The Cruel Prince (Holly Black)
YA fantasy novel about Jude, a mortal girl raised in Faerie after her parents were murdered, who schemes for power in the treacherous fae court. First in the Folk of the Air trilogy, published in 2018, it became a BookTok phenomenon for its enemies-to-lovers romance, morally gray heroine, and dark fairy politics.
Jude Duarte: Not Your Typical YA Heroine
Jude is ruthless, ambitious, and unapologetic:
- Wants power, not to go home
- Murders and manipulates without remorse
- Refuses to be a victim despite being mortal among fae
- Falls for the prince who torments her
Her moral grayness (she’s not “good,” just determined to survive and win) made her a refreshing protagonist in a genre full of reluctant chosen ones.
The Enemies-to-Lovers Phenomenon
Jude and Prince Cardan’s dynamic:
- He bullies her, she threatens him
- Sexual tension disguised as hatred
- Power games and political manipulation
- The twist: Cardan was obsessed with her all along
“If I am a knife, you are a blade made of ruin” became an iconic romantic line. The slow-burn, antagonistic romance set the template for BookTok’s “he’s mean to her but it’s hot” obsession.
Faerie Politics & Violence
Holly Black’s Faerie is brutal:
- Casual murder and cruelty
- No “good” fae—they’re all morally gray
- Court intrigue and backstabbing
- Human life is worthless
- No sanitization of violence
The series proved YA fantasy could be dark without being grimdark, appealing to readers aging out of middle-grade fantasy but not ready for adult epic fantasy.
Trilogy & Spin-Offs
- The Cruel Prince (2018)
- The Wicked King (2019): THAT cliffhanger ending
- The Queen of Nothing (2019): Satisfying conclusion
- How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories (2020): Cardan’s POV novella
Hashtag Usage
#TheCruelPrinceHollyBlack for:
- Jude/Cardan fan art
- “He’s terrible but I love him” Cardan posts
- Faerie court aesthetic boards
- Morally gray heroine appreciation
- Enemies-to-lovers book recommendations
The series revitalized YA fantasy in the late 2010s and proved Holly Black (author of Tithe and Spiderwick Chronicles) could dominate a new generation.