The Cruel Prince by Holly Black Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2018 “You have only seen the least of what I can do.” The Cruel Prince is a beautiful introduction to Holly Black’s new series, “The Folk of the Air.” The story centers around Jude, who at seven years old, is brought to live in Faerie when her parents are murdered. That’s already a heavy load to start a story with, right?! Jude and her sisters grow up among the faeries, pixies, goblins, and magic, but this is not your normal fairy tale. This epic book is dark, enthralling, and sometimes, down-right dirty. Jude desperately wants to belong in faerie and dreams of becoming a knight in the High King’s court. As the time approaches to declare herself, the High King decides to abdicate the throne and pass the crown on. This is only the beginning of an incredible, brutal saga that tests each character’s loyalty and just how far they will go to gain power over the faerie kingdom. The world-building that takes place in this story is incredible! Faerie is both beautiful and magical, while dark and cunning. Black provides such detailed accounts of everything in faerie, including the different castles, characters, and even the flora and fauna. The reader really is transported to their world, and you can even sense the lines where the mortal and immortal world blur together. The characters are probably my favorite aspect of this book. Each one is so well-developed and enigmatic. My friend (who also read the book) and I decided that each character is neither black or white, they are all shades of gray. Each one has some good and some bad mixed in. Of course, some are worse than others, but there are a few characters you want so desperately to believe are good and loyal. But, no matter how you dice it, they all carry around dark and light. I loved this, especially when one minute you loathed a character, and the next couldn’t believe the kindness that came from them. Jude, the main character, is a strong young woman who, when faced with incredible adversity, develops into a cunning warrior. She is brutal yet honest, and dark yet hopeful. Her perspective and narration makes the story so engaging, and as a reader, you are constantly pulling for her to “win.” The Cruel Prince, with its view of the dark side of faerie, has some very brutal moments. When the action begins, it does not stop! There is lots of deception, betrayal, and blood, and it all hits at moments when you least expect it. There were several times I had to close the book to process what had just happened, in a good way, of course. This is a fantastic book that I would highly recommend to students 8th grade and up (due to violence, some language, and some sexual innuendo/references). It’s a dark look into the world of faerie, packed with action, intrigue, and mystery. I cannot wait for the next addition to this series, The Wicked King, which is set to be published in January 2019.
1 Comment
ur mom
11/7/2022 01:47:37 am
can u give me the book pdf u usless summary
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AuthorMy name is Mrs. Scott and I'm a secondary Media Resource Specialist (librarian) in Texas. This blog was created as part of my graduate coursework at Texas Woman's University. All reviews and opinions are my own.
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