October Book Recommendation
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Hands up if you haven’t heard of Sarah J. Maas. Over the past year, she’s become a viral sensation thanks to TikTok. And so, for all the buzz around Maas, this month’s recommendation is similar but a bit more family-friendly! A similar genre and style, but without the mature themes, try out Holly Black’s brilliant novel, The Cruel Prince.
“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.”
Faerie
One terrible morning, Jude and her sisters see their parents murdered in front of them. The terrifying assassin abducts all three girls to the world of Faerie, where Jude is installed in the royal court but mocked and tormented by the Faerie royalty for being mortal.
As Jude grows older, she realises that she will need to take part in the dangerous deceptions of the fey to ever truly belong. But the stairway to power is fraught with shadows and betrayal. And looming over all is the infuriating, arrogant and charismatic Prince Cardan. It’s all a bit intense, isn’t it? And that’s just for starters.
Background And Mood
Like Maas, Black is no stranger to fiction herself either, with over thirty fantasy novels aimed at children and teens under her belt. And that experience is clear in TCP as Black weaves in almost lyrical prose with some brilliant twist-after-twist plotting. It’s equal parts thriller, fantasy, drama and romance all tied together with a string dipped in dark horror. It’s really got a bit of everything. And at times it’s brutal.
Prince Cadran is one of the best examples of characters that you just love to hate. It’s the perfect modern fantasy—especially if you’re a fan of fae stories. At times it feels like it has the scope of The Lord of the Rings, but is much easier to read. If you’re looking for something that’s both a challenge and a bit more grown up in terms of taste, The Cruel Prince is a perfect place to start.
Lastly, the great news is that this is the first part of a trilogy, so if you enjoy this there are two more to dive straight into next!
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Dan Grabowski is an Amazon best-selling author and has taught in the classroom at primary level previously.
