The Cruel Prince

An instant bestseller by #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black!

Step into a world where beauty is dangerous and mortals are unwelcome. Jude was only seven when her parents were murdered and she was stolen away to the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Now seventeen, she’s spent a decade navigating a realm where she’ll never truly belong—where immortal creatures are as cruel as they are beautiful, and where Prince Cardan, the wickedest son of the High King, makes her life a living nightmare.

But Jude refuses to be a victim. Determined to carve out her place in this brutal court, she’ll defy anyone who stands in her way—even if it means facing the prince who makes her blood boil with equal parts hatred and something she won’t dare name. When she becomes entangled in palace intrigue and discovers her own talent for deception and violence, Jude realizes she’s more dangerous than anyone expected.

As civil war threatens to tear Faerie apart, Jude must make impossible choices to protect her sisters and the realm itself. This is a story where power comes at a price, where mortal cunning might triumph over immortal magic, and where the line between enemy and ally is as sharp as a blade’s edge.

The Cruel Prince is the first book in Holly Black’s intoxicating Folk of the Air series—perfect for readers who crave dark fantasy, complex characters, and romance that cuts deep. If you’ve been searching for your next obsession, you’ve just found it.

Additional information