The Folk of the Air, Novel 1

A young mortal girl is captured from the only world she knows by a War General from the land of Fairie. She is then forced to live with this man, who murdered her parents. Jude is taken from her home, and raised in the land of magic, music and bargains. She must adapt and develop her own source of power and manipulation, to fight back against the Fae’s hatred of mortals and protect those she loves. At least that is what she tells herself, as she grows greedy and selfish for power. 

The Cruel Prince is a quick read (in comparison to some of the recent series I have been reading – Throne of Glass, Fourth Wing and ACOTAR to name a few). A quick read was perfect for what I needed though, to bring myself out of the post ACOTAR blues.

Holly Black’s writing style was easy to read and quick to engage. The novel is told from the perspective of the main character, Jude. Jude is a child when the series begins, so the writing style begins quite simply. Very cut and dry. It seemed as though while Jude grows and develops, so does the writing style and diction. We find ourselves evolving with Jude throughout the story, and growing more knowledgeable of her world and how she survives it. As Jude’s character becomes more complex and engaging, so does the writing. It was a nice touch.

Jude is one of few mortals in the land of Fairie. Her “foster father” is also the man who came to her mortal world and murdered her mother and father. He then felt it his obligation to make sure that Jude and her 2 sisters were not abandoned. So, he brought them home and has raised them as his own – as much as a Warlord General can raise and coddle 3 small children, only 1 of which he sired.

The Cruel Prince follows Jude in her journey to survive in this land. Surprisingly, as much as she wants to hate it and everyone in it, she longs to succeed. Much unlike her sisters, who want nothing more than to blend in OR return to their old world, Jude wants to stand out. She wants the power that will protect her from the ever-growing list of dangers.

Jude’s journey brings her to a path she must travel with the youngest of the High King’s sons – Cardan. As evil and obtuse as Cardan appears, I quite like him. He has a kind of charm to him that leads us to empathize for him and feel that something more is developing with his relationship with Jude.

After a coup that leaves many important people dead, Cardan and Jude find themselves in an unlikely seat of power. Jude has struck a bargain with Cardan that leaves him in her control for one year and a day, and not a minute more. Jude must use this time to protect those she loves and all the while, try to stop the land of Fairie from falling apart completely. She is forced to grow quickly, and alone, as she has either betrayed or been betrayed by anyone she once considered family or friend.

Jude and Cardan are definitely the main focal points of this first novel. It is important to mention though, that one of Jude’s sisters is a twin sister to her. Taryn longs to blend into the magic and the customs, avoid any conflict. She simply does what is expected and tries not to ruffle any feathers. In doing this, she commits a massive betrayal of Jude’s trust. It was cringey to read and realize how far Taryn went to deceive Jude – all for her own selfish desires. Taryn is on my blacklist. It doesn’t seem like she redeems herself in the first or second novel (which I am halfway through already).

Jude’s character develops well throughout the first novel. She does make PLENTY of mistakes, that are a bit frustrating to read through, without being able to smack her upside the head. But, I would imagine that is a part of her youth that she hasn’t fully developed her decision making and strategy skills. Hopefully, we see that change in the next two novels of the series.

The coup at the coronation for Dain was a little hard to stomach as well. The murderous intent and overwhelming amount of death seemed a smidge over the top. Without it, though, the story would not have been able to progress in the manner it did. It just seemed a bit forced. I felt that the entire royal family was slain a bit too easily to be believable. And Balekin’s character was not nearly smooth enough to pull this off, even with the help of the General.

All in all, the read is entertaining. It was a good draw out of the ACOTAR series, that I just finished. So, I’m happy with the decision to pick up this book. I’ll finish the series for sure. I did enjoy Holly’s writing style, so I would certainly be open to reading more in her repertoire.