The Cruel Prince
The start of a thrilling new fantasy series from bestselling author Holly Black about a mortal girl who finds herself caught in a dangerous web of royal faerie intrigue.
"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 realises 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.
People Also Read
Holly Black
Holly Black is a name that has become synonymous with dark, enchanting tales where the boundary between magic and reality is as fragile as the fates of her characters. With her signature blend of dark fantasy, sharp intrigue, and an exploration of power, loyalty, and betrayal, she has carved out a space where readers can lose themselves in worlds of dangerous faeries, morally complex characters, and high-stakes intrigue.
Born in New Jersey, Holly’s love for fantasy started early. She spent her childhood reading everything from fairy tales to mythologies, which would later inspire the intricate, otherworldly realms she’s known for today. With an academic background steeped in history and a passion for creating stories that both thrill and challenge, she began her career writing about the dark side of the fantastical. Her first success came with The Cruel Prince, the start of the Folk of the Air trilogy, a series that would quickly cement her as one of the leading voices in young adult fantasy.
The Folk of the Air
The Folk of the Air consists of three primary books, and includes one additional book that complement the series but is not considered mandatory reads — considered a complete series. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
Related series The Stolen Heir
