'The Cruel Prince' (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black

'The Cruel Prince' Goodreads synopsis -

‘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.’

'The Cruel Prince' Novel Review -

Can I just say, I’ve finally finished reading this novel! After all of this, I have reviewed this novel and have given it 4/5 stars.

Firstly, Jude is such a badass. Reading from her perspective, especially at the very end of this novel, was so dark and so disturbing. I loved how the author played with her good girl persona to present her in such a two-faced manor.

Secondly, I’ve realized that the “privilege” of being Fae for Jude was something that she never really needed. I felt that her character’s personality and way of thinking was the mortal version of being Fae - ruthless, cunning, emotionless, and evil.

I don’t know why but this is the only novel in which I will not ship a couple. Jude and Cardan were so disturbing to read about, just the way that they interacted was always so intense. Obviously, they’re attracted to each other, but the hate is so over powering.

The only aspect to this novel that I didn’t quite enjoy was how long it went for. Maybe this was the reason why I was taking so long to get through it. All in all, I’m excited to read the second novel to this series. Mainly because I want to find out what happens with Carden, whether he turns into a good ruler or whether he messes everything up just to spite Jude. I’m also eager to find out how Jude deals with being “Queen” and how she’s going to control ruthless Carden.