The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1) by Holly Black

The first book in The Folk of the Air series is The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. This centers on Jude Duarte, a mortal who is really living in the rather malicious world of Faerie. All the siblings lose their parents to a faerie, Madoc, after which they are taken to the Faerie court where they live.

Jude desires love and authority along with other forbidden needs in a society in which human beings are rejected. She finds it mortally difficult to survive the dangerous politics, cold blooded schemes and nefarious machinations of the fae world especially confronting Prince Cardan – the callous, cunning, capricious, psychologically sadistic Faerie who enjoys her suffering. If for a while Jude regards him as an enemy, she soon develops an attraction to him that puts her at the mercy of her own passion.

Jude, being ambitious to be recognized as a real member of the intended society, finds herself in a conflict that may determine the future of both the mortal and realms. Power and betrayal, together with the theme of an identity crisis, are fully disclosed in the story with the priority of the catastrophic result creating the setting for the sequels. It is a highly dark-textured magic, saturated, and multifaceted plot, stinking of gore and blood, stubborn and conflicted characters, and, at its core – a great exploration of loyalty and love.