The Cruel Prince
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4.4 • 4.2K Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the first book in a stunning new series about a mortal girl who finds herself caught in a web of royal faerie intrigue.
Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Best-selling YA author Holly Black kicks off her Folk of the Air fantasy trilogy by pulling us into her intricately imagined realm of Faerie. Populated by pixies, sprites, trolls, and a thousand other fantastical creatures, Black’s rich, ornate world is a dazzling background for serious drama and intrigue. The Cruel Prince is a super-fun, immersive fantasy that also deals with the real, complex emotions stirred up by the desire to be accepted. We can’t wait to get our hands on the second book!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When Jude Duarte was seven, she watched Madoc, general to the high king of Elfhame, slaughter her parents. Madoc then dragged Jude and her two sisters off to Faerieland, where he raised them as his own. Ten years later, Jude remains an outcast who is cruelly bullied by the other children of Faerie the king's youngest son, Prince Cardan, chief among them. Jude dreams of becoming a member of the High Court and the power that it confers, so when the opportunity arises for her to enter into the service of one of Cardan's brothers, she seizes it, inadvertently placing herself at the center of a bloody coup and endangering the lives of everyone she loves. First in a trilogy, this spellbinding fantasy from Black (The Darkest Part of the Forest) reflects on the cost of ambition and explores the bomb-strewn border between love and hate. Breathtaking set pieces, fully developed supporting characters, and a beguiling, tough-as-nails heroine enhance an intricate, intelligent plot that crescendos to a jaw-dropping third-act twist. Ages 15 up.
Customer Reviews
Pleasure to read
The suspense build up at the end! This book was spectacular and I can’t wait to continue in the series.
Emily
It was a really good book but a little dragged out
Eh.
I’ve seen lots of good reviews for this book, and it was alright.
BUT, boring. Too much talking and not enough action. To many descriptions. Had the opportunity to be something great, but fell flat. I will not be buying the next book. I forced myself through this one and even then, I skipped paragraphs.
Also, DEF for YA. I’m not saying I wanted sex sex sex, but a little more romance and tension.
I’m also not a fan of women falling for men who have physically hurt them…. Over years. Like one time grabbing her too roughly is enough for me. Anything over that is wild.