instincts. It feels like she could fall off the very narrow blade she walks on at any moment. And that really propelled the story forward.

BUY, BORROW OR PASS

BUY. Absolutely buy. This series has only started and the rest of the series became an insta-buy for me after the first chapter.

Oh Jude, you don't know what you've done. That ending is going to haunt me.

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.  

So, I was expecting to like this story. Was not at all prepared for how much I genuinely love it. I LOVE that they aren’t together yet and I LOVE that despite it all Jude has continued to put family first. Taryn… I could do without her but I get it and I understand. Love Viv. She deserves the world. Cardan is pleasant, disliked enough that in the beginning I couldn’t stand him but not unredeemable. I think it makes it a lot easier that even though Jude did not know what he was doing. The reader could tell? I think that was extremely well written. Like I could tell everything the other characters could possibly be feeling even though I wasn’t reading the story from their perspective. It was kind of like Jude knew exactly what was going on the entire time but refused to believe. Like she was lying to herself as well. Which I suppose she was. This was a pleasant read.

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 ✨

What a ride it was to be back in Holly Black’s land of Faerie. I read her Tithe series way back in the day, probably when I was in middle school or high school, and I absolutely fell in love with it. The story was so fascinating to me, and it’s really the thing that pushed me to fall in love with faeries from that point on.

Now, in this new book, it shows a much darker side to Faerie than I’m used to. I mean, I’m used to reading dark tales about Faerie because, let’s be real, it can be a very cruel place not just to mortals, but to the other Fey as well, but this story brought on a lot more betrayal, hatred, and a general sense of apathy than anything.

Let’s talk characters because there were a lot of characters introduced to us through Jude’s eyes, and I want to give some of my thoughts on them.

Jude, herself, was a very melancholic character. We were often reminded of how much she hated life in Faerie and how she loved Madoc, though he’s a monster, and how she despised Cardan. I’m not saying those points were annoying, but I did pick up just how often they were said and I kind of felt it was redundant. I also felt her character was a bit… lacking? She was very much just a ball of anger at the world around her. Any emotions other than general discourse or anger felt outside of her realm and I didn’t really feel any particular attachment to her, especially through the first two thirds of the story. More on that in a minute.

Cardan was quite the cruel prince (but not the main reason for the title of the book, let me tell you lol) who enjoyed seeing Jude suffer, but also did very, very subtle things to ensure nothing harmed her to the point of death. In the latter half of the book it felt almost like I was reading about an entirely different character? At least in some parts he felt a bit too open, a bit too friendly, even, but that familiar cruelness came right back at the very end and I was like, “Ah, yes, there he is.”

Madoc, Balekin, and Dain all had fairly significant parts to play throughout the story, and each of them played it well. Overall they all felt very cunning, very manipulative, and willing to do anything to get what they wanted. But my biggest point here in talking about these three: I wanted to learn more about them and why they were the way they were, even as fey.

Valerian, Locke, and Nicasia were friends of Cardan’s, and I didn’t very much like them. Valerian was a huge jerk, Locke always seemed like there was something more mischievous and cunning underneath everything that he did, and Nicasia… well, I actually kind of liked her, despite her being a horrible person.

Taryn and Vivienne were Jude’s sisters, and though they had their parts to play in the story, I also felt like they were just there when it was most convenient for the plot. I do, however, really like Vivi and her determination to do everything in her power to go against her father’s, Madoc’s, wishes.

Okay, now let’s talk about the plot, because I have some things I want to say about it, as well as the writing through the first two thirds of the book.

First off, the writing continuously felt like it was jumping and cutting out scenes that should have taken place. When I was reading some parts and it instantly jumped from, for example, Jude about to go somewhere, it then jumped to her having already done it. Or there was no real dive into any sort of emotions – not often, anyway – or a real look at surroundings or situations that I really craved for.

There was no middle ground, no “filler,” I guess you could say. But it wasn’t just that that bothered me, it was my desire to feel something more for what was happening to Jude and what was happening around her.

I didn’t feel as connected as I was hoping because I felt so disconnected because of the jumpy writing – at least for the first two thirds of the story.

And then? Oh man, did it kick off right at the climax of the book, and even the writing got a lot better and I felt like I was following it a lot better than I was before.

The plot was leading up to the grand coronation of one of the princes, and when the thing (I won’t spoil it) happened, and then a lot of chaos ensued, I was shocked. Seriously, I hadn’t been expecting it to go down the way it did, and there was a lot of bloodshed and just… a lot of stuff happening.

The last third of the book really held my attention and, more than once, especially in the last chapter, I had to catch my breath because I was so anxious as to what was going to happen next, how it was going to play out, and if the plan was going to succeed.

Overall, I found that the last third of the book was much more enticing and dynamic than the first two thirds, but that’s not to say it was a bad read. I actually really enjoyed the book and found myself hooked into reading it, despite the flaws that I personally found. And I can’t wait to read the sequel; it’s going to be so good. THAT ENDING THOUGH. UGH, MY HEART.

★★★★☆

I found this series after seeing fanart of Jude and Cardan on Bookstagram. I knew it was a fantasy series with fairie lore, which I love, so when I saw it was included with Kindle Unlimited, I started it on a whim and read it over three nights. It kept me intrigued the entire way through and didn't go the way I expected--ever. Even after trying to guess ahead at every plot twist (of which there were an impressive number).

I had no idea that the land of Fairie would be hidden in our actual world. That was pleasant surprise number one. The world was magical--literally and figuratively, with giant toads for steeds and tiny acorn cups for drinking tea--but the plot was anything but dainty and cute. The danger, the intrigue, the betrayals, the hard decisions and their harder consequences... I was very invested with the characters and the story by the end. I definitely recommend The Cruel Prince for a medium-grade fantasy drama that keeps you on your toes.

Also great if you love strong FMCs, character growth, and the enemies-to-lovers trope.

On to book two!

Background of myself: Okay if you are a romance/smut reader, this book is probably not for you. I loved most of the popular Sarah J Maas books and Fourth Wing series as well. I would say the Wing series is by far my favorite. I wanted to see what other genres I would enjoy so I saw this recommended on Booktok.

I almost put this book down halfway through, lots of story/world building which is usually not my favorite part because there’s a bunch of information thrown at me, but instead of it being the first hundred pages or so it felt like the entire book. There’s only a little bit at the end that really drew me in.

The reason I gave it four stars is because the ending was intriguing to me enough to finish the NEXT two books of the series in a little under a day. I was OBSESSED (my adhd condemning me) with the unfolding of the lead characters relationship. And I felt the entirety of the story come together at the end and give me closure. In fact I would say that although there was very little romance I did enjoy their relationship more because it is very different from my favorite couple: Xaden and Violence 😅

If you don’t feel enraptured by the end of the first book I’d prolly say it’s not for you.

This first book in the series was slow starting. The author was laying the ground work for the characters, I get that. I was just ready for more. The detail and creation of Elfhame was amazing and I loved the intricate d details that went into the characters, the world, and everything in it. Jude is a human force living in a fae world and is to be reckoned with and Cardan is a young prince with no direction. Get ready for an interesting ride.