Quotessence
Home / Books / The Cruel Prince

The Cruel Prince

Book by Holly Black · 50 quotes · The Cruel Prince, Holly Black, The Folk Of The Air

Filter quotes by topic

AllThe Cruel PrinceHolly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteJudeCardan GreenbriarCardanLockeFaerieFunnyFantasyLovePrince CardanTarynTaryn DuarteFaeriesJudecardanMadocPrince DainTrust

The Cruel Prince Quotes

“I wonder what would happen if I said the words: Nicasia humiliated me. Valerian tried to murder me. They did it to impress Prince Cardan, who hates me. I am scared of them. I am more scared of them than I am of you, and you terrify me. Make them stop. Make them leave me alone. But I won't. Madoc's anger is fathomless. I have seen it in my mother's blood on the kitchen floor. Once summoned, it cannot be called back.”

ScaredHolly BlackTerrifiedThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteCardan GreenbriarJudeCardanThe Cruel PrinceMadoc
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“I watch every blow, every flinch. I have little choice. I can shut my eyes, but the sounds are just as terrible. And worst of all is Cardan's empty face, his eyes as dull as lead. Truly, he has come by his cruelty honestly in Balekin's care. He has been raised up in it, instructed in its nuances, honed through it's application. However horrible Cardan might be, I now see what he might become and am truly afraid.”

CrueltyHolly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteCardan GreenbriarCardanThe Cruel PrinceBalekinBeatingLashing
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“He'd like to make you believe he's our leader, but it's more than Nicasia likes power, I like dramatics, and Valerian likes violence. Cardan can provide us with all three, or at least excuses for all three.' 'Dramatics?' I echo. 'I like for things to happen, for stories to unfold. And if I can't find a good enough story, I make one.' He looks every inch the trickster in that moment.”

Holly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteCardan GreenbriarJudeCardanThe Cruel PrinceLockeNicasiaValerian
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“Prince Cardan watched me all night, a shark restlessly circling, waiting for the right moment to bite. Even now I can conjure the memory of the scorched black of his eyes. And if I laughed louder for the sake of angering him, if I smiled wider, and kissed Locke longer, that is a kind of deceit that even the Folk cannot condemn.”

DeceitHolly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteCardan GreenbriarJudeCardanThe Cruel PrinceWatchingLocke
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“He takes my wounded hand in his. He's wearing black gloves, the leather warm even through the silk over my fingers, and black suit of clothes. Raven feathers cover the upper half of his doublet, and his boots have excessively pointed metal toes that make me conscious of how easy it will be to kick me savagely once we've begun dancing. At his brow, he wears a crown of woven metal branches, cocked slightly askew. Dark silver paint streaks over his cheekbones, and black lines run along his lashes. The left one is smeared, as though he forgot about it and wiped his eye.”

Holly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteCardan GreenbriarJudeCardanThe Cruel PrinceCrownMake UpRaven Feathers
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“...I turn and press the point of my knife directly underneath his chin. 'Jude?' he asks, up against the wall, pronouncing my name carefully, as though to avoid slurring. I am not sure I have ever heard him use my actual name before. 'Surprised?' I ask, a fierce grin starting on my face. The most important boy in Faerie and my enemy, finally in my power. It feels even better than I thought it would. 'You shouldn't be.”

Holly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteCardan GreenbriarJudeCardanThe Cruel PrinceKnifeSurprisedThreaten
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“Get down on your knees,' Cardan says, looking insufferably pleased with himself. His fury has transmuted in to gloating. 'Beg. Make it pretty. Flowery. Worthy of me.' ... 'Beg? I echo. For a moment, he looks surprised, but that's quickly replaced by even greater malice. 'You defied me. More than once. Your only hope is to throw yourself on my mercy in front of everyone. Do it, or I will keep hurting you until there is nothing left to hurt.' ... There is no shame in surrender. As Taryn said, they're just words. I don't have to mean them. I can lie. I start to lower myself to the ground. This will be over quickly, every word will taste like bile, and then it will be over. When I open my mouth, though, nothing comes out. I can't do it. Instead I shake my head at the thrill running through me at the sheer lunacy of what I'm about to do. It's the thrill of leaping without being able to see the ground below you, right before you realise that's called falling. 'You think because you can humiliate me, you can control me?' I say, looking him in those black eyes. 'Well, I think you're an idiot. Since we started being tutored together, you've gone out of your way to make me feel like I'm less than you. And to coddle your ego, I have made myself less. I have made myself small, I have kept my head down. But it wasn't enough to make you leave Taryn and me alone, so I'm not going to do that anymore. 'I am going to keep on defying you. I am going to shame you with my defiance. You remind me that I am a mere mortal and you are a prince of Faerie. Well, let me remind you that means you have much to lose and I have nothing. You may win in the end, you may ensorcell me and hurt me and humiliate me, but I will make sure you lose everything I can take from you on the way down. I promise you this'- I throw his own words back at him- 'this is the least of what I can do.' Cardan looks at me as though he's never seen me before. He looks at me as though no one has ever spoken to him like this. Maybe no one has.”

