---
product_id: 95590633
title: "The Cruel Prince (Volume 1) (The Folk of the Air, 1)"
price: "47.45 DT"
currency: TND
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/95590633-the-cruel-prince-volume-1-the-folk-of-the-air
store_origin: TN
region: Tunisia
---

# Epic world-building Bestseller status 400 pages of fantasy The Cruel Prince (Volume 1) (The Folk of the Air, 1)

**Price:** 47.45 DT
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> ✨ Get ready to rule the realm of fantasy!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Cruel Prince (Volume 1) (The Folk of the Air, 1)
- **How much does it cost?** 47.45 DT with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/95590633-the-cruel-prince-volume-1-the-folk-of-the-air)

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## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
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## Key Features

- • **Vivid Prose:** Get lost in beautifully crafted language that paints every scene.
- • **Complex Characters:** Experience a rich tapestry of morally ambiguous figures.
- • **Bestselling Fantasy:** Join the ranks of readers enchanted by this modern classic.
- • **Engaging Plot Twists:** Stay on the edge of your seat with unexpected turns.
- • **Unleash Your Imagination:** Dive into a captivating realm of intrigue and betrayal.

## Overview

The Cruel Prince is the first book in The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black, featuring a gripping tale of a mortal girl navigating the treacherous politics of the Faerie world, filled with deception, power struggles, and a touch of romance.

## Description

By #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, the first book in a stunning new series about a mortal girl who finds herself caught in a web of royal faerie intrigue. Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever. And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe. Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him--and face the consequences. In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

