The Cruel Prince cover art

The Cruel Prince

The Folk of the Air, Book 1

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The Cruel Prince

Written by: Holly Black
Narrated by: Caitlin Kelly
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Buy Now for ₹749.80

Buy Now for ₹749.80

About this listen

First in the bestselling Folk of the Air trilogy. The sequels - The Wicked King and The Queen of Nothing - are the winners of/won the Goodreads YA Best Fantasy in 2019 and 2020.

Nominated for the CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL 2019. Winner of the silver INKY for best international YA book.

"A dark jewel of a book . . . intoxicating" - Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Six of Crows

Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

One terrible morning, Jude and her sisters see their parents murdered in front of them. The terrifying assassin abducts all three girls to the world of Faerie, where Jude is installed in the royal court but mocked and tormented by the Faerie royalty for being mortal. As Jude grows older, she realizes that she will need to take part in the dangerous deceptions of the fey to ever truly belong.

But the stairway to power is fraught with shadows and betrayal. And looming over all is the infuriating, arrogant and charismatic Prince Cardan . . .

Dramatic and thrilling fantasy blends seamlessly with enthralling storytelling to create a fully realised and seductive world, brimful of magic and romance.

©2018 Holly Black (P)2026 Bonnier Books UK
Dark Fantasy Death & Dying Difficult Situations Epic Family Family & Relationships Fantasy Literature & Fiction Myths & Legends Science Fiction & Fantasy
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first half is slow but if you stick around, you will love the rest and especially the ending. I won't spoil it for anyone but I loved it both the climax and the narration although there is some room of improvement in world building.

Not bad! ending was intriguing!

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I didn't like narration very much! should have added male voices and various people in narration, rest no complains , I really enjoyed the story

story is good but would have improvised narration

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"They talk about honour but what they really care about is power. I am good enough with a blade, knowledgeable in strategy. All I need is a chance to prove myself."

This is my second modern fiction and I feel like I have been living under a rock. As a kid, I woke up one day to realise that everyone in the fellowship of the ring is male and dumped fantasy for contemporary fiction. But how delightfully the world of fantasy fiction has changed!

A female protagonist skilled at fighting and strategy, and never making herself smaller than the male characters! Being an emotional being with empathy and desire AND keeping her eyes on the real prize! And blazing with all of her fury at moments, that the media I have consumed so far, I have only seen male characters allowed to express — this is clearly not a review. I'm a contemporary-fiction reader delving into the fantasy land after over a decade.

Totally loved the iconic moment between Jude and the cruel prince 🔥

dark & unpredictable

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such a great story, definitely worth the read. the entire trilogy is so well done

Absolutely divine

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And amazing journey with an extremely compelling plot. The dark and thrilling nature of the story is what kept me reading. The characterization is complex and Unique. I recommend this book to all the thriller-fantasy lovers.

A Dark jewel indeed!

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