The Cruel Prince

The Folk of the Air, Book 1

By: Holly Black

Narrated by: Caitlin Kelly

By #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, 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.

I wanted to love it...

I remember reading Holly Black’s books in high school and really loving them, this was middle of the line. The story was good - the characters were a bit unbelievable (and not because they were fairies).

The main character is arrogant but also self conscious of everything around her and even though the story is told through her perspective you can easily see the other characters motivations from the very beginning. (Again this is targeted for a younger audience so complexity wasn’t exactly what I was expecting).

Overall the book itself was fine - I think it suffered from the narration. Black writes in a very flowery language so there’s not much need for embellishment. The narrator however delivered every line line it was the climax of a Shakespearean soliloquy.

Overall I’d say 6/10.

great story, so so recording

I listen to a lot of audio books. I get that it's hours upon hours of work and you have to take breaks and such. unfortunately the editing of this audio book was poor. Sentences chopped up with different intimations that were crazy obvious. single words sliced into sentences with different room tone. not their best work.

I loved the story and the reader.

beginning of a bad ass

Oh my gosh, The Cruel Prince will have you hooked like a fish on a line! I'm not even kidding; I DEVOURED this book! Holly Black's magical world-building was so real, I could practically feel the grass between my toes. But what really blew me away was how she made me feel everything that Jude Duarte went through. Every emotion, every fear, every thrill, I was right there with her! This book is bursting with a power-hungry court, first-time love, backstabbing, and sneaky plot twists that'll make you gasp. If you're into fantasy, vindictive nobles, snarky faeries, and espionage, then you gotta read this book.

spellbinding

Tragic
between
Mortal
and
Faerie

Magic
between
mortal
and
Faerie

This audibook is cruelly interesting and I love to explore the magic in fairyland.

Who will won the battle?
Cardan Greenbriar or Jude Duarte

Pleasant YA Surprise

This book is truly one that will take you from being slightly enthralled to ravenously excited to know what comes next. Definitely worth a credit.