First in the bestselling Folk of the Air trilogy. The sequels - The Wicked King and The Queen of Nothing - are the winners of/won the Goodreads YA Best Fantasy in 2019 and 2020.

Nominated for the CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL 2019. Winner of the silver INKY for best international YA book.

"A dark jewel of a book . . . intoxicating" - Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Six of Crows

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.

One terrible morning, Jude and her sisters see their parents murdered in front of them. The terrifying assassin abducts all three girls to the world of Faerie, where Jude is installed in the royal court but mocked and tormented by the Faerie royalty for being mortal. As Jude grows older, she realises that she will need to take part in the dangerous deceptions of the fey to ever truly belong.

But the stairway to power is fraught with shadows and betrayal. And looming over all is the infuriating, arrogant and charismatic Prince Cardan . . .

Dramatic and thrilling fantasy blends seamlessly with enthralling storytelling to create a fully realised and seductive world, brimful of magic and romance.

About the Author

Holly Black is the no. 1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy books including the Folk of the Air series, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the Spiderwick Chronicles, her adult debut, Book of Night, and an Arthurian picture book called Sir Morien.

She was a finalist for an Eisner Award and a Lodestar Award and the recipient of a Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula Award and a Newbery Honor.

Her books have been translated into thirty-two languages worldwide and adapted for film.

She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library.