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The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)

Holly Black

Start date: September 1, 2021

Finish date: September 30, 2021

Discussion: ❃Book of the Month (BOTMs)❃

Why we're reading this: Because it’s the September BOTM.
[close] Because it’s the September BOTM.

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❃Book of the Month (BOTMs)❃

* January 2023 - One of Us is Lying
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What Members Thought

Sep 09, 2021 charlene ✿ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, ya, books-i-own, ebook, 4-stars, sis-can-fight, portal-fantasy, 2021, orilium

3.75 stars
★★★★

I picked up this book for the September Book of the Month pick for the group Chapter Addicts

☞ Trigger warnings: *contains spoiler* (view spoiler).

The Folk of Air series reviews:
☁︎ The Cruel Prince: ★★★★
☁︎ The Wicked King: tbr-owned
☁︎ The Queen of Nothing: tbr-owned

"I want to win. I do

3.75 stars
★★★★

"I want to win. I do not yearn to be their equal. In my heart, I yearn to be best them"

I expected more from this book. I wanted depth. I wanted substance. I wanted more political intrigue. When Jude pledges herself to (view spoiler), I naively thought that this is what this books is about. This is her origin story. This is how this mortal girl became the most powerful player in the fae world through knowing so many secrets that everyone is beholden to her. The ultimate puppet master. This is not that. Although it tries to be. Kind of.

I love characters who are kingmakers. The power behind the throne. In charge of all the schemes and holds all the cards. Someone with all the secrets. I need more books with kingmakers. My all-time favourite is from The Fixer. It is interesting to have a fantasy book with a kingmaker main character. Jude is a baby kingmaker, making it up as she goes, hoping for the best. I like the process of how she gets there. She is taking lessons in strategy from her 'father' and is exposed to the higher forms of her society through the Prince. It makes sense that she becomes the kingmaker, gradually and through big, risky plays like her 'father'. She is more like him than she will admit, and her sister is more like her mother. There is a parallel here, one that neither sister is willing to acknowledge; and it is ripe for history to repeat itself.

Jude is the protagonist where decisions are made for her. She has little agency in the fact that she must react to her circumstances rather than create her own circumstances. I admire that she is self-aware enough to try and change this through training, and learning. To operate in this world it's more than surviving, but she needs to find a way to thrive on her own terms and ultimately she does it. She makes the plan, makes the bargains, and holds the cards.

An issue I have with this 'orgin' story, of a girl made kingmaker, is that we, the readers, don't see the growth, or the transformation. We don't see her learning secrets that can make kingdoms fall or start wars. We see her learn like two secrets, and then there is like a montage, and that's it. There is no character growth, and only a few skills are taught to her before she begins to set her plans in motion. She is not equipt to be a kingmaker, as she hardly knows the nuances of the court, and has little to no leverage on anyone. She has no trump cards, nor strategy beyond using Cardan, and his knowledge. She shouldn't have to rely on others this much and be somewhat powerful on her own. She can't afford to trust anyone, so why remain ignorant in this risky business. I hope in the sequel she hunkers down, and trys to learn all she can in a short amount of time.

Jude is going through a tough time as a mortal in a fantasy world. It's a classic portal fantasy where we experience the world through her eyes, and as she tries to adapt to survive in her surroundings. The premise of being raised by a man who murdered your mother and father is dark. I loved it. It gives a complexity to the relationship, about loving the man who has done horrible things to not only others but to you personally. Knowing you will never know your mother as well as you know her murderer. Chilling. The way this book explores that is great and not enough people talk about it.

"And despite myself, despite what he’d done and what he was, I came to love him. I do love him. It’s just not a comfortable kind of love."

Jude is a vulnerable human, living among the fae, who want to torture than murder her. This is a book about how she comes to terms with this known fact, and how she has to compensate for her vulnerability. Taryn and Jude's paths diverge. Taryn determines that to survive, she needs to find someone to protect her. Jude decides to make sure she can protect herself. To trust no one with her safety but herself.

"Here's why I don't like these stories: They highlight that I am vulnerable. No matter how careful I am, eventually I'll make another misstep. I am weak. I am fragile. I am mortal.
I hate that most of all.
Even if, by some miracle, I could be better than them, I will never be one of them."

Let it be known. Fuck Taryn. She has the backbone of a jellyfish. Let her do her bullshit and wash up somewhere else, away from me and my homie Jude. Her negative energy just drags this entire show down.

