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:
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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 #148 - The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

The Darkest Part of the Forest
by Holly Black
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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.**

Review: All That Glows by Ryan Graudin

All That Glows
by Ryan Graudin
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Publication Date: February 11th 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 480
ISBN: 9780062187413
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Fairies
Source: Edelweiss

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Emrys—a fiery, red-headed Fae—always embraced her life in the Highlands, far from the city’s draining technology, until she’s sent to London to rejoin the Faery Guard. But this isn’t any normal assignment—she’s sent to guard Prince Richard: Britain’s notorious, partying bad boy and soon-to-be King. The prince’s careless ways and royal blood make him the irresistible for the dark spirits that feed on mortals. Sweet, disheveled, and alive with adventure—Richard is one charge who will put Emrys’s magic and heart to the test.

When an ancient force begins preying on the monarchy, Emrys must hunt through the London’s magical underworld, facing down Banshees, Black Dogs and Green Women to find the one who threatens Richard’s life. In this chaos of dark magic, palace murders and paparazzi, Emrys finds herself facing an impossible choice. For despite all her powers, Emrys has discovered a force that burns brighter than magic: love. (Goodreads)

I was really looking forward to finally starting All That Glows. I had been swooning over the gorgeous cover for some time, and I couldn’t wait to check out the story.

Before I begin this review, I want to clarify that the characters of the royal family in this book are completely fictional. There are some references to actual kings and queens in history, but Prince Richard and his family are, in fact, fictional. This is not about any prince/king in history.

Emrys is a centuries old Fae, a member of the Faery Guard, a group of fae that are sworn to protect Britain’s Royal Blood at all costs. When Emrys is set with the task to discover who is threatening to kill her newest assignment, Prince Richard, party-boy extraordinaire, she discovers that things are not always what they seem, and that there is more to life than just magic.

Emrys was a very interesting character. I didn’t really think that I was going to like her when I first started the book. She seemed a little cold and guarded. But over time as she interacts with Richard more and more, we see her become a completely different person, and definitely a more likeable person. Richard was definitely a party-boy in the beginning of the book. But was he a party-boy, or was he just looking for a way to forget all of the responsibilities that were on his shoulders? All that changes when Emrys comes into his life, and see him become a much better person under her influence.

The storyline for the book was very interesting. I kind of like that the author mixed in some fiction with some facts. Books with historical natures are always interesting to me, and I always find myself researching what I’ve read in the book. I love reading about past kings and queens. I thought that the merging between the two worlds was pretty interesting; the fae world and the modern London. I read this book at a surprisingly quick pace; everything came together to make quite an interesting read.

Overall; I found this book to be a quick, enjoyable read! I’m really looking forward to reading more by this author in the future.

Happy Reading! 

Review: The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Traitor
(The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #2)
by Julie Kagawa
Author Website | Twitter | Facebook

The Iron Fey Official Website

Publication Date: October 29th 2013
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Pages: 342
ISBN: 9780373210916
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Publisher | Netgalley

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

In the real world, when you vanish into thin air for a week, people tend to notice.

After his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just wants to get back to normal. Well, as "normal" as you can be when you see faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad reputation has someone to try for-his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind that he's forbidden to see her again.

But when your name is Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the Nevernever, "normal" simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them all. (Goodreads)

The Iron Traitor is the second book in ‘The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten’ series by the super talented Julie Kagawa. Can I start this review by saying that Julie is an amazingly talented writer, and her books never disappoint? The Iron Traitor is a great addition to this wonderful series that I enjoy so very much.

Ethan Chase is a very interesting character. Unlike his sister, Megan, he doesn’t want to get involved with the fairies at all. But no matter what he does, he always manages to get involved. I really think that he would do about anything to save the girl that he loves, and I love him for that. Kenzie is an interesting character as well, and I love that she seems to bring out the best in Ethan. These two are great together, and I’m curious to see what is in store for them in the future, especially with Kenzie’s illness.

Keirran, who is Megan and Ash’s son, remind me so much of both of his parents. Stubborn and strong-willed, he too is willing to do whatever possible to save the girl that he goes. He even does the unthinkable that almost made me through my iPad across the room while reading the book. But then there are times when he does something that makes me wonder HOW he could possibly be related to Megan and Ash. I guess that’s part of what makes him such a complex character.

One thing I adore about this book is the cameos by some of my favorite characters in the previous book. One character in particular that I am totally in love with, and a few more that I loved just as much. I’m sure you know exactly who I am talking about, but I don’t want to ruin it for you just in case.

As always, the world that Julie creates in her books is super fascinating and the characters are wonderfully written.  I always enjoy the adventure that Julie takes us on when reading her books. You really never know what is going to happen! I really enjoy the addition of The Forgotten Ones to the story. It really makes this series different than the previous series, while still allowing us to enjoy the world that we loved in the original Iron Fey series. The book is very fast paced, and ends on a MAJOR cliffhanger, one that will make you say, “WTH, are you kidding me?!” Seriously, Julie was definitely mean to leave us hanging like that. It’s going to be a super long wait until the next book comes out. ::pout:: 

Overall, if you’ve ever read and loved a book by Julie Kagawa, you are definitely going to love this book. It’s another great installment to this fabulous series. I can’t wait for the next book to be released!


Books in this series:



The Iron King  |  The Iron Daughter  |  The Iron Queen  |  The Iron Knight



The Lost Prince  |  The Iron Traitor