Review: so I have been exposed to her writing style before and have enjoyed her stories - Rating: 4.75/5 Stars Title: The Cruel Prince Author: Holly Black Synopsis: Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him--and face the consequences. In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself. Initial thoughts: I have read a few of Holly Black’s work when I was younger and I’m currently reading the Magisterium series she is writing with Cassandra Clare as they come out, so I have been exposed to her writing style before and have enjoyed her stories. This one I started a little late though because I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the characters as one of them is openly ‘cruel’. I decided to finally pick it up because there are so many people who have said that they enjoyed the story that was written. Excited for a new story involving magic and fae, I felt that I should give it a chance even if there was a chance I wouldn’t like the characters. Plot: What I liked: The main focus wasn't on the romance. Of course there was some romance (if you can actually call the toxic manipulation through emotions romance), but the main focus of this story seemed to be political and world building through the character’s actions which was something I really enjoyed. Jude was also a character that surprised me. I liked her characters a lot and how she handled situations based on her prior experiences learning from past mistakes. I also liked how Black made every character unique in personality and appearance. What I didn't like: I didn't really understand how Jude was so invested in a world that truly only hurt her and why she didn't want to leave. That seemed to be the only thing I had real issue with in this book. Characters: Jude: I liked her and how scheming she was. She was clever and used her skills to her advantage. She was stubborn and stuck to her goals trying to plan ahead even when things didn't always work out. Taryn: She was very selfish and only really thought about how things would affect her. She didn't seem to care about hurting others that trusted her so long as she got what she wanted. She was very similar to Jude in this way. Vivienne: I loved her! She was such a fun character and really cared about her family (other than her father) and was willing to get into trouble for them. Madoc: He was a very interesting character that played father figure and teacher, but also a warlord general. I enjoyed him and the way that he thought throughout the book. Valerian and Nicasia: They were horrible and I kind of hated them throughout the entire book. They were fantastic antagonists, but they really pushing boundaries when it came to what it was that they desired verses what their path toward it was. Prince Cardan: I think that he was the one who surprised me the most through this book. I didn't like him and I didn't hate him either. I hope he continues to surprise me. Oriana and Oak: I didn't like Oriana at first, but she grew on me pretty quickly. And Oak is just precious. Such a cute kid. Prince Dain: It felt almost wrong to like him. I liked him, but didn't trust him as far as I could throw him which isn't very far. The Court of Shadows: I loved each and every one of them! They were fantastic and willing to include which I found endearing to their characters. Overall: I really enjoyed this book and how it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and pulled plot twists that actually surprised me. I will be starting the second book when it comes out and look forward to seeing how Black handles the plot that she set up in the cliffhanger she had at the end of the book. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a gripping and dark fairytale.
Review: Over Hyped - Bookstagram really hypes up this book, which I do not completely understand. This book was an easy read for me to the point I was able to guess most (if not all) of the twists and turns that occurred. If I read this book in high school I probably would have been obsessed with it, but as an undergraduate college grad, I got joy from reading this book but I am not completely entirely attached. I think the main character Jude is an amazing independent young lady! I think she was a perfect protagonist, but do wish that this series could have been written when she was in her twenties instead of her at seventeen. I think the author would have been able to add more sexual and graphic detail that it seemed like she wanted to add instead of keeping the romance/lust at the PG-13 level. Jude is a decent role model for girls in high school because she has courage, loyalty, and stands her ground, but I did wish she was not as enthralled with the idea of romance as soon as a male took attention with her. I do have to say that I despise Jude’s twin sister in this book and I cannot believe she did many of the things she did. The romance in this book was iffy because it was there, but not really there. I liked how the book focused more on world-building and drama instead of enforcing that romance had to happen. Somewhere in the middle of the book, it seemed like Jude was worrying about finding romance and she was going to let that fear distract her from her goals in life. Jude had so much determination to go for a certain ‘career’ that the fact that she was going to let the idea of romance get in her way was unbelievable to me. I almost wish the author left out any romance for the Jude and just let it be something for secondary characters. The author could have planted seeds of romance in this work to build up in the other books of the series if she truly cared about having a romance in this work. I think the drama and violence were enough to make this book interesting. I am conflicted over the interpretation of the fae in this work. I liked certain aspects but disliked others. I liked how heavily based on folklore the author created her interpretation of the fae! Actual fairytales and folklore warnings children were told were used as facts, which was refreshing to have an author that actually researched the supernatural creature they were using. There were some random additions that I was not interested in like having humans and fae be considered different species, but then supporting the fact that humans were needed to reproduce with because it could be difficult for fae the reproduce. Like I get humans and fae are different, but emphasizing they are different species that should have been separated and never reproduce together was weird when it was needed for this world. Like fae need the human gene pool, so why the hatred? Also, I thought it was weird the way the author went about discussing the subgroups of the different fae. I understand that there were different fae and the traits they had, but the author had some separated by their preferred values, the royal sibling’s court they were aligned with, and then there are other groups/kingdoms of fae. Maybe I am just used to fae reads having courts and certain groupings for the fae and this interpretation having more leeway of the grouping is throwing me off. So, I am going to applaud the author for taking an approach to grouping the fae in a way that is different than the norm. This book got 4 out of 5 stars because the author is clearly skilled in their writing style and if I were to read something of the author’s that was not exclusively fae based I would probably love it. I want to reiterate that the author is talented in their writing skills and I enjoyed how they wrote, I just did not love the story. I do have a slight obsession with fae based books, so I can be picky about how the story progresses. Things that would have made this a perfect 5/5 is to have the protagonist and other main characters are in their 20s, more adult themes instead of just hints to them, the build-up to the twists without being obvious, and either make romance a priority of this work or plant the seeds to it for the next book. As of right now, I do want to read the remaining two books in the series. I have been gifted with the second book in the series, so I will read it eventually. Unless I absolutely hate the second book, I will probably read the third book.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #2,258 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1 in Teen & Young Adult Fairy Tales & Folklore #1 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Prejudice & Racism #1 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Bullying (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 75,582 Reviews |

## Images

![The Cruel Prince (Volume 1) (The Folk of the Air, 1) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91dQRqjWTbL.jpg)

## Available Options

This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options.

