Holly Black's world of Faerie is dangerous and deceptive, thrilling and devious, and full of amazing characters and plots that suck you in from the first chapter.

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. It kept me guessing and was refreshing to read something unique. The depth and development of the characters was well done. There were some parts that made me confused and at times I was unsure how all the pieces fit together. However, I am hooked and hope there is a sequel! I couldn't put it down!

It's been years since I picked up one of Holly Black's books. I first picked up Tithe when I was 12 years old, and I still have my original copy. I love the world of faerie tales and today's ever-popular urban fantasy. Returning to Holly Black was an unexpected joy.

The Cruel Prince was an intriguing opening to this new series. Taryn and Jude are twin sisters whose lives are turned upside down when a dangerous stranger (their half-sister's biological father) come to seek his long-lost daughter and wife.

After their parents are killed, the girls are brought to faerie to live with Madoc, a faerie war general and the man who slaughtered their parents. If you think growing up is hard, try growing up in faerie when the blood coursing through your veins is 100% human.

Taryn and Jude are the subjects of ridicule and scorn, the outsiders who are "lesser than" the gentry teens that surround them. While Taryn seems content to find a way to blend in and survive under the radar, Jude wants more. Thirsting to do something important with her life, to show those around her that she has never been lesser than, she finds herself in a dangerous bargain that throws her deeper into political intrigue and the midst of cruel Prince Cardan than she could have predicted.

The Cruel Prince has some hints of romance (though I found that a bit predictable), faerie lore, political conspiracy, and the typical "be careful what you wish for."

I'll be honest; I wasn't expecting to enjoy the book as much as I did. However, I even stayed up until 2 am to finish it, no easy feat when 72 6th graders await you the next morning. I'm looking forward to the continuation of the series, and so glad to have rediscovered Black.

The Cruel Prince is the best book that I have read this year. I love the vibrant world that Holly Black weaves. The characters are as complex and interesting as their environment. Full of twists and as magical as its setting, this is a fantasy book that will be beloved throughout the ages. This is a must read for fantasy lovers but also a must read for everyone who loves a good adventure.

World creation, characters, plot, intrigue. This book has it all. Also a satisfying conclusion since we'll have to wait forever for part two. I loved it.

Once again Holly Black does not disappoint! Jude and her sister, Taryn, have lived in the faerie realm since their parents were murdered and have tried to make their own way in a environment that is critical and oftentimes downright dangerous to humans. Jude is a complicated young woman who doesn't want to secure a place in through romance, and instead resorts to less-than-wholesome skill set to manipulate those around her. I appreciated her ambition and her willingness to mimic the faeries around her to secure her fate and protect her family.

I loved the twists and turns in this book. I hope the trope where a guy is an asshole because he likes a girl will be addressed in the coming books. No girl should put up with that behavior or succumb to it. Meanwhile, I enjoyed the story and the unexpected elements. It was quite the blood bath!

I really enjoyed this book. The beginning grabs you right away and the pacing throughout is perfect. This isn't a typical happy story of children brought to fairyland. This story is filled with true fey who are immortal beings with no concern for the morals and ethics of humans. The story is narrated in a way that makes you feel like the main character is speaking to you as a friend, which makes you really empathize with her.

3.5 stars!
From the author of The Spiderwick Chronicles comes the first in a new trilogy about a young girl taken from her home in the human world to a fairy kingdom that exists in tandem with the human realm. Once there, Jude must deal with the complications of being a mortal girl living in a world that looks down on mortals as if they are nothing. Amidst her rising ambitions to become more than others take her to be, she becomes caught up on a plot that will change her life forever.
I really enjoyed this book. It echoes the elements of S.J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses series that I loved so much, and I am very excited to see where this series is headed. Jude is a heroine to root for, and I think readers will not be able to help marvelling at her badassery a little bit, just as they did with Katniss or Feyre; she is a well developed and very compelling character. However, the book started a bit too slowly to grab my attention, and at times I felt like the fairy world was a little too thinly drawn. By the end of the novel, though, it really seems as if Black is hitting her stride within this world. The second half of the novel flew by and left me wanting more more more! I have high hopes for the next book in the trilogy.

ALSO-- JUST LOOK AT THAT COVER <3

Oh, darn, I am in need of the next installment! The Cruel Prince didn't much engage me in the first chapter, but then I found myself so immersed in the characters and plot, I couldn't put it down.

Jude, a seven-year-old mortal child, is taken with her two sisters to live in the High Court of Faery. Her feelings become divided and a love/hate dilemma twists through her emotions...but after ten years in Faery, Jude no longer feels that she belongs in the mortal world either.

Having endured bullying and disparagement from the Fey since her arrival, Jude lives in a kind of anxious fear. When she can no longer remain inconspicuous, her anger emerges, and she begins a dangerous campaign of her own as she fights back.

The Fey are beautiful, unpredictable, cruel, capricious, and immortal, and Jude finds herself both envying and despising them. Her goal to become a knight is foiled, but Jude continues to search for a way to gain some power and security. She moves from merely wanting a respected, secure position to something darker: "If I cannot be better than them, I will be so much worse."

Even in Faery, there are conspiracies. The Faery High King is ready to step down; he has chosen one of his six children as his successor. Prince Dain is generally accepted by most of the Fae as a worthy choice, but there are political intrigues at work and not everyone is pleased.

The Cruel Prince is a rather dark story suitable for a Faery Court: a protagonist who questions her position and her motives; schemes, spies, family dysfunction; betrayals; twists and turns. After a slow buildup, the plot is engrossing. In the past, I've not been a fan of Fae books, but Holly Black's complex characters and edgy narrative kept me in suspense the entire time.

Some elements of the plot are resolved, but there are so many questions about what happens next...and I hate having to wait.

Read in Oct.; blog review scheduled for Dec. 12, 2017.

NetGalley/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Fantasy/YA. Jan. 2, 2018. Print length: 384 pages.