Reviews with content warning for Bullying - The Cruel Prince

I used to love this author's books in middle school, so figured I'd give this a try. Unfortunately, I think this author is best left in short form books. When given more time to flesh out worlds and plots, they instead fill pages upon pages with descriptions of clothes and repeatedly explaining what has just happened. Such things really slow down and draw focus away from the plot. We know what just happened. We read it. Please have more faith in your readers to understand what just happened instead of then adding paragraphs of the mc's inner monologue reciting it back to us. You don't have to show and tell every time, and I don't need to know what every character wears in every scene.
Despite that, the characters do have depth. However, it's disappointing they want me to believe this enemies to lovers subplot when they've both hurt eachother in multiple ways in which are way too grievous to forgive. "He didn't know how to handle his feelings so he hurt her." Yeah that's not love. I don't care what he felt, he hurt her repeatedly, and she did the same to him. They're both terrible, immature people who will abuse and bully eachother until death. You don't hurt the people you like. I enjoy the politicing plot but I'm just not sure I can stomach all the filler distracting from it.
This book would probably be more liked by younger readers or those who don't read very often as it is light and easy to follow.

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emileecarter's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is my favorite fantasy series/ trilogy of all time. You are meant to hate some of the main characters.
I find Jude highly relatable.
Please be aware that this is a political fantasy. While it does contain a romance or two, it is not the focus. Please only read if you are ready for a mysterious, action packed, political fantasy.
This book has never read as YA to me. It contains some heavy, heavy themes.

For example, Jude dealing with the confusion of loving Madoc as the father that raised her and hating him for what he's done, and how she feels wrong for her feelings.
Truly, an incredible read.

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kt3636's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Low fantasy, enemies to lovers (bully/systemic).

This book suffers from some pacing issues and I found it difficult to envision most of the time due to lack of comprehensive description. It has big dramatic things happen within it but they feel weightless, that is until about 75% of the way into the book. By the end of the book the author really begins to find her footing, and overall literacy technique improves and the plot becomes more exciting and unpredictable, shaking off its previously juvenile feel for something darker and more gritty. This improvement is carried on and developed further in the second book (currently reading).

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oddpilot97's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I think I might be obsessed with this book. It’s the first novel I read as an adult that gave me the same feeling as when I read as a child.

Enemies to lovers is one of the best tropes in my opinion. And this book did not disappoint. I appreciated that both characters were complex, with dynamic motivations, and that there wasn’t an uncomfortable power dynamic.

The only tiny critique I have is that the audiobook narrator got a bit whiny at times of high tension. It was a tad grating/melodramatic.

The main character isn’t a goodie two shoes, and I loved that. The plot had excellent twists and turns without being predictable, and never got too dull. The twists were well established in advance as well, which I appreciated. It's got my favorite parts of YA without feeling immature.

Read this! It’s amazing.

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