Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - The Cruel Prince

I thought that Jude and Carden was such an interesting dynamic and had I not known that they were getting together from a spoiler, I would have never guessed it. I think the story line between Locke and the twins was so twisted. He is the villain in plain sight. Black was so talented to make me love him and then get the rug pulled out from underneath me. Taryn made me so sad and mad. How could she not care more? I

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bloopyfloopy's review

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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jackieyvette's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

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

3.0

I didn’t love it, I didn’t like it, but I also didn’t hate it. It just kind of exists in my mind now.
Not one character is really likeable. Jude is almost too much for her own good. She switches her feeling around so many times and so quickly it gives you whiplash. You can chalk it up to a teenage girl not knowing what she wants, but this is a whole other level.
I know the title is “the cruel prince”, but it was over the top. Both love interests are disgusting and vile beings that have no redemption. I cannot root for a villain who is just out right cruel for the hell of it if I don’t get some sort of backstory or redemption ark that isn’t just him being mean for the whole book and then randomly in the last 40 pages being forced to be likeable.
I feel like I could have liked Vivi if she had a bigger part, but she got about 3 pages worth of dialogue so she never even had a chance.

Crying score: nah, don’t ask again.

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ka_ke's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

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

4.5

By far one of the better y/a fantasy novels I’ve read this year. The politics are interesting, I enjoy the power play strategized by Jude and I’ve enjoyed the journey it took to get there. I cannot forgive Locke or Taryn however.

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stellenelcielo's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I will give two stars because I appreciated certain points of the book. Like, the portrayal of faerie lore and the malicious attitude towards mortals? I did like that. I also liked that there were certain niche memories of Jude’s that felt relatable, like the sticky fingers and television childhood, as well as different descriptions of emotions she was feeling.

However, this book’s pacing was hell on my ADHD and it truly felt like a chore to read. There were parts that were engaging and I had no problem getting through chapters, and others were so slow that I would lose focus and go do something else. This book took me a month to read, which is atrocious and I wish I had a the habit of DNFing a book without feeling guilty, but I don’t so here I am now.

The characters as well, while relatable at certain points, are infuriating. Jude makes absolutely no sense. Why stay in Faerie if she’s angry and terrified all the time? If the people around her are all fucking terrible? Because you were raised there? You want power? Even though you are viewed as inherently inferior?

You gonna go ahead and fall in love eventually with someone who ripped another’s wings right off and participated in sexually assaulting you?

Bullshit, sounds like torture porn.

Vivienne was the only engaging character. I would read three books about her romance with Heather and her grappling with her identity and her hatred, but her determination to love a mortal and live there.

I didn’t care for the romance either (I mean, I’m gay, so I would never have cared for the het romance anyway) but I bought the book because people were mad about the lack of it, only to find political intrigue. I love political intrigue, but this book was vague at best with the world building and system descriptions. So I found that to be lacklustre as well.

I hear that Wicked King and Queen of Nothing were better, but I don’t think they might be better enough to give a shot, also it will be the last time I take book recommendations from heterosexual booktokers.

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solarel's review against another edition

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adventurous dark lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This was essentially “he’s just bullying you because he likes you” propaganda. Just because his moral code means he doesn’t kill you doesnt forgive him from being abusive. But I know some people like this kind of thing. I just prefer enemies to lovers tropes that don’t rely on abuse to get the enemy point across.

That being said I kept reading because I found Jude’s journey interesting. I was fascinated with her slowly losing her humanity, recognizing that she can find power, but it meant becoming a monster.

Not an amazing read for me, but it had some positives.

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sirkeili's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book started off in a way I've never seen books do before, in that the first chapter was a singular sentence. I was intrigued by how this story followed the old faerie tales style, dark and mysterious, but full of wit and charm.

What broke my heart was Jude putting herself through hell, either in hopes to come out on top or to die in the process, because she felt she had no place in either world. She doesn't care for her humanity, rather she hopes to rid herself of it one way or another.

I do hope she gets what she is owed in the end; revenge against the man who slaughtered her family for the sake of his pride, and to put Locke in his place. I hope her plan to protect Oak works, and even if he doesn't become king, he realizes the sacrifices she made for him.

This book subtly made me fall back in love with faerie tales, the ones who's ending is ambiguous and who's story unravels slowly and yet all at once.

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sammyx's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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