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ so I have been exposed to her writing style before and have enjoyed her stories
*by D***H on July 12, 2018*

Rating: 4.75/5 Stars Title: The Cruel Prince Author: Holly Black Synopsis: Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him--and face the consequences. In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself. Initial thoughts: I have read a few of Holly Black’s work when I was younger and I’m currently reading the Magisterium series she is writing with Cassandra Clare as they come out, so I have been exposed to her writing style before and have enjoyed her stories. This one I started a little late though because I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the characters as one of them is openly ‘cruel’. I decided to finally pick it up because there are so many people who have said that they enjoyed the story that was written. Excited for a new story involving magic and fae, I felt that I should give it a chance even if there was a chance I wouldn’t like the characters. Plot: What I liked: The main focus wasn't on the romance. Of course there was some romance (if you can actually call the toxic manipulation through emotions romance), but the main focus of this story seemed to be political and world building through the character’s actions which was something I really enjoyed. Jude was also a character that surprised me. I liked her characters a lot and how she handled situations based on her prior experiences learning from past mistakes. I also liked how Black made every character unique in personality and appearance. What I didn't like: I didn't really understand how Jude was so invested in a world that truly only hurt her and why she didn't want to leave. That seemed to be the only thing I had real issue with in this book. Characters: Jude: I liked her and how scheming she was. She was clever and used her skills to her advantage. She was stubborn and stuck to her goals trying to plan ahead even when things didn't always work out. Taryn: She was very selfish and only really thought about how things would affect her. She didn't seem to care about hurting others that trusted her so long as she got what she wanted. She was very similar to Jude in this way. Vivienne: I loved her! She was such a fun character and really cared about her family (other than her father) and was willing to get into trouble for them. Madoc: He was a very interesting character that played father figure and teacher, but also a warlord general. I enjoyed him and the way that he thought throughout the book. Valerian and Nicasia: They were horrible and I kind of hated them throughout the entire book. They were fantastic antagonists, but they really pushing boundaries when it came to what it was that they desired verses what their path toward it was. Prince Cardan: I think that he was the one who surprised me the most through this book. I didn't like him and I didn't hate him either. I hope he continues to surprise me. Oriana and Oak: I didn't like Oriana at first, but she grew on me pretty quickly. And Oak is just precious. Such a cute kid. Prince Dain: It felt almost wrong to like him. I liked him, but didn't trust him as far as I could throw him which isn't very far. The Court of Shadows: I loved each and every one of them! They were fantastic and willing to include which I found endearing to their characters. Overall: I really enjoyed this book and how it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and pulled plot twists that actually surprised me. I will be starting the second book when it comes out and look forward to seeing how Black handles the plot that she set up in the cliffhanger she had at the end of the book. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a gripping and dark fairytale.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Over Hyped
*by N***1 on December 2, 2020*

Bookstagram really hypes up this book, which I do not completely understand. This book was an easy read for me to the point I was able to guess most (if not all) of the twists and turns that occurred. If I read this book in high school I probably would have been obsessed with it, but as an undergraduate college grad, I got joy from reading this book but I am not completely entirely attached. I think the main character Jude is an amazing independent young lady! I think she was a perfect protagonist, but do wish that this series could have been written when she was in her twenties instead of her at seventeen. I think the author would have been able to add more sexual and graphic detail that it seemed like she wanted to add instead of keeping the romance/lust at the PG-13 level. Jude is a decent role model for girls in high school because she has courage, loyalty, and stands her ground, but I did wish she was not as enthralled with the idea of romance as soon as a male took attention with her. I do have to say that I despise Jude’s twin sister in this book and I cannot believe she did many of the things she did. The romance in this book was iffy because it was there, but not really there. I liked how the book focused more on world-building and drama instead of enforcing that romance had to happen. Somewhere in the middle of the book, it seemed like Jude was worrying about finding romance and she was going to let that fear distract her from her goals in life. Jude had so much determination to go for a certain ‘career’ that the fact that she was going to let the idea of romance get in her way was unbelievable to me. I almost wish the author left out any romance for the Jude and just let it be something for secondary characters. The author could have planted seeds of romance in this work to build up in the other books of the series if she truly cared about having a romance in this work. I think the drama and violence were enough to make this book interesting. I am conflicted over the interpretation of the fae in this work. I liked certain aspects but disliked others. I liked how heavily based on folklore the author created her interpretation of the fae! Actual fairytales and folklore warnings children were told were used as facts, which was refreshing to have an author that actually researched the supernatural creature they were using. There were some random additions that I was not interested in like having humans and fae be considered different species, but then supporting the fact that humans were needed to reproduce with because it could be difficult for fae the reproduce. Like I get humans and fae are different, but emphasizing they are different species that should have been separated and never reproduce together was weird when it was needed for this world. Like fae need the human gene pool, so why the hatred? Also, I thought it was weird the way the author went about discussing the subgroups of the different fae. I understand that there were different fae and the traits they had, but the author had some separated by their preferred values, the royal sibling’s court they were aligned with, and then there are other groups/kingdoms of fae. Maybe I am just used to fae reads having courts and certain groupings for the fae and this interpretation having more leeway of the grouping is throwing me off. So, I am going to applaud the author for taking an approach to grouping the fae in a way that is different than the norm. This book got 4 out of 5 stars because the author is clearly skilled in their writing style and if I were to read something of the author’s that was not exclusively fae based I would probably love it. I want to reiterate that the author is talented in their writing skills and I enjoyed how they wrote, I just did not love the story. I do have a slight obsession with fae based books, so I can be picky about how the story progresses. Things that would have made this a perfect 5/5 is to have the protagonist and other main characters are in their 20s, more adult themes instead of just hints to them, the build-up to the twists without being obvious, and either make romance a priority of this work or plant the seeds to it for the next book. As of right now, I do want to read the remaining two books in the series. I have been gifted with the second book in the series, so I will read it eventually. Unless I absolutely hate the second book, I will probably read the third book.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Book Review
*by K***S on July 10, 2026*