BullyingHolly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteCardan GreenbriarJudeCardanDefianceThe Cruel PrinceStanding Up For Oneself
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever. Valerian's hair shines like polished gold. Nicasia's limbs are long and perfectly shaped, her mouth the pink of coral, her hair the colour of the deepest, coldest part of the sea. Fox-eyed Locke, standing silently behind Valerian, his expression schooled to careful indifference, has a chin as pointed as the tips of his ears. And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest, with black hair as iridescent as a raven's wing and cheekbones sharp enough to cut out a girl's heart. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.”

Holly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteCardan GreenbriarJudeThe Cruel PrinceLockeNicasiaValerian
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“Later when Cardan, Locke, Nicasia, and Valerian sit down to their lunch, they have to spit out their food in choking horror. All around them are the less awful children of faerie nobles, eating their bread and honey, their cakes and roasted pigeons, their elderflower jam with biscuits and cheese and the fat globes of grapes. But every single morsel in each of my enemies' baskets has been well and thoroughly salted. Cadan's gaze catches mine, and I can't help the evil smile that pulls up the corners of my mouth. His eyes are bright as coals, his hatred a living thing, shimmering in the air between us like the air above black rocks on a blazing summer day.”

Holly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteEnemiesCardan GreenbriarThe Cruel PrinceLockeNicasiaValerianPay Back
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“We can enchant you to run around on all fours, barking like a dog. We can curse you to wither away for want of a song you'll never hear again or a kind word from my lips. We're not mortal. We will break you. You're a fragile little thing; we'd hardly need to try. Give up.' 'Never,' I say. He smiles, smug. 'Never? Never is like forever- too big for mortals to comprehend.”

ForeverBullyingHolly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteCardan GreenbriarJudeCardanNeverThe Cruel Prince
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“Cardan is waiting for me when I get off the field. I am struck suddenly be his height, by the arrogant sneer he wears like a crown. He would seem like a prince even dressed in rags. Cardan grabs my face, fingers splayed against my neck. His breath is against my cheek. His other hand grabs my hair, winding it in to a rope. 'Do you know what mortal means? It means born to die. It means deserving of death. That's what you are, what defines you- dying. And yet here you stand, determined to oppose me even as you rot away from the inside out, you corrupt, corrosive mortal creature. Tell me how that is. Do you really think you can win against me? Against a prince of Faerie?' I swallow hard. 'No,' I say. His black eyes simmer with rage. 'So you're not completely lacking in some small amount of animal cunning. Good. Now, beg my forgiveness.' I take a step back and tug, trying to wrench free of his grasp. He holds on to my braid, staring down in to my face with hungry eyes and a small, awful smile. Then he opens his hand, letting me stagger free. Individual strands of hair flutter through the air.”

BullyingHolly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteCardan GreenbriarJudeCardanOpposingThe Cruel Prince
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“I leave my books and cross the grass toward them. Cardan half-turns and I shove him so hard that his back hits one of the trees. His eyes go wide. 'I don't know what you said to her, but don't you ever go near my sister again,' I tell him, my hand still on the front of his velvet doublet. 'You gave her your word.' I can feel the eyes of all the other students on me. Everyone's breath is drawn. For a moment, Cardan just stares at me with stupid, crow-black eyes. Then one corner of his mouth curls. 'Oh,' he says. 'You're going to regret doing that.' I don't think he realises just how angry I am or how good it feels, for once, to give up on regrets.”

Holly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteCardan GreenbriarJudeRegretsCardanThe Cruel PrinceNemesisWarnings
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“I can feel the moment he gives in and gives up, pulling me to him despite the threat of the knife. He kisses me hard, with a kind of devouring desperation, fingers digging into my hair. Our mouths slide together, teeth over lips over tongues. Desire hits me like a kick to the stomach. Its like fighting, except what we´re for is to crawl inside each other´s skin. page 309”

Jude DuarteCardan GreenbriarJudecardan
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“Cardan half-turns, and I shove him so hard that his back hits one of the trees. His eyes go wide. ¨I dont know what you said to her, but you dont ever go near my sister again,¨ I tell him,my hand still on the front of his velvet doublet.¨You gave her your word.¨ I can feel the eyes of all the other students on me. Everyones breath is drawn. For a moment, Cardan just stares at me with stupid, cow-black eyes. Then one corner of his mouth curls. ¨Oh,¨ He says. ¨You´re going to regret doing that.¨ page 66”

Jude DuarteCardan GreenbriarThe Cruel PrinceJudecardan
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“She is plunging soundlessly through the night sky, toward the mirrored darkness of the sea. When she hits, there is barely even a splash. I cannot speak. Everything seems to slow around me. I think of Sophie's cracked lips, think of her saying, Please, just tell me this isn't real. I don't think I can live with any of this being real. I think of the stones she filled her pockets with. I hadn't been listening. I hadn't wanted to hear her; I'd just wanted to save her. And now, because of me, she is dead.”

