The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1) in Fictional Character Lovers

Mar 03, 2024 ✪ JY ✪ (conans version)(Semi-Hiatus) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, books-i-own

REREAD TIMEE

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5 STARSSSS
You should see me in a crown ~ Billie Eilish ↺⭒
00:00──●─── 03:00

“If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.”

JUDE IS MY QUEENNNNNN

note:not romantasy its fantasy with political intrigue

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Mar 19, 2024 Bella ♡ ✧.* rated it really liked it

Shelves: own-physical

this is my second time reading the book, and i’ve combined my old review with my current feelings of the book. my original rating was 3 stars, it is now 4 stars (or rather, 4.5).

this isn’t a romance book, it’s a mild politics book in a fantasy setting, but the minimal romance part does, indeed, slay (if you like losers like i do). the beginning is a little slow, and when i first read it, i wasn’t sure if i was going to like it at all, but the writing style is quite nice that it encouraged me to this is my second time reading the book, and i’ve combined my old review with my current feelings of the book. my original rating was 3 stars, it is now 4 stars (or rather, 4.5).

this isn’t a romance book, it’s a mild politics book in a fantasy setting, but the minimal romance part does, indeed, slay (if you like losers like i do). the beginning is a little slow, and when i first read it, i wasn’t sure if i was going to like it at all, but the writing style is quite nice that it encouraged me to keep going.

in my old review, i mentioned that the modern elements turned me off, even though i did like how it played into the experiences of the characters. in my second read-through, i was able to appreciate this a lot more because i was able to detect more easily how it showed just how non-human jude has become. she really belongs in the faerie realm in a way that her other siblings might not.

what i loved most about this book both times i’ve read it is the experience of watching how jude goes from a fragile, stubborn daughter to an angry, power-hungry ‘knight’. in my original reading, i thought she didn’t have much characterization until she developed throughout the story, but i disagree on that point after reading it with fresh eyes. from the beginning, jude was feisty, willing to kick the guts of madoc from the moment he murdered her parents to the very end. she’s unique from other ‘badass female protagonists’ because her rage has a very real reason for existing: she has never been able to feel like she truly belongs anywhere, and the people she’s supposed to belong with don’t seem to want to belong with her, or vice versa.

i appreciated in my original review that there wasn’t a “happy ending love interest” romance right away. i also wanted to add onto this after reading it again that i love that even though jude begins to finally click with cardan, it isn’t an ‘easy’ relationship where things just start happening romantically between them just because someone confesses their attraction. there’s this parallel of how jude was with (view spoiler) in comparison to cardan, in which you see jude ‘unfeeling’ and ‘frozen’ with the former, and then ‘hungry’, ‘ashamed’, ‘hot all over’ with cardan. even though jude doesn’t understand her feelings and their relationship is essentially nothing in this book, it still has just enough kindling that it ends up creating a delicious, little bit of longing that starts it off well.

in my first read-through, i thought the way faeries were depicted were a bit average. while i did notice in my first read-through that there’s a lot of darker hints, vulgarities, and rawness to the ‘faerie’ aspect, i still found myself wanting. on this read-through, though, i was able to appreciate what was given way more, because i’ve learned that the variety of faerie depictions is actually quite rare. it’s grown on me and i’m quite in love with it now. it could always be more whimsical and raw, pushed to the extremes, which is what i honestly long for often times with books in general, but that doesn’t mean i can’t appreciate what is here now.

in terms of criticisms, in my original review i found it odd how the book was relatively unstructured and was in a constant state of continuity. everything happened very coincidentally, and it all just happens to be happening with jude trying to maintain control over her lucky draw of events. that can be a little absurd to believe, and that was something that i didn’t know how to feel about in my first read-through.

in this read-through, i still don’t know. but i don’t think that’s a flaw of the story. i think it honestly just makes it more fun? sometimes in real life, we often have a bunch of coincidences happen to create impossible circumstances, so… whatever?

i love cardan. whatever, everyone who likes this book does, it’s pointless to go on about him, but i will. i love how he’s just a big loser, i love how he’s multi-faceted in how he interacts with others. he’s carrying this series on his back, i’m worried for his spine health. (said affectionately and not at the detriment/bashing of other characters, just out of appreciation; other characters are just as great and well-written, he’s just charming.) i want to squeeze him in my hand like a stress ball and put him in my microwave and watch him spin (this is a statement of cuteness aggression).

the only thing is, i don’t know if it’s just because it’s the first book or if i’m going to come back and give this like 5 stars later after i somehow swoon over the rest of the trilogy, but i just feel like this book is still missing something. like it’s just missing this one little thing that would make me give 5 stars to it right off the bat, and i don’t know what it is, probably like an emotional attachment or soul resonation feeling. ...more

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May 24, 2024 Kylin Swearingen rated it it was ok

Shelves: felt-like-a-chore

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 2.5 stars: Oki, I know this might make people mad, but I honestly didn’t really like this book. Let’s go over some pros and cons:

Pros:
1) One of the best enemies to lovers (although they aren’t technically together yet) I’ve ever seen. If I hadn’t seen stuff from the fandom, I never would have guessed they ended up together.
2) Language was pretty clean which I appreciate.
3) The story was interesting enough to make me consider continue reading the series.
4) The plot twists were unexpected.

