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The Cruel Prince

Holly Black

750 pages

A glittering, blood-soaked descent into a world where survival requires becoming more monstrous than the monsters themselves.

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What it feels like

Reading this book feels like biting into a poisoned apple that tastes like spun sugar and iron. It is a masterclass in tension, plunging you into a treacherous, glittering world where beauty is a weapon and every interaction is a calculated strike. The narrative moves with a propulsive, cutthroat energy, driven by a fiercely ambitious protagonist who refuses to be a victim. The atmosphere is intoxicatingly dark, balancing fairy-tale decadence with visceral brutality and psychological warfare. You will find yourself holding your breath through vicious political maneuverings and a slow-burn, venomous dynamic that redefines enemies-to-lovers. It is an absolute feast for readers who crave morally gray characters, ruthless ambition, and a story that revels in the shadows of desire and power.

Mood
  • glamorous
  • treacherous
  • intoxicating
  • tense
Tone
  • cynical
  • sharp
  • ruthless
  • calculating
Pace
propulsive
Themes
corrupting nature of power · survival at any cost · allure of the monstrous · bullying and trauma · sibling rivalry
The writing
Sharp, sensory, and darkly lyrical, balancing fairy-tale decadence with brutal, visceral reality.
The arc
Moves from desperate vulnerability and a craving for belonging to a cold-blooded, ruthless embrace of power.
Who it's for
Readers who crave morally gray heroines, venomous enemies-to-lovers tension, and vicious political scheming.
Content notes
  • bullying
  • violence
  • murder
  • emotional abuse
  • manipulation

About the book

GUARD YOUR MORTAL HEART.

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 tricker 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.

From author Holly Black comes the first book in a stunning new trilogy filled with twists and enchantment, as one girl learns the meaning of true power when she finds herself caught in a web of royal faerie intrigue.

This description comes from the publisher. The Cruel Prince is the first book of the Folk of the Air trilogy.

Description from Open Library.

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