The Cruel Prince

Jude has been raised with her sister and half-sister in the Courts of Faerie by her sister's father, the man who murdered Jude's parents. Jude is mortal and is despised by the faeries, but she is determined to find her place as a knight in the courts.

It's a story of intrigue and maneuvers and clever deals and unexpected assignations and brutal violence, set in a land where humans are relegated to the lowest of servants. Jude suffers deeply at the hands of a group of faeries led by young prince Cardan, and she gradually learns to strike back and dominate despite the limits of her human-ness.

I loved this story, and I can't wait to see if book two is just as exciting.