Black tackles determination and proving one’s worth in first of The Folk of the Air Series

      Imagine you are seven years old, just playing in your house, when a strange man knocks on your door.  After a heated altercation between the strange man and your parents, your dad whips out a giant sword, but before he can do anything, the man kills both your mom and dad with a sword of his own.  Considering this only happens within the first 10 pages of Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince, one can only assume that Jude Duarte, our protagonist, is in for quite the adventure.
    Now ten years later, Jude has be living amongst Faeries and been adopted by her  parent’s murderer, Madoc. Since Jude is human, her and her twin sister, Taryn, face bullying and discrimination on a daily basis, despite Madoc’s high status in the courts.  Determined to prove herself to Madoc and spite the terrible Prince Cardan, the youngest son of the King of Faerie, Jude becomes involved in the deceptions and politics of the High Court of Faerie.  But with the kingdom on the brink of civil war, Jude will need engage in a dangerous alliance and risk her life to save her sisters, and Faerie itself. But how far will she go to obtain power?
    This book was HIGHLY recommended to me by a good friend of mine and told me I HAD to read this book. Boy, am I glad I listened to her! This book has everything fantasy readers love: a protagonist who feels they need to prove themselves, a villain or two that we can’t help but secretly love, the slow burn of a spiteful romance, and the impending doom that nothing will ever be the same again! Black creates characters that are wonderfully flawed that you can’t help but love and hate everyone, even Jude herself (in my opinion).  Black’s use of first person point-of-view makes Jude’s story that much more raw and engaging, but it also enables Jude’s own flaws to shine through.
    Between the riveting storyline and the unpredictable plot twists that pop up throughout the novel, Black’s The Cruel Prince is definitely a book that should be added onto your TBR. Just make sure to have the sequel ready to go when you finish, because you won’t want to wait to see what happens next! So for all you fantasy, romance, young adult, and adventure lovers out there: this book’s for you!

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