The Cruel Prince: Collector's Edition

This book starts with a murder. Two, actually. The grisly murder of a woman and her husband by her ex-husband, who just so happens to be Madoc, a vicious faerie warmonger. But rather than return to Elfhame empty handed, he takes with him his daughter Vivi, but also her seven-year-old half-sisters Taryn and Jude, who he chooses to raise in his estate, in the world of the fae. Raised as mortals in the world of the faeries is a precarious, often dangerous and always brutal existence. The Cruel Prince follows Jude, now a teenager, as she aims to prove herself as more than just human, as a powerful warrior set to be chosen as a knight in a faerie court. However, Jude's hopes and aims do not go to plan, and soon she finds herself hired as a spy for one of the princes in line for the throne of Elfhame. This is a novel of political machinations, of lies and brutality, of cruelty and beauty and brilliance. Someone on GoodReads described it as the literary equivalent of being hit by a truck, and I think that sums it up pretty well. There is so much to discuss in this novel that it is hard to know where to begin -- Jude's ambition, her sisters' secrets, Madoc's secret allegiances, cruel Cardan, beautiful Locke and the fruit! But I genuinely think it's best if you go into this book knowing as little as I did. Jude is a brilliant, furious creature -- the product of murder, danger and brutality, strength built upon her fragility and weaknesses as a mere mortal, easily swayed and damaged by the world around her. I know it is February (though I read this at the start of January) and so this is quite a ridiculous thing to say, but The Cruel Prince is one of my favourite books so far this year. The thing is I think its going to stay as one of my favourite books. I think I've found a new favourite author, and I honestly can't believe I've not read any Holly Black until this. I've already gifted a copy of this to a friend who loves her writing, knowing that they would absolutely need to read this -- and it also meant I have someone to talk to about my emotions. I'm going to be counting the days until I can get back to Jude and her story; roll on the rest of The Folk of the Air series. What to read next: Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo The Call by Peadar O'Guillin

When Jude is 7 years old her parents are murdered and she and her sisters stolen away to live in the High Court of Faerie by the true father of their oldest sibling. Faerie is a cruel and dangerous place at the best of times, especially for mortals, but by the time she is 17 Jude is determined to belong. But she is surrounded by enemies, and in particular Prince Cardan, the youngest and hardest of the High King’s sons. She will have to risk her life and form dangerous alliances to survive and find her place in the High Court. Do you know that feeling you get when you are sure you are going to hate a book? This had come highly recommended, but it is a Young Adult (nothing wrong with the YA genre but I am an well-weathered adult and struggle to care about the things that bother teenagers), Hate to Love (a challenging subgenre because a. it is obvious from about page 3 who the future lovers are going to be and b. it can slip into encouraging and even idolise toxic masculine behaviour), Faerie (a setting that can too easily be underthought and, also, the love interest has a tail for goodness sakes – Furries can furry but it’s not my thing) romance. On top of this, the opening chapter (opening chapters are hard) is a bit clumsy – it’s hard to care about the deaths of characters we don’t know, I felt unclear from whose perspective we are seeing it, and it was extremely violent but muffled by maximum a YA novel will tolerate. Happily, I couldn’t have been more wrong about this book. Black’s Faerie is interesting, chaotic, and obeys clear and consistent rules. Our be-tailed Prince is no two-dimensional love interest but fully four dimensional – breadth and depth, changing over time. This is true of all the characters, who consistently make interesting, individual, and flawed decisions that meant I was hooked from the second page of chapter 2. Most of all, Jude is fabulous. She has the key characteristics of a YA heroine – worrying about boys and her relationships with her family – but she is courageous to the point of arrogance, ambitious to the point of brutal ruthlessness, and takes risks that are absolutely breath-taking. It is perfectly common for a YA heroine to be in a constant state of anxiety, but we are totally sold because we feel that Jude is in constant danger. The relationships between the key characters feel complex and real, and that between Jude and Prince Cardan works brilliantly in particular because of Jude’s flaws: in her arrogance it takes her a long time to understand why he behaves as he does and what is actually going on. Jude is, quite simply, one of the most fully realised heroines I have ever read. There is another thing about this book that normally puts me off – it is the first in a series. Often this means an unsatisfying end to the first book, but Black avoids that brilliantly. I normally don’t have the time to re...

4.5 ⭐ My first time in Elfhame left a bad impression. I felt so out of step because everyone was gushing about The Cruel Prince and I was on the outside thinking ‘I just don’t get it.’ That’s partly why I do not like reading books mid hype. But anyway.. A friend talked me into reading The Wicked King, a little longer in the world of Elfhame and I finally felt like I was starting to get it. With Queen of Nothing on the horizon I decided to participate in a readalong with two people who haven’t yet stepped into the world Holly created. Despite having read it… Despite knowing every twist and turn… I loved it. I think people should be warned that this isn’t your typical YA story, you’ll step into Elfhame, you’ll be surrounded by cruel, beautiful, wicked creatures and you’ll probably question your own morals when you fall in love with them. There’s still plenty of characters I hate, don’t get me wrong but there’s a lot I can’t help loving. It’s full of danger, betrayal, bloodshed, manipulation and cunning. Cunning above all else because the Folk cannot lie so they have to be especially clever with everything they say and do. During my first read it was hard to grasp that along with the new world setting and everything else but this time I paid attention to every word. If you’re like me, if you love everything fae and you’re unsure about this, my advice is to read it twice. Give yourself a wee break between reads and see where it takes you the second time around. I’m so glad I gave it another go. I am now really and truly obsessed. Here’s one of my favourite moments; “Take care,” he says, and then smiles. “It would be very dull to have to sit here for an entire day just because you went and got yourself killed.” “My last thoughts would be of your boredom,” I tell him.

