By Jillian Leon
The Cruel Prince, by Holly Black, published in 2018, is the first book in the series, The Folk of the Air. It tells the story of Jude, her twin sister, Taryn, and the eldest, Vivienne after their parents are murdered by Madoc. Madoc claims he is a faerie from the land of Faeire, and that he is Vivienne’s real father. There is a ten year time skip, where Jude and her twin attend school, where Prince Cardan and his friends torment them because they are mortals. In hopes to escape this agony, Jude works hard to become a knight and in during a tournament, impresses Prince Dain, who asks her to become a spy for him. As story progresses, Jude’s twin, Taryn, begins to keep secrets from her. Offended by this, Jude turns to her friend, Prince Locke, and the beginning of a secret relationship sparks. As missions for Prince Dain are carried out, secrets are revealed, and coronation comes on the rise, Jude begins to find her place in the land of Faerie. I enjoyed parts of this book where the plot was evident, such as when Jude showed her determination and strength at the tournament to Prince Cardan, was granted her job as a spy by Prince Dain, uncovered secrets that her twin, Taryn, was keeping. However, I found that the characters in this novel lacked uniqueness, complexity, were defined solely by the plot of the book and characters were only described at times where it was convenient, or to fill empty gaps. The main character herself, Jude, was defined only by her stubbornness, determination, and her desire to become a knight. There is not much growth in the characters seen over the novel, and though this can be an interesting element in a story, I believe it only took away from the potential of the novel. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black is a slow read and I found it difficult to get through, often finding myself reading a string of dialogue without any action. However, the plot was interesting, complex, and always kept you wondering about the what happens next. I would recommend this novel to ages fourteen and above, as it contains elements of a teen/young adult novel.
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