SuicideHolly BlackDeadThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteJudeSophieThe Cruel PrinceNot Listening
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“In a moment, I am going to ask you to put the blade through your hand. When I ask you to do that, I want you to remember where your bones are, where you veins are. I want you to stab through your hand doing the least damage possible.' His voice is lulling, hypnotic, but my heart speeds anyway. Against my will, I aim the sharp point of the knife. I press is lightly against my skin. I am ready. I hate him, but I am ready. I hate him, and I hate myself. 'Now,' he says, and the glamour releases me. I take a half step back. I am in control of myself again, still holding the knife. ... My eyes on him, I slam the knife in to my hand. The pain is a wave that rises higher and higher but never crashes. I make a sound low in my throat. I may not deserve punishment for this, but I deserve punishment. Dain's expression is odd, blank. He takes a step back from me, as though I am the one who did the shocking thing instead of merely doing what he ordered.”

PunishmentHolly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteJudeGlamourThe Cruel PrinceStabbingDainPrince Dain
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“No geas can save you from the effects of our fruits and poisons. Think carefully. I could grant you the power to enrapture all who looked upon you instead. I could give you a spot right there.' He touches my forehead. 'And anyone who saw it would be struck with love. I could give you a magical blade that cuts through starlight.”

PowerHolly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteJudeThe Cruel PrinceDainPrince DainGeasGeases
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“In a moment, I am going to ask you to put the blade through your hand. When I ask you to do that, I want you to remember where your bones are, where you veins are. I want you to stab through your hand doing the least damage possible.' His voice is lulling, hypnotic, but my heart speeds anyway. Against my will, I aim the sharp point of the knife. I press it lightly against my skin. I am ready. I hate him, but I am ready. I hate him, and I hate myself. 'Now,' he says, and the glamour releases me. I take a half step back. I am in control of myself again, still holding the knife. ... My eyes on him, I slam the knife in to my hand. The pain is a wave that rises higher and higher but never crashes. I make a sound low in my throat. I may not deserve punishment for this, but I deserve punishment. Dain's expression is odd, blank. He takes a step back from me, as though I am the one who did the shocking thing instead of merely doing what he ordered.”

PunishmentHolly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteJudeGlamourThe Cruel PrinceStabbingDainPrince Dain
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“Much of the clothing is moth-eaten, but I can see what they once were. A skirt with a beaded pattern of pomegranates, another that pulls up, like a curtain, to show a stage with jewelled mechanical puppets underneath. There is even one stitched with the silhouette of dancing fauns as tall as the skirt itself. I've admired Oriana's dresses for their elegance and opulence, but these awaken in me a hunger for a dress that's riotous. They make me wish I'd seen Locke's mother in one of her gowns. They make me think she must have liked to laugh.”

DressesHolly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteJudeSkirtsGownsThe Cruel PrinceRiotousLiliana
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“Taryn is beautiful in her heavily embroidered dress, and Vivi radiant in soft violet grey with artfully sewn moths seeming to fly from her shoulder across her chest to gather in another group on one side of her waist. I realise how rarely I've seen her in truly splendid clothes. Her hair is up, and my earrings glitter in her lightly furred ears. Her cat eyes gleam in the half light, twin to Madoc's. For once, that makes me smile.”

DressesHolly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteThe Cruel PrinceMothsTaryn DuarteTarynVivi DuarteVivi
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“What they don't realise is this: Yes, they frighten me, but I have always been scared, since the day I got here. I was raised by the man who murdered my parents, reared in a land of monsters. I live with that fear, let it settle in to my bones, and ignore it. If I didn't pretend not to be scared, I would hide under my owl-down coverlets in Madoc's estate forever. I would lie there and scream until there was nothing left of me. I refuse to do that. I will not do that.”

FearScaredFrightenedHolly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteJudeThe Cruel PrinceMadocFrighten
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“Tatterfell sews on cunning cuffs made from the scales of pinecones around the edges of frayed sleeves. Small tears in skirts are stitched over with embroidery in the shape of leaves and pomegranates and- on one- a cavorting fox. She has stitched dozens of leather slippers for me. I will be expected to dance so fiercely that I wear through a pair every night.”

Holly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteJudeThe Cruel PrinceSewingMendingEmbroideryStitchingTatterfell
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image

“I can see the sea that encircles the island and beyond it, the bright lights of human cities and towns through the ever-present mist. I have never looked directly from our world in to theirs. Locke puts his hand against my back, between my shoulder blades. 'At night, the human world looks as though it's full of fallen stars.”

Holly BlackThe Folk Of The AirJude DuarteJudeThe Cruel PrinceLockeLightsFallen StarsHuman World
Book:The Cruel Prince
Create image