If you want to read a masterpiece of character and story, look no further. The Cruel Prince showcases Holly Black at the top of her game: it is exquisitely dark and delightfully wicked, set in an intricate world of highlighted sensation--the taste of faerie fruit, the feel of rich, decaying fabrics, the smells of dangerous old chambers--and populated by a cast of characters that left me dying from feels. I mean, seriously. Jude is a *glorious* lead: a shrewd and determined survivor with exactly the kind of cunning that I love. YES. And then there are her sisters! Cardan! The princess of Faerie! Her complex family! As always, Holly's language is as precise as it is beautiful, and I frequently found myself pausing to reread turns of phrases because each could pack so much into so few words.

Hoping you like it,

Kiran Vishwak.