Smoke Signals

The Cruel Prince written by Holly Black is the first book in a well known fantasy trilogy named The Folk-of-the-Air series. It was published in January of 2018.

The Cruel Prince is one of Holly Black’s most popular novels, and is described by people as an immersive fantasy read. Black has been published for over twenty years, and she has written almost fifty books. Her books have entertained many readers throughout all ages, and she has multiple well known series in the media. These stories transfer people into a twisted world full of good and evil.

The Cruel Prince takes place on the magical islands of Faerie off of the coast of modern day Maine. In the prologue, Holly’s protagonist Jude Duarte is introduced to the reader in her earlier life. This chapter alone creates an emotional bond through Jude’s traumatic experiences while showing her endurance and inner strength. Proceeding the prologue, the rest of the book is written through first person by Jude, and we get introduced to side characters such as Jude’s older sister Vivienne, her twin sister Taryn, her “father” Madoc, and many other vital figures. While reading the book being able to see the way she thinks in trivial times deepens the preexisting bond between the reader and main character. The depth of each persona was wonderfully thought out, and the dimension added a realistic edge to the book.

Even in the exceptionally constructed plot of this story I had a few minor complaints. First off, the politics of Faerie were a little bit difficult to understand. There were numerous fictional words created within the beginning of the story, some of which were confusing and difficult to apply. A few examples are words such as Seelie, Unseelie, Elfhame, Eldred, and Insear. I did however appreciate the inclusion of a drawn map in the book.

One more complaint that I ran into was the lengthy descriptions. At some parts of the novel I found myself having to reread paragraphs, for a couple of minuscule moments were drawn out with many adjectives and clauses. When sentences are overly complicated it causes the reader to lose their train of thought and their sense of what is occurring.

All in all, Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince is an excellent book, and most definitely worth the read! For avid fantasy, romance, and action readers I highly recommend this novel. This series along with a couple of Black’s other books are available at E.C.H.S.’s media center and the public library for anyone who wants to check it out. I rate this immersive book 5/5 stars!