Cons: ...more

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Feb 26, 2024 ୨ৎ Annie ୨ৎ rated it really liked it

I like the book but it feels like there was more world-building and getting to know the character for more than half the book and the main plot came only after page 200. It was still entertaining but I would've liked to see less describing all the time and more of the main points happening. I did love how our hate for Cardan was built up but not too much to where we couldn't sympathize with him when he was at his brother's house. Jude and Cardan's banter and the way he can't lie makes everything ...more

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Dec 29, 2023 hallss 🎶📚🇷🇺 rated it really liked it

Shelves: my-bookshelf

Oh. Well that was…. Something

Re read~ obvs I wasn’t gonna be surprised cuz I’ve already read it but honestly it’s so easy to get sucked into the world I mean Holly black is amazing at world building and character building. Re reading the whole series now

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Oct 31, 2024 Myles (semi hiatus) rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Okay, so let me just say, WOW. 😳 People said this ended with a plot twist and THEY WERE RIGHT!!! 😱 Like, a 7-year-old is a KING???? 🤯 It sounds ridiculous, but it totally works! 😂 I mean, how wild is that? It’s like something straight out of a fantasy movie! 🎥✨ This series kinda reminds me of The Inheritance Games, which I’m totally obsessed with right now. 📚💖 And speaking of obsessions, I’ll be diving into The Naturals soon! 🔍💥

But honestly, some parts of this book were a bit of a slog. 😴 I just Okay, so let me just say, WOW. 😳 People said this ended with a plot twist and THEY WERE RIGHT!!! 😱 Like, a 7-year-old is a KING???? 🤯 It sounds ridiculous, but it totally works! 😂 I mean, how wild is that? It’s like something straight out of a fantasy movie! 🎥✨ This series kinda reminds me of The Inheritance Games, which I’m totally obsessed with right now. 📚💖 And speaking of obsessions, I’ll be diving into The Naturals soon! 🔍💥

But honestly, some parts of this book were a bit of a slog. 😴 I just finished Kingdom of Ash from the Throne of Glass series, and that was like politics, swords, and heartbreak all wrapped up in one spicy package! 🔥🗡️ Now I feel like I’m reading a Tinkerbell aesthetic book with trees, lakes, and frogs. 🐸🌳 Like, what even? It was a little boring at times, and I found myself wondering when the action would kick in! 😩 I’m hoping the second book will bring back the intensity and drama I crave! 💪✨

And can we talk about my most hated characters? 😡 I thought it was gonna be Maeve and Cain, but nope! Locke and Taryn made me want to reach into the book and SLAP THEM! 😤 Seriously, their choices made no sense! 🤦‍♂️ And honestly, I don’t know much about the sisters, which is super annoying. 🙄 The only characters that really have depth are Jude and Cardan, and even then, their relationship is so choppy! 💔 One minute they’re besties, and the next, Jude is about to kill one of her sisters! 😱 What even is going on?

Also, the action scenes? Ugh. 😩 I can’t believe I fell asleep during a knife scene where someone literally has a knife to their throat! 🥱🗡️ Like, come on! One thing that really bugged me about Jude is that she didn’t kill her sister when she had the chance. 😤 I mean, she kept the story alive, but she was just so ANNOYING at times! 😒 Like, girl, get it together!

So yeah, if you’re looking for a book with crazy twists and a lot of drama, give this a shot! 🌟 Just be prepared for some boring bits and characters that will make you want to throw the book across the room! 😂 I can’t wait to see what happens next! 📖✨ Seriously, I’m holding out hope that the next book will be way more exciting! 💥💖

Next READ (THE WICKED KING!)

...more

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Dec 13, 2023 Charlotte rated it did not like it

most painfully boring book i've ever read ...more

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Dec 27, 2023 lexireadsfantasyx rated it it was amazing

THAT SCENE IN THE ROOM WITH THE CHAIR THE KNIFE OMDDDDD

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Apr 24, 2024 ☆ Madeline ☆ rated it liked it

Shelves: 3-star

Ok so I literally forgot like half of what happens in this book-

old review:
This book was pretty good! Just wish that Jude and Cardan had more of a relationship in this one, Cardan wasn't even present for most of the book. ...more

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