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The Cruel Prince, by Holly Black, is the first book of The Folk of The Air series. The book centers around Jude. Jude has a twin sister named Taryn, and they are both human. When Jude and Taryn were little, a strange man came to their house and killed their mom and dad. The strange man turned out to be Madoc, who is the ex husband to Jude’s mom. Madoc and Jude’s mom had a child together, named Vivienne, who is Jude and Taryn’s step sister. What they don’t know is that Vivienne is half faerie. After Madoc kills their parents, he takes Jude, Taryn, and Vivienne to Faerie and raises them as his own child. Jude and Taryn struggle socially since they are the only two humans who are not in Faerie for servitude. Jude and Taryn want nothing more than to feel as though they belong in Faerie, just like everyone else, but each sister wants to belong in a different way. Taryn wants to blend in and act like she is part faerie and marry a faerie. On the other hand, Jude wants to be powerful enough that she earns a spot on the High Court. The only problem with trying to earn a spot on the High Court is that Prince Cardan despises Jude. Prince Cardan is the youngest and meanest son of the High King of Faerie. Prince Cardan wants nothing more than to see Jude get humiliated and tries his hardest to not let Jude earn a spot in the High Court. To be able to earn a spot, Jude is going to have to outwit Cardan and defy him, and hope the consequences aren’t too great. 

     This book was so hard to put down! Each page had some plot twist that I didn’t see coming and kept me on my toes. I loved the dynamics between all of the characters like Jude and Taryn’s twin relationship and the relationship between Jude and Madoc of father and daughter even though they are not blood related. I also loved watching Jude and Cardan’s relationship change and grow throughout the book, especially once they start to get to know one another better. I am excited to see Jude and Cardan’s relationship grow in the next book, and if their relationship will go past friendship. Jude has to be my favorite character in the book. I love how quick witted she is and how she will stop at nothing to get what she wants. She has an awesome attitude and personality that everyone can relate to at times. 

     I am giving this book a 10/10- I loved this book and could not put it down. I loved the different personalities of the characters and how they interact with one another. I also loved how much was going on at one point in the book. There were so many subplots that were happening along with major plot twists that I didn’t see coming! The next book in the series is called The Wicked King. I totally recommend this book, especially to people who love fantasy, high stake adventure, with a touch of romance!

Check out the Cruel Prince from NBPL!