Based on the description and title, I was expecting this to predominantly be a fantasy romance, with a "bad boy" or perhaps even villainous fairy love interest. I really enjoy that sort of thing, but was worried it might feel a bit generic and overdone. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to discover that this is basically full-blown fantasy, with the focus very much on politics, plotting and life and death scenarios. It's also very strong on showing the emotional conflicts and inner turmoil faced by the characters, particularly the lead, Jude. Speaking of Jude, I was expecting either a kick-ass fantasy heroine or a softer romantic lead. Again, my assumptions were dashed. She turned out to be a very dark heroine, bordering on antiheroine. She kills, she plots, she does ruthless things. And her backstory and her ongoing fears and ambitions are so well set out that you completely understand the things she does and keep rooting for her. The supporting characters were also mostly compelling and nuanced. I particularly liked Madoc, Jude's adoptive father, a bloodthirsty fairy general who killed her biological parents but genuinely loves and cares for her. The unusual backstory and set-up really add a lot compared to the standard set up of a human girl either wandering into faerie by mistake or discovering she is half fairy herself. Jude has grown up as an aristocrat of the fairy world, but facing huge prejudice for being biologically human. And her feelings towards her adoptive father and adopted land are wonderfully conflicted. The world is set out beautifully and strikes a nice balance between solidly well-developed and appropriately dreamlike. I didn't realise until close to the end, when a cameo made it clear, but this is set in the same world as the author's old Tithe novels. I didn't enjoy them as much as this, but I think the existence of all that existing world-building really helped here. As I've mentioned, romance was much less front and centre than I was expecting, though it bubbles under the surface, There was a side romance that felt rather throw away and did nothing for me. It's quite clear from both the title and the entire set up that Cardan, the titular Cruel Prince, is meant to be the main love interest, though, without getting too spoilery, there's surprisingly little development on that front in this volume. If I had one quibble with the book, it's that I was a little disappointed in Cardan. I was expecting him to be a bit like the Darkling or similar - cruel in a scheming, sinister way, with lots of ambition but also lots of charm. In this instalment at least, he was more like a petty, spoiled school bully, albeit one who happened to be a fairy prince, and wasn't particularly competent. And the way he treated the heroine was unpleasant and not linked to any wider plan. Overall though, this was a really well-writt...

I used to never be a reader who gave into the hype and buzz a new book can sometimes bring along with it. But while Instagram has taken book marketing to an entirely different level, some books are becoming difficult to ignore. Literally thousands upon thousands of readers, reviewers, publicists, and enthusiasts are pushing the free marketing of books attached to hashtags and accompanied by beautiful and creative photography upon Instagram and other social media site purveyors daily. The Cruel Prince was one book that began to saturate my feed as readers latched on to the newest novel by fantasy maven Holly Black; their accolades and insistent cries that the book shattered them caught my interest and I decided to dive in. The opening is brutal. Young Jude and her two sisters are enjoying a quiet afternoon at home, the TV lulling them into a comfortable slumber while their parents tinker about in other parts of their cozy home. Unbeknownst to them, this is the day that everything they have ever known will change, as the man watching their home from across the street decides to finally make his move. The stranger barges into their haven and shatters the idyllic scene by murdering both of Jude's parents in a quick and succinct fashion. Whisked away to the land of Faerie, Jude and her sisters are forced into a life settled firmly on the borders of being outsiders. Her oldest sister, Vivi, being the cause of the disruption in their lives, is ironically the most unhappy with their new situation. She is only Jude's half-sister, the result of their mother faking her own death and spiriting herself and her pregnant belly back to the mortal world, with the help of a secret love. Previously attached to a brutal  war general of Faerie, Jude's mother committed the ultimate act of betrayal by hiding the child, and the result was her execution. By the laws vested in Faerie, General Madoc became responsible for the children of his wife the moment she died at his hand, and he takes his responsibilities very seriously. Growing up in Faerie has had its difficulties, almost from day one. Jude is not one of them, not a member of the Fair Folk. She is human: dispensable and fragile; a veritable non-starter. Her saving grace, however, is that she is a member of the upper class and elite. Having been raised by Madoc garners her a touch of reverance. He is a man who commands respect and if he doesn't find it, he takes it by force. Having risen to become the right hand of the Faerie King by hook, crook, and buckets of blood, Jude is afforded a modicum of respect in Madoc's stead. But behind the scenes, she is taunted and ridiculed by her peers, looked at as a pretender, and as a frail human who has no real worth or talent. To say the situation is complicated is an understatement. The worst of those who bully her is Cardan, the beautiful youn...