The Folk of Air Book 1: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The Folk of Air Book 1

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. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26032825-the-cruel-prince

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My Review: 4/5 Stars

This was my first book that I have read that was written by Holly Black and I must say it was different than I expected. I haven't read much books that deal with the Fae and Faeries. I have read Cassandra Clare, Thea Harrison, and Patricia Briggs, who all have written this form of mythology into their stories. And form of myth I love and this reminded me how much I need to dig deeper. 

Lot of great things about this book! The storyline and characters for one were very interesting and nothing really predictable. One thing I will say is that I guessed a key part of the ending, which may sound like a bad thing, but this is the beginning of a trilogy and when it comes to Faeries there are always tricks and plots that will keep you on your toes. And trust me, so much other craziness went down if you one detail like that was not a big deal. The story is told through Jude's point of view and she is a strong female character who belief is that as long as she pretends she isn't afraid the fear will never consume her. She longs to fit into the place that she was kidnapped to and believes that being a knight will do just that. Looked down upon everyone there, she enters a political game throughout the story, though you don't even realize what she has been placed into until it is too late. 

What surprised me the most was Cardan. Right from the beginning he is exactly as the title of the books says, a cruel prince. Though we learned a little bit of what is behind that mask of cruelty, we didn't learn as much as I would have liked. I was expecting something of Cardan and didn't really get it. However! This is only book one and something tells me book 2, will give us a better look at who Cardan really is. 

The book had a lot of twists and turns that you truly don't see coming. Holly Black takes risks with her story and they do pay off. And though I was doubtful that the book would hold my attention in the beginning it did build up and next thing I knew I was at the end. It's a great beginning to a trilogy I believe will have great potential. I look forward to the next two books!