I have had this series on my TBR for a while now because of all the talk I had heard surrounding it on BookTok. The story follows Jude Duarte, a mortal girl who at a young age was stolen away with her sisters to the world of Faerie. There she grew up among the other children of the fae but was never treated as an equal. Always being picked on by a particular circle that included the youngest prince of the faeries, Cardan. Jude was a very intriguing character to me, especially as the story went on and things in her life began to change. Once she becomes a part of The Court of Shadows, a secret organization of spies for the crown prince Dain, she starts to gain more confidence in herself and the abilities she has. All the other characters are also very well written and developed. Cardan is another character I’m looking forward to learning more about. At first he seems like just a bully, but throughout the story, we start to crack away at that wall he seems to have set up and see a bit more of the person he is inside. Holly Black created such a beautiful and lush world in Elfhame full of different kinds of faerie and court politics. I couldn’t put this book down because I wasn’t sure what kind of twist or reveal might come next. Some people come into this book expecting a lot of romance because the romance is talked about a lot online surrounding this series. However, the romantic aspects are subplots. The main plot of this series is all about the court politics and how a mortal girl makes her way in a world of immortal, magical beings. Overall, this book was a masterpiece. It was an amazing introduction to the world of Elfhame and I cannot wait to start the next book and see what happens next.
The Cruel Prince
