My Thoughts & Giveaway: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince
(The Folk of the Air #1)
by Holly Black
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Publication Date: January 2nd 2018
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Reader
Pages: 384
ISBN: 9780316310277
Genre: Young Adult | Paranormal | Fantasy | Fairies
Source: From Publisher for Review

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Available for Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

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. (Goodreads)

Today I'm teaming up with the awesome folks at NOVL to bring you a giveaway for
The Cruel Prince
by Holly Black!! Keep reading to see my thoughts for the book, AND enter the giveaway to win a copy of the book and other awesome goodies!!

It's been a while since I've read a book by Holly Black, so I was super excited to dive right into The Cruel Prince, her newest release. The summary for the book sounded really awesome, and, it's been way too long since I've had the pleasure reading a book about fairies. So needless to say, I was pretty excited to start this book. It was really great!

To keep things short and sweet, I'm going to say that there was so much about this book to like. It has really well written characters, including the main character, Jude, who was amazing and quite a badass, and super easy to relate to. There are a lot interesting secondary characters as well to get to know. The storyline was completely engrossing, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what was going to happen next. Also, the world-building was INSANE. I could picture the fairie world perfectly in my mind, and I loved every single description.

So yes, overall, I basically really loved this book. (What's not to love? Ok, a few things that happen with the characters, but I'm not going to go over that here.) Apparently this is going to be a 3 book series, and I'm insanely curious to know what is going to happen in the next two books, titled The Wicked King (expected 2019), and The Queen of Nothing, (expected 2020). It's going to be a looooong wait to get my hands on these books, but I am really looking forward to reading them! I must know what's going to happen next for Jude and all the fairies in the fairie world. If you're a fan of fairie books, or of Holly's books in general, you'll definitely want to check this out! (And I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did!)

Now, as promised, it's time to share the giveaway information!!

Look your most bewitching at the revel! One (1) winner receives:

A Copy of The Cruel Prince
Acorn necklace
Twig of thorns ring

Giveaway open to US addresses only.
Prizing and samples provided by NOVL

Giveaway ends 2/15/18

Good Luck!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday #296 - The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince
(The Folk of the Air #1)
by Holly Black
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publication Date: January 2nd 2018
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780316310277

Add to Goodreads

Available for Pre-Order:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

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. (Goodreads)

It's been waaaaaay too long since I've read something new by Holly Black,
and even longer since I've read a fairie book!
So, of course I want to check this book out. It sounds really awesome!

Review: The Iron Trial by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare

The Iron Trial
(Magisterium #1)
by Holly Black
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& Cassandra Clare
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Publication Date: September 9th 2014
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 304
ISBN: 9780545522250
Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy
Source: Netgalley

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Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

From NEW YORK TIMES bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare comes a riveting new series that defies what you think you know about the world of magic.

From two bestselling superstars, a dazzling and magical middle-grade collaboration centering on the students of the Magisterium, an academy for those with a propensity toward magic. In this first book, a new student comes to the Magisterium against his will -- is it because he is destined to be a powerful magician, or is the truth more twisted than that? It's a journey that will thrill you, surprise you, and make you wonder about the clear-cut distinction usually made between good and evil. (Goodreads)

I was super excited to finally read The Iron Trial because it is written by two really awesome writers; Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. I’m not a huge fan of middle grade books, but this book was SO good. I will definitely be ordering a finished copy of this book to share with my son! I’m going to attempt to write this review without giving too much away, but I urge you all to check out the book for yourself!

Once a year, a few chosen children with magical abilities receive an invitation to participate in a special test called The Iron Trial. All of the children that participate in the trial want nothing more than to pass, and gain admittance into the Magisterium, a school of magic. All expect for Cullen Hunt, who has been told all his life by his father to stay far, far away from magic. But even though he purposely fails all of his tests at the trial, he still manages to gain admittance into the Magisterium, and once he is there, he begins to question everything he’s ever been told about magic.

The three main characters in the story, Callum, Tamara and Aaron, are all really well written characters. I found Call to be the most relatable character, as he was snarky and sarcastic most of the time, and I really love that in a character. I enjoyed following the journey with these three characters and watching them grow and mature throughout the book. Also, they were all pretty funny. I laughed so many times while reading this book, and I absolutely adore books that make me laugh.

I really liked how creative the storyline was for this book. I was worried that it would have the same feel as the Harry Potter books, but I didn’t really get that feeling at all as I read the book. I also liked that while the book was a fantasy, it still dealt with issues that kids deal with today; with bullying being a big part of the storyline. It definitely makes the book more relatable. Also, the world-building for the novel was awesome. I loved the world that Clare and Black created! At only 304 pages, this book made for a really quick read. Besides that, the storyline was so engaging that it kept me hooked as I turned the pages.

Overall; The Iron Trial is a wonderful beginning to what should be a spectacular series. I really did not expect to like this book as much as I did. It was a really great read.  I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series in the future!

Waiting on Wednesday #148 - The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

The Darkest Part of the Forest
by Holly Black
Website | Twitter

Publication Date: January 13th 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780316213073



Available for Pre-Order: Amazon

Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough? (Goodreads)

Does this book sound awesome, or what?
I've really enjoyed all of the books that I've read so far from Holly Black,
and I have a few of hers that I still need to read.
But this book sounds like it's going to be a whole lot of fun to read.
I can't wait to check it out!

What are you Waiting for this week??

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**