Book Blurb:
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.
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My Review:
5 Out Of 5 Stars
Genre: Another-World, Faeries, Royal-Court, Survival, Suspense--
Since Jude and her sister's parents were murdered and the girls taken to Faerie 10 years before, Jude has struggled to fit in with a world full of magic and beautiful, deadly creatures. Humans are only accepted to the High Fey Court if they are married or become a Knight. Jude's twin Tarryn wants to be swept away in romance, but Jude wants nothing more but to be a force to be reckoned with due to her sword and skills.
Cardan is the 6th in line for the throne, yet he is the cruelest most terrible of the Fey, terrorizing those he considered beneath him- including Jude, who seems to be his biggest target. Surprisingly, the heir to the throne, Prince Dane, visits Jude to make her a proposition she would be a fool to refuse- and a fool to accept.
I love the world full of dangerous Fey, where they are are treacherous as they are beautiful. It had a very similar feel to the Meredith Gentry series by Laurell K Hamilton (without any of the sex), where they Fey are more known for their misdeeds than anything else. And beauty is such an interesting word here, where green skin and pointed ears, all things alien to humans, are the things that are seen as beauty in this world. This is a dark, dangerous world where violence is commonplace and everyone, even the gentry, need to tread carefully.
Woah, this is a dark story! Expect torture and abuse left and right, as well as physical violence, suicide, oh and murder. What's a girl to do when you have no place to hide the body of the person who you just killed? Why, stuff them under your bed of course!
And I know I may not suppose to, but I love Carden. He was the perfect onion- full of layers and depths that could never have been guessed by looking at his outer shell. Vivi was also a great character, more human than the actual humans and so very loyal.
After reading this story, I do have to wonder who is the Cruel Prince? I thought I knew from the start of the story, one character set up ever so perfectly to be the villain, the cruelest of cruel. But now, I wonder. Who is worse, the one who hides his pain under an overt cruelty to deflect? Or the one who talks a good game and appears to be charming and helpful? Or is everyone cruel in some form or another? Trust no one, even Jude, and don't get too attached because life in fairy is very...transitory...
Well done Holly, well done. Just when I thought I understood what would happen, felt it was beginning to be predictable, the carpet was pulled out from under me and the story took a crazy surprising turn. Over and over again. This is not the book you expect it is, Jude is not what you expect her to be, this story was so much more than my high expectations, and I am so pleased with what I read. This is hands down my favorite Holly book and I highly recommend this dark twisty court intrigue Fey story. I can't wait for more!
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