The Cruel Prince
Author : Holly Black
Series : The Folk Of The Air
Genres : Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Young adult
Publication : January 2nd 2018 by Little, Brown Books
Synopsis : 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 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.
As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal 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.
It’s one of my most anticipated releases for 2018 and there is so much hype surrounding this book ! So let’s say that I was a little frightened to start this book ! But it lived up to its reputation !
Trigger warning : abuse, violence
Plot
We follow Jude, her twin sister Taryn and their older sister Vivienne. Vivienne’s father is a Fey, called Madoc.
The book starts abruptly, violently ! It gives us the tone for the rest of the book. Madoc is not an average fey, he is a noble fey, Gentry. He took the three sisters with him and they’re treated as Gentry too. Well, at least it’s supposed to be that way.
Jude and Taryn go to the school with the other Fey but they are bullied, especially by the Prince Cardan and his posse.
The twin sisters couldn’t be any different : Taryn desperately wants to fit in while Jude is always defying Cardan.
If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.
This book is fantastic ! It’s the first time I read a Holly’s book and it didn’t disappoint. There’s something magical about her writing style. She really manages to capture the dark and dangerous beauty that is the Faery’s signature.
The world-building is amazing ! I especially love how the faeries are describded. There’s no sugar coat, just the bare truth.
The beginning was a bit slow, but once the real action starts, OMG it’s really compelling !
There’s also the political aspects. The game of thrones. (Ooops, sorry, wrong reference !) It has been a long time since I read a political centered plot and I missed it !
To be honest, this book has all the ingredients of a 5 stars read : action, betrayal, plot twists, diversity and twisted characters.
What could I become if I stopped worrying about death, about pain, about anything? If I stopped trying to belong? Instead of being afraid, I could become something to fear.
I also enjoyed how the characters weren’t just good or bad but in between. All of them. Even the humans. Because let’s be honest, Jude is deviously cunning too ! I found no character totally likeable, and I think that’s something the author wanted.
The spying part was also exciting. Seeing Jude becoming as deadly as the Feys, getting stronger and more cruel.
No, really, this book is excellent ! It’s dark, twisted and so compelling ! The ending nearly killed me and I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel !
Because you’re like a story that hasn’t happened yet. Because I want to see what you will do. I want to be part of the unfolding of the tale.
Characters
- Jude is really interesting. She doesn’t want to fit in with the Gentry and yet she is as cruel and as cunning ! She is reckless, and badass in her own way. Yet, she is truely protective of her family.
- Taryn is a character I disliked from the beginning. She was not loyal to her sister.
- Locke I had doubts from the beginning about his demeanor with Jude.
- Cardan is a character I despised from the beginning. But, as the story goes on, we get to learn him a little more and somehow I came to pity him.
- Madoc was quite interesting too. For a Fey, he is very fair !
- Vivi is the most normal acting of them all.
I really LOVED this book !
About the author
Holly Black is the author of bestselling contemporary fantasy books for kids and teens. Some of her titles include The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), The Modern Faerie Tale series, the Curse Workers series, Doll Bones, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the Magisterium series (with Cassandra Clare), The Darkest Part of the Forest, and her new series which begins with The Cruel Prince in January 2018.
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