Book 1 of 3 in The Folk of the Air
The Cruel Prince
by Holly Black
A mortal girl schemes her way up a vicious fae court. Cardan is the original morally grey bully prince. Zero spice, maximum tension.
- Spice
- 1/5
- Burn
- Slow
- Pages
- ~370
- Ending
- Cliffy
How spicy is The Cruel Prince?
The Cruel Prince is a 1 out of 5 on our spice scale: sweet (kisses only). Kissing, longing looks, maybe a fade-to-black. Nothing on the page.
- Steam: Glimpses and kisses
- Burn: Slow burn
- Pairing: One man, one woman
- POV: Heroine's POV only
- Ending: Cliffhanger
Tropes & tags
Creatures & beings
Setting & world
Love interest
Heroine
Subgenre
Content warnings
Some readers like to go in blind, so these stay hidden until you tap.
Show 3 content warnings
- Graphic violence
- Bullying
- Death of a loved one
Our editorial notes, which may be incomplete. If something is a hard limit for you, check the author's own content notes too.
Your next read
If you liked The Cruel Prince
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Tricia Levenseller
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Spice 1 out of 5, SweetZodiac Academy: The Awakening
Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
Spice 2 out of 5, Simmer
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An Enchantment of Ravens
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A Court of Thorns and Roses
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Carissa Broadbent
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Spice 3 out of 5, Steamy
Fourth Wing
Rebecca Yarros
Spice 3 out of 5, Steamy
Kingdom of the Wicked
Kerri Maniscalco
Spice 2 out of 5, Simmer
One Dark Window
Rachel Gillig
Spice 2 out of 5, SimmerThe Cruel Prince: quick answers
How spicy is The Cruel Prince?
The Cruel Prince is a 1 out of 5 on our spice scale: sweet (kisses only). Kissing, longing looks, maybe a fade-to-black. Nothing on the page.
Is The Cruel Prince a standalone?
No. The Cruel Prince is book 1 of 3 in The Folk of the Air. It is the place to start. The series is complete.
What tropes are in The Cruel Prince?
The Cruel Prince features fae, enemies to lovers, court intrigue, morally grey mmc, bully romance, badass heroine. It is a slow burn M/F romance that ends with a cliffhanger.
Does The Cruel Prince have content warnings?
Our notes for The Cruel Prince include: graphic violence, bullying, death of a loved one. This list may not be complete; check the author's own content notes if anything is a hard limit for you.
What should I read after The Cruel Prince?
If you loved The Cruel Prince, try The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, Zodiac Academy: The Awakening by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti. They share its fae and enemies to lovers energy at a similar spice level.