Book– The Cruel Prince.
Author– Holly Black.
Genre– Young Adult, Fantasy.
Published– January the 2nd 2018 by Little Brown Books for Young Readers.
Rep: Side Bisexual Character, Side queer characters, Side f/f romance.
Trigger Warnings: Assault, Physical abuse, Mental abuse, grief, on page murder, extreme bullying, Child abuse, violence, suicide.
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.
I’ve got to give credit where it’s due The Cruel Prince was one of the best first books I’ve read in a while. The plot was fast paced and the action non stop. The world building was fantastic and the characters intriguing. Even down to the side characters written just as well as the main character. Though I will admit Jude Stole the show, she was fantastic. A heroine I won’t ever forget.
This book is just as enchanting as it promises. Every chapter ended on a cliffhanger forcing you to continue. I was on the edge of my seat for more or less all of it. The writing style was wonderful and the plot interesting enough to keep you just focusing on that. However what got me was the characters. Even down to the evil ones and believe me they’re a lot of bad Faeries in this book. Which is expected, writing evil tinker bells is Holy Blacks thing and she does it very well.
The Cruel Prince is told in the first person POV of Jude Daurte. Jude is an interesting character. She’s strong and determined. She makes stupid decisions and is prone to act recklessly but she’s human and more importantly these are the characteristics that make her who she is. Jude grows a lot in this novel and I’m curious to see how her character arc grows. She has the personality of a great leader and potential to become an unforgettable heroine. She’s not exactly a nice person which is understandable. Jude has went through hell and back in Faerie and she’s determined to become stronger. I am so down for watching that happen.
“Instead of Being Afraid, I will become something to fear.”
Just like Jude most of the other characters change and throughout the novel we discover layers upon layers of their personalities. I’m interested in knowing more about Cardan and Taryn the most. Cardan is a character you want to hate so much but at the same time can’t. I’m most curious about his character and what will happen. Which I guess is an answer for the books to follow.
Though this book was good it wasn’t perfect. I have problems with the romance and some plots near the end I won’t talk about because of spoilers. However the romance made me uncomfortable especially with everything that’s done to Jude. It’s 2018 abusive behavior shouldn’t be romanticized anymore!
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. It’s a good fantasy and a brilliant first book. I’m curious to see how it continues. Like I said, the romance needs work and a lot of it. I don’t like where it’s going and I’m hoping Holly Black knows what she’s doing. However I do have fate that the books to continue will be just as good.
★★★★☆