I finally read this book after seeing Cardan’s name all over Bookstagram, BookTok, Goodreads and probably carved into a few ancient trees. At this point, avoiding him felt impossible, so I gave in. The story follows Jude, a mortal girl trying to survive in the absolutely unhinged world of Faerie. And let me tell you, these faeries are not the cute little winged creatures from children’s books. These people wake up every morning and choose chaos. Jude was such an interesting character. She’s ambitious, stubborn, determined and occasionally makes decisions that had me staring at the page like “Girl… are we sure about this?” But honestly, that’s what made her so compelling. She refuses to sit quietly and accept her place and I couldn’t help but root for her even when she was making my blood pressure rise. And then we meet Cardan, I was expecting a standard broody fantasy prince. What I got was a walking red flag wrapped in silk, sarcasm and emotional damage. He’s cruel, confusing, dramatic and somehow still manages to be one of the most intriguing characters in the book. Every interaction between Jude and Cardan felt like they were one insult away from committing a crime or falling in love. Sometimes both. I also loved seeing Vivi, Taryn and Oak. I especially wanted more Oak because every time he appeared, I was like, “Yes, thank you, tiny king. Continue.” One thing Holly Black absolutely nailed was the Faerie world. It felt beautiful, dangerous and slightly terrifying. I trusted absolutely nobody. Every time I thought I knew what was happening, someone would lie, scheme, betray someone else or casually reveal a secret. The court politics were basically one giant game of “Who can ruin whose life today?” Now, I won’t lie the first half was a little slow for me. I spent a good chunk of it waiting for the story to really kick into gear. But once the political intrigue started unfolding, I was hooked. Suddenly there were plots, counterplots, betrayals and enough scheming to keep me turning pages way past my bedtime. By the end, I went from “This is interesting” to “Well, I guess I’m reading the next book immediately.” Final Thoughts Was it a perfect read? No. Did I spend half the book questioning everyone’s life choices? Absolutely. Did I immediately understand why the internet has been obsessing over Cardan for years? Unfortunately, yes. If you love morally gray characters, dangerous court politics, enemies who absolutely cannot stand each other (or can they?) and faeries who are equal parts beautiful and terrifying, then this boom is definitely worth picking up. Just give it a little patience in the beginning. The payoff is worth it and now I, too, have joined the Cardan support group.

## Frequently Bought Together

- The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, 1)
- The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, 2)
- The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air, 3)

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*Product available on Desertcart Tunisia*
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*Last updated: 2026-10-20*