[Book Review] The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

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.

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

Page Length: 384
Publication Year: 2018
Characters: Jude, Cardan, Lock, Vivi, and Taryn

Wooza! This book was so good.

At the age of 7, Jude’s parents have murdered in front of her and then she and her sisters were then stolen away to High Court of Faerie. Years later Jude just wants to be one of them. To do this she wants a place in court but to do this must defy her nemesis, Carden.

I loved this story. Jude is a such a different character to what I normally come across, she has been brought up by the person who murdered her parents. This has had a profound effect on Jude, she has been in survival mode for the last 10 years doing anything she can to fit in and be part of Faerie. Despite being terrified 90%  of the time Jude is brave and strong and I really admired her courage.

Carden and his friends torment Jude on a daily basis, he is the definition of a jerk but some reason I found myself liking him. I can’t really explain why because he is a dick for the majority of the book.

The story itself is a whirlwind of twist and turns and betrayals at every corner. It kept me guessing until the very end. This is the first book by Holly Black that I have read but after this, it certainly won’t be the last.  Overall this was a really awesome story and if you love books about the fae then this is a must-read.