The Cruel Prince

The Folk of the Air, Book 1

By: Holly Black

Narrated by: Caitlin Kelly

The start of a thrilling new fantasy series from best-selling author Holly Black about a mortal girl who finds herself caught in a dangerous 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.

One terrible morning, Jude and her sisters see their parents murdered in front of them. The terrifying assassin abducts all three girls to the world of Faerie, where Jude is installed in the royal court but mocked and tormented by the Faerie royalty for being mortal. As Jude grows older, she realises that she will need to take part in the dangerous deceptions of the fey to ever truly belong. But the stairway to power is fraught with shadows and betrayal. And looming over all is the infuriating, arrogant and charismatic Prince Cardan.

Dramatic and thrilling fantasy blends seamlessly with enthralling storytelling to create a fully realised and seductive world, brim-full of magic and romance.

©2018 Holly Black (P)2018 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

A bit slow - but worth it

The story was a slow burner for me, however in the end I cannot wait for the next one!!

EPIC!!

I won’t lie, it was a slow but enjoyable start. However, the story picks up pace as you go along and by the end, it’s a full on sprint to the finish. There are a few plot twists that I did not see coming which just kept me glued to the story. I highly recommend if you’re into complex fairy kingdoms with a bit of confusion and a touch of violence. This is not for the romantics 😉

Good plot twists, sequel just gets better.

I took me about 8 chapters to get into the story but loved every second thereafter. Not a spicy romance but great story with good balance between story and slow burn romance.

Fae politics

You know the spongebob sighing meme. Yeah, that’s how I feel rn writing this review about the Cruel Prince. If you’re looking for enemies to lovers, you’re probably won’t get it until the next book. This is just fae politics. I guess booktok is the reason I listened to this and you will instantly fell in love with the characters. Though I am concerned with myself with falling in love with a murderous character and a drunk one. But yeah, it’s fiction. The first book is the world-building one and just be prepared at the end of part 1 in each book, it’s always end with a ‘WTF?!?’

My Favourite Book of 2018

Princes, faeries, espionage, 11/10 writing, 11/10 narration. My favourite book this year. Extremely highly recommended.