Welcome back readers to the second official Toppin’ Up book review!
This time around I decided to pick up a new series and review it over a total of 4 articles so each book will have its moment in the sun.
The series in question is “The Folk of the Air” by Holly Black and it is currently made up of 4 books.
Today I’ll be presenting my thoughts on the first book in the series, “The Cruel Prince.”
As always I will be reviewing the books on the following criteria:
- Characters and Character Development
- World-Building
- Overall Plot and Spice (aka drama)
- Writing style
- Aesthetics
Without further ado, let’s hop into the review!
When I started “The Cruel Prince”, I knew it would be fantastical since the story revolves around the Fae (aka magical creatures). And I had heard that it was a love story, so when I read this, I was already resigned to the idea of a typical fairy romance. But I was proven wrong with every turn of the page!
Holly Black was able to weave a plot so intricate that as the reader I was never able to predict what would happen on the next page. She builds amazing characters with traits so recognizable that it is impossible not to love or hate them.
In the first book, Black introduces us to two main groups; the first surrounds our female protagonist, Jude, and the second surrounds the male protagonist, Cardan. She creates a brilliant contrast between these two characters and their friends, through them making us question morality, mortality and society.
Overall this book was amazing, once I picked it up I could not put it down and ended up finishing in just 2 days! It is a must-read for all fantasy and romance lovers. And now for the final rating
The final ranking for Holly Black's The Cruel Prince:
- Characters & Character Development: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
- World-Building: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
- Overall Plot and Spice: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
- Writing style: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
- Aesthetics: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
So the average score is:
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ of 5
Stay tuned for our review of the second book in this series!
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