Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince (2018) and its sequels have amassed a global readership, but the Russian-language fandom on VK (Vkontakte) represents a unique case of digital community building. This paper explores how VK serves not merely as a promotional tool but as a secondary narrative space—where fan art, role-playing games (RPGs), and quote compilations reshape the experience of the series. Through analysis of popular VK public pages (“pabliki”), this paper argues that VK transforms the linear, political fantasy of Elfhame into an interactive, collective, and deeply aestheticized culture.
Digital Fandoms and Narrative Expansion: The Cruel Prince Series Phenomenon on VK
