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        The Cruel Prince is the first book in the Folk of Air series, written by Holly Black. It's fantasy/fiction, which of course means you'll have to learn an entire new language while reading.

        This book takes place in Elfhame, a kingdom residing in the world of Faerie, which is a land where Fae (also known as 'the folk') and tons of other mythical creatures live. Fae are described as strikingly beautiful, along with being unable to die from age. However, they cannot lie, which makes them have a slightly tricky nature as they word phrases to sound like one thing but mean another.

        The protagonist of this novel is Jude Duarte, who's parents were killed when she was a child. The man responsible for their murder then whisks her, along with her two sisters, away to the land of Faerie. She has an identical twin sister named Taryn, and an older sister named Vivianne. While her and Taryn are both mortal, Vivi's father is fae, meaning she has all the traits of the folk.

        Jude is stubborn, with a desire to prove herself. She's bold, and at times impulsive. The story is told in first person, so while we get to hear all her thoughts, we do not get the perspectives of other characters.

        Another important character in this series is Cardan Greenbriar. He's the sixth child of the royal family, and therefore a prince. However, he's cruel (hence the title), mean, and overall you won't get a very good impression of him from this book. He is, however, charming, though it does come with laid back arrogance. But while he may be brutal and evil, his one virtue is that he's no killer. 

        You do grow to love/hate characters over time, and your opinion on them does change throughout the book.

        As for romance, Jude falls in love with two characters. It's complicated to explain without spoiling, but she's much more in denial about one than the other, and ultimately one of them is not a very good choice.

        Just like any good fantasy book, there are betrayals and plot twists, and because the fae can't lie, it makes it incredibly intriguing how they manage to double cross people by using phrases with double meanings. It's interesting to see Jude's thought process and opinions throughout all this, and you can see just how hard it was to grow up as a mortal in a land of fae. There are a few surprises in this book, and while a few might be foreshadowed, some may shock you entirely.

        The overall plot mainly involves the throne, making it a power struggle between multiple people. It seems sure who the crown will go to at first, and becomes more and more unlikely as the story goes on. 

        This book seemed incredibly well thought through and well planned out, and I loved all the characters and relationships. Definitely one of my new favorites! I'd easily rate this a 10/10, and I would definitely recommend this to others!

Check out the Cruel Prince from NBPL!