Now the third sister, Vivi, is the oldest; the fae sister that rejects all things fae. She has the biggest potential for surviving and thriving in this world. Despite that, she rebels, against her father and the world. She is attached to the mortal world, more than her sisters. Her childhood trauma has her trying to go back to the mortal world and recreate the love and security she had. It's semi-successful, but can you be fully in a relationship if you are hiding who you are? Isn't it in itself a form of betrayal to them and to yourself? Vivi faults her sisters for not having the same attachement to the mortal world, and that is an unspoken wedge that hangs over them.

I believe there is a part of her that hates us for adapting. For making the best of things. For making this our home.

The book starts getting good towards the end. Things start happening around half way. The beginning was lackluster, with little worldbuilding. It felt like a simplistic world. It feels like its trying to be dark, and gritty, but it doesn't deliver. It feels very PG and surface level 'dark'.

“Nice things don’t happen in storybooks,” Taryn says. “Or when they do happen, something bad happens next. Because otherwise the story would be boring, and no one would read it.”

The romance... It's budding. I expected more from the romance seeing as it is a ship that all the girlies are obsessed with. They are cute. They are funny together, I give you that, but I am very much not obsessed. I feel like I'm missing out. Like, what did you read that I didn't.

“Most of all, I hate you because I think of you. Often. It’s disgusting, and I can’t stop.”

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15 likes · Like · see review

Mar 13, 2023 lookmairead rated it really liked it

TBH, your Book of Night reviews made me nervous to start reading Holly Black. So I dove in with very low expectations.

But I was pleasantly surprised. Give me a strong female main character with memorable world building and I’m interested.
Throw in sibling love layered with “reading between the lines” vibes and I’m intrigued.
Add an “it’s complicated” relationship with a moody Prince and I’m microwaving popcorn.

Could I argue the contemporary world isn’t needed? Yes. But that’s because I rarely ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Jul 02, 2018 Mellea rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: pnr-uf-fantasy, kick-ass-heroine, fae-fairy-elves, young-adult

I loved this story so freaking much! It is the perfect example of my favorite type of book... Strong heroine, fighting/violence, intrigue, fantasy, and the potential for some great romance. I'm just sad I have to wait so long for the next one. 2019...nooooo! I can't wait! ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Feb 28, 2018 Mandy (Bookishlove85) rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-own, ya-fantasy

This book was a little slow starting for me and it wasnt exactly what I thought it would be but once it picked up I did really enjoy it. That ending tho! Gah when is the next one coming out?!

4 likes · Like · see review

Apr 08, 2021 Librarian Jessie (BibliophileRoses) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: enemies-to-lovers, 5-stars

When I express I want to read an enemies to lovers novel, this is the type of book I mean. Holly Black has never failed to astound me with her ability to spin urban-fantasy tales, and this is no exclusion. I waited a long time to read this series, solely because I knew I was not the largest fan of her last faerie based books. However, let me just say this novel redeemed her faerie writing abilities! I literally could not put it down, (Rest in Peace to my college assignments).
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I found myself fu ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 27, 2023 David Peck rated it really liked it

I had high hopes coming into this first book of the series. Many people really hyped it up and sadly it didn’t meet the expectations. However, it still was not what I initially expected. It’s a well woven world of a Fae-like tapestry that contains memorable characters that you grow attached to even early on. They all feel quite compelling though certainly some more than others. It’s a cut throat world and even rooting for the main character you feel a pause and think and hope it’s the right choi ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 17, 2020 Julie In Wonderland rated it really liked it

Shelves: tbr-again, 4-stars, anything-fae, ya, nope-this-is-toxic

I like books that surprise me. And this is one of those that did. It helps that all I was expecting was a typical ‘girl falls in love with a bully who turns out to be a good guy’ romance trope, which it is, but what held my attention was the plot surrounding politics; the schemes and the court of shadows and our ambitious girl in their midst. I also liked the messy yet effective way of introducing the conflict. The plot twist at the end, however, was as predictable as they come but satisfying no ...more

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Feb 15, 2018 Lacy rated it it was ok

I didn't completely hate it. I didn't really like it. The writing was beautiful but there was so much description to the point it took away from the plot. I bought into the hype and tried to get into the story because faeries have always fascinated me but this book was just meh. I ended up skimming a lot. I probably won't continue the series. (I think it's going to be a series?) ...more

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