“If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.”
I devoured this book in a day & I’m writing this review about 15 minutes after finishing the novel….. I feel like I was brought on an incredible journey for miles through the land of Faerie. Holly Black truly is the queen of fae and I would sell my soul to her if she would only tell me what happens next. I NEED THIS SEQUEL!!!!
I love love LOVE how dark and sinister this world is, so if you’re after a read featuring helpful and friendly fair folk then this isn’t the book for you. These characters are dark and at times malevolent.
Here is a quick run down of our main characters – spoiler-ish so proceed at your own risk.Jude is our main protagonist, who is stolen away to the land of Faerie when she is 7 years old with her twin sister Taryn, and her older sister Vivienne. Vivi is half fae, her biological father Madoc is the one who murders their parents and takes them away. While there Jude faces a hoard of issues, some of them she handles well……others not so much.
The three sisters are raised by Madoc, who is a general for the high king. As mortals Jude and Taryn are afforded the luxury of being raised with the rest of the entitled and powerful fae children.Considering how most humans are treated in this world these girls live a very comfortable life in comparison. Jude has mixed feelings about Madoc, she views him as a father figure and admittedly loves him but this leaves her very conflicted. She admires and fears the vicious warrior with equal measure. I have to admit, I enjoyed his character!
Jude is extremely flawed, and that’s what I love so much about her character. She doesn’t pretend to be making all her decisions with best intentions, she can be petty and vindictive at times, just like the dangerous fae she is surrounded by. Her determination and brass neck is something I adored.
The relationship between Jude and her twin sister, Taryn, is at times very turbulent and Taryn’s character is one I didn’t jel with at all. Quite frankly I thought she was a terrible sister and I hold little hope for her redemption in my eyes.
Then we have Cardan, who in the simplest of terms is a little shit. At many points throughout this book if I could’ve got my hands around his neck I would have wrung it. He is the youngest of the faerie princes with a definite superiority complex. Cardan doesn’t make life easy for Jude, our lowly mortal. As much as I hated him at times, I enjoyed the repartee between Cardan and Jude.
One of the things I enjoyed most about this story is the way it made me question my own morality with every turn of the page. I was turning into a blood thirsty fae, shouting at Jude in my head for not murdering half the court when she had the chance. In my defence, some of them really do deserve it!
I thought I would enjoy this book, but I adored it! If you’re interested in dark stories with villainous faeries, political manoeuvring, strategies and a strong female lead character then this it the book for you.
5/5 stars totally recommend this fab book!
