Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Published: 2nd January 2018
Source: Readers first and publisher
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Date read: 7th January 2018
Synopsis from Goodreads:
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.
My Thoughts:
Firstly thank you to Readers first and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book.
This book is beautiful the illustrations are by Kathleen Jennings, we have a map! I love maps in books, it helps with the world building and following the characters on their journeys. There are illustrations on every chapter heading, they are whimsical and perfect for this book.
This story starts off dark, with the brutal murder of Jude’s mother and father which means herself and two sisters Taryn and Vivienne are kidnapped by Madoc – the redcap general of Faerie.
10 years later and the girls have been living in Faerie as Madoc’s children, Vivienne is Fey and Madoc’s biological daughter and will do anything to defy her father for the murder of her parents and will only be happy once she returns to the mortal lands. Jude and Taryn are making the best of their situation and trying to make their way in the land of Fey but it’s not easy being mortal. Jude wants to become a knight in the king’s council, with high ambitions she must prove herself not only to Madoc but to the next high king of Eldred.
“I have lied and I have betrayed and I have triumphed. If only there was someone to congratulate me.”
‘The Cruel Prince’ is told from the perspective of Jude, despite being kidnapped and taken to the land of Faerie, she longs to be one of them. She is smart,ambitious and rebellious but she has also caught the attention of Prince Cardan – the youngest of King Eldred’s children. Cardan and his cronies dislike the two mortal girls and start bullying them and glamouring them. Taryn just wants to hide away from them and let it all blow over but Jude will not back down making it worse for the both of them.
None of the characters in this book are likeable but they are definitely flawed and all have different qualities that they bring to the story. Prince Cardan was cruel (hence the title) he liked nothing more than to see people suffer. In the land Faerie no one could be trusted, they were switching sides, there were secrets and betrayal and lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing and made this an enjoyable read. There is quite a bit of political intrigue but not too much that it’s overwhelming.
Because the characters were unlikable I feel that no warmth come through the writing in parts when you expected some tension and romance. I also thought the world building was good and the map definitely helped but it didn’t knock my socks off.
This is first book in a trilogy maybe,not quite sure but I am definitely interested in revisiting this world and characters.
I rated this 3.5 out of 5 stars
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