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.
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.
My Rating: 8/10
I read this book straight after I finished the Wings series and whilst I would usually read a couple of book between picking up a book in a similar genre, I couldn't on this occasion as this book was for book club.
I have tried reading Holly Black before (not including her books with Cassandra Clare) and have never been able to get into them so I was rather worried this book would suffer the same fate.
When I first started this book, I found it really slow and if it wasn't for book club I probably would have given up. It took me around 100 or so pages though and then I couldn't put the book down. I ended up staying up until around 4:00am to finish it and read it entirely in one sitting.
The faeries in this book were simply amazing. I loved the mythology behind them and because the narrator Jude was a human surrounded by these immortal creatures, they were rather scary at times. This was the first book I have read where the faeries were portrayed on the darker scale - and I loved it.
I don't usually enjoy politics in books but I found this was one of my favourite elements in this story especially as the story progressed. There were so many twists along the way, it was never boring.
I loved Jude as a narrator. She was kidnapped from her human world and so has virtually grown up in the faerie realm her entire life. Even though it is completely dangerous for her there, this is the only home she has ever known so she doesn't have many options.
Jude's twin sister on the other hand makes entirely different life changing decisions than Jude and so I am eagerly anticipating the next book to see where that, and about a thousand other things are going to go as this book has endless possibilities.
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