It may be A CRUEL PRINCE but we love it!

The Folk of Air Trilogy, starting with A Cruel Prince with special mention of a fourth book named “How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories”, is everything we ever wish for and more.

WHAT ARE THE BOOKS

THE CRUEL PRINCE

Jude’s parents were killed when she was only a child. The perpetrator is the same man that she now calls a father. Brought together with her sisters onto the fairyland where she has never belonged as a mere human, despite its challenges and differences, Jude’s only wish is to fit into this new society.

Ten years after moving onto this magic land, Jude knows that the only way to get a place at the High Court of Faerie is to win a challenge and join the royal family. But to get this new space, Jude has to face and accept every consequence after facing Cardan, the High King’s youngest son.

As Jude tries to survive in this world filled with new intrigues, she also discovers her own capacity to cause pain and trick the same creatures she despises. But to survive, Jude must make new and dangerous alliances to save herself, her sisters, and the Fairies themselves.

THE WICKED KING

After discovering that Oak is actually the heir to the Fairyland, Jude can only do so much to keep her brother safe. But to do so, she has to let Cardan rule the kingdom while she preserves and controls his power from behind the scenes. With constant changes in the alliances between the fairies and the challenges of keeping Cardan under control, everything gets a turn of events when someone close to Jude betrays her. Everyone she loves is now in danger, and Jude must discover the traitor and fight her complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control of the Fairy world.

THE QUEEN OF NOTHING

After Cardan exiled Jude, now a simple mortal Queen of Faerie, from her kingdom, she learned her lesson and discovered how power is much easier to obtain rather than hold onto. However, when her deceptive twin sister arrives at her doorstep, offering her a chance to return to the fairy kingdom, she finds her chance to reclaim everything that was hers.

But in going back to the fairyland, Jude is also risking not only her life but her feelings from Cardan’s betrayal. However, Elfhame is not what she remembers. War is waiting and so is the political conflict that is only waiting to destroy the kingdom once and for all. And while a powerful curse unleashes, destroying much of what is left in their land, Jude must choose between ambition and her humanity.

MY OPINIONS

I happened to come across this book almost by chance. I had too many people speaking about Cardan and Jude, and I could not resist learning more about them. Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed.

I have loved the book since the first moment I laid my eyes on it and yes, the covers are actually great, but no different is the story they are protecting. The Cruel Prince is the perfect example of how a book can look so simple and yet turn into the best story you have ever read.

The book felt far too quick for my own good. I have read and finished each book in a matter of a few days between each other. In less than a week, I had nothing but a feeling of surprise and excitement from this new story I was so lucky to discover. I have loved reading this trilogy and moved from hating to loving to feeling everything I could about multiple characters.

Do you know the feeling when you are reading a book and are somehow disappointed by some of the endings? How did you wish there would be characters with a different future than what the author planned? Well, it didn’t happen with The Folk of Air. I think Holly Black has done the best she could with her story. Rather than feeling disappointed with each character, I was enthusiastic about their endings.

And yes, I was delighted by my dear Queen June returning to fairyland and being the badass she always was. Besides, with Cardan on her side, there is no surprise that she will always be the Queen of my heart. He knows her, he knows how great she is. And (special mention) his book is an excellent addition to the team.

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories.

Here is our special mention.

The story will not feel complete without learning more about Cardan. Equally crucial for how much we love the character, reading his book was far from boring. On the contrary, I am grateful Holly Black wrote it instead of leaving us without it.

In this book, we get to learn a bit more about Cardan and his life. In addition to her story, Cardan’s life is told in a storytelling book with amazing graphics and many heartfelt moments. While Jude is my beloved Queen, there is no doubt that she was pretty much unreliable in letting us know who Cardan was. She wasn’t even that smart to understand his word when he expelled her from the kingdom. Furthermore, she just pretty much hated him for a big chunk of the story, so everything she said sounds much better if imagining Megara singing “I won’t say I’m in love” in the background.

First, what did you think about the book? Have you managed to read them? In the meantime, I may direct you to another book with kings, queens and magic called Lightlark and Nightbane, as its sequel.
I am waiting to read The Stolen Heir, a sequel to Cardan and Jude’s story, to see how great my beloved couple has turned out.

And you? What are you planning to read next?
Happy reading, Marianna.