Reviews with content warning for Drug use - The Cruel Prince

Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

91 reviews

dilara2912w's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

3.5

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zoiejanelle's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

jude "i will become so much worse" duarte is the queen of my heart!

i'm not a fairy/fae girlie, but this book was recommended to me multiple times by multiple people. it became available on libby (audiobook) and i was in a reading slump, so i gave it a try. i am SO GLAD that i did. this series was a blast. i devoured all three books within a weekend and will absolutely buy the physical books to add to my library!

this book moved quickly and was immediately very immersive. there were infrequent explanations/world-building/lore, and sparse detail which i appreciated. Holly Black's style is very digestible and allows the reader to really build the world in their head. i liked how diverse the fairy world was. it wasn't only sexy, white, humanoid, winged creatures. the creativity that went into building out the land was really evident in the inclusion of different kingdoms, types of folk, and the elaborate history. plus, the epigraphs gave great insight into the research she did that contributed to this series.

i loved this book because jude was absolutely the villain. her motivation of accruing power after spending her life feeling powerless was sooooo believable and yet so frightening. her anger and resentment were palpable--and her complex feelings about the fae were really fun to explore as well. on top of jude being amazing, i really loved how political the whole series was. i did not expect to be so intrigued by the court politics, but i was!

the grand finale of this book had me literally SHOUTING and screaming. the entire book, jude characterized the fairies as sinister, tricky, and silve-tongues... and in the end, that is who she became. what a fantastic plot twist right at the end! normally i dislike cliffhangers, but this one was so juicy. and i'm lucky enough to be able to read the next two books immediately after!

loved it as a fun, light read. definitely recommend for any of my fantasy, enemies-to-lovers readers.

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halflingnana's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

An excellent fantasy. A great take on folklore and tons of fun. Emotional and intriguing plot lines.

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stewartj0421's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

It took 85 pages for me to become invested in the story. The beginning feels clunky and aimless, and then all at once you’re swept up into this magical world of lies and dishonor.

I found Black’s fondness of obscure vocabulary to be at odds with the modern time period the story takes place in. I suspect her intention was to portray Faerie as more elegant and otherworldly, but the juxtaposition was jarring and, at times, unsettling in a way I can’t explain.

Despite my dislike of the writing quirks, the book eventually captured my attention. I also found it to be really well suited for the young adult genre. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.

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rafacolog's review against another edition

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challenging emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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shadereads's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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wrappingpaper's review against another edition

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adventurous funny 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? It's complicated

4.75

Going into this I didn’t expect to enjoy this nearly as much as I did. This was my first time ever reading anything to do with fae - I’m definitely going to read more.
This book is essentially perfect to me - it felt so magical yet easy to read and the stakes felt high and I was rooting for the romance so much. I wish there was more of Cardan and Jude interaction - the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars.
Overall I think this book helped me solidify my favourite trope ever -enemies to lovers prince romance. I can’t wait to dive into the second and third books where hopefully their relationship will bloom even further and the tension will get even stronger.
I fully recommend!!

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