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Staff Pick
Very rarely do we get a YA fantasy with just the right amount of drama, action, surprises, nastiness, and the tiniest possibility of romance. The characters' treachery and betrayal felt personal, the politics left me spinning, and the tension between Jude and Cardan kept me up at night. Black has created a beautiful and dangerous world where nothing is quite as it seems — are you along for the ride? Recommended By Tiffany R., Powells.com
I couldn’t put this down and I don’t feel a spot of guilt about it. Holly Black’s world of faerie folk will get under your skin. Just beware that you’ll find yourself in deeper than you expected, indulging in every betrayal and savoring each intrigue. Recommended By Lucinda G., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
By #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, the first book in a stunning new series about a mortal girl who finds herself caught in a web of royal faerie intrigue.
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.
Review
"Jude, who struggles with a world she both loves and hates and would rather be powerful and safe than good, is a compelling narrator. Whatever a reader is looking for--heart-in-throat action, deadly romance, double-crossing, moral complexity--this is one heck of a ride." Booklist, starred review
Review
"[S]pellbinding....Breathtaking set pieces, fully developed supporting characters, and a beguiling, tough-as-nails heroine enhance an intricate, intelligent plot that crescendos to a jaw-dropping third-act twist." Publishers Weekly, starred review
Review
"Lush, dangerous, a dark jewel of a book. Black's world is intoxicating, imbued with a relentless sense of peril that kept me riveted through every chapter of Jude's journey. And Jude! She is a heroine to love--brave but pragmatic, utterly human. This delicious story will seduce you and leave you desperate for just one more page." Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom
About the Author
Holly Black is the bestselling author of contemporary fantasy novels for teens and children, including Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale and the #1 New York Times bestselling Spiderwick series. She has been a finalist for the Mythopoeic Award and the Eisner Award, and the recipient of the Andre Norton Award. Holly lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Theo, in a house with a secret library.