Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The FMC is undoubtedly a train wreck (& 100% a victim of stockholm syndrome). She's stubborn, stupid, and repeatedly made terrible decisions. However, her crazy shenanigans pushed the story forward and kept me thoroughly entertained. By the time I finished the book, she had developed into a character I liked very much—flaws and all.
The plot is more politically driven than anything else, with a ton of interesting and power-hungry characters (so many that it was a little hard to keep track of them at first). There is a romance, but the burn is slooooow, which I very much appreciated. While I predicted the ending correctly, the twists and turns that got me there were a pleasant surprise. I can't deny that it was a fun read. I'll definitely be picking up book 2.
The plot is more politically driven than anything else, with a ton of interesting and power-hungry characters (so many that it was a little hard to keep track of them at first). There is a romance, but the burn is slooooow, which I very much appreciated. While I predicted the ending correctly, the twists and turns that got me there were a pleasant surprise. I can't deny that it was a fun read. I'll definitely be picking up book 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racism, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racism, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Alcohol
Minor: Suicide, Blood, War
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
My review is for the whole trilogy.
I was disappointed. Jude is flat, self centered, selfish, hateful, and a bore considering instead of having actual ambition she pretends to. Her whole "goal" is to ask herself "how can i take advantage of the situation" and then its always someone taking advantage of her. She's actually stupid. I really don't like her. Her step-father, though, Madoc? Love him! A man with a goal, an ambition, and loyalty and familial love so strong that even at the end of the trilogyhe's proud to have been beaten by his daughter. We love Madoc in this house.
Even Oak has more character development than Jude, I feel. You may disagree, too many people swear this is the ultimate enemies to lovers. There's not enough politics in it for me, the romance that exists is too simply done and develops suddenly. And it's not enemies to lovers. Cardan never actually hated her. He hated that he liked her because she's human and he's a prince and took it out on her. There is a HUGE difference to that.
And that ending? I'm sorry? I guess I've been spoiled by Percy Jackson when it comes to how prophecies play out the end of a story.... But no thank you. I've heard for YEARS since Black Cat was published that Holly Black is one of the best. Yeah, it's creative and well structured. But the execution was... mid. i've read AO3 fics with more substance, political intrigue, and romantic development than this.
TLDR: it's okay. It's a read. If you like wattpad you'll love this.
I was disappointed. Jude is flat, self centered, selfish, hateful, and a bore considering instead of having actual ambition she pretends to. Her whole "goal" is to ask herself "how can i take advantage of the situation" and then its always someone taking advantage of her. She's actually stupid. I really don't like her. Her step-father, though, Madoc? Love him! A man with a goal, an ambition, and loyalty and familial love so strong that even at the end of the trilogy
Even Oak has more character development than Jude, I feel. You may disagree, too many people swear this is the ultimate enemies to lovers. There's not enough politics in it for me, the romance that exists is too simply done and develops suddenly. And it's not enemies to lovers. Cardan never actually hated her. He hated that he liked her because she's human and he's a prince and took it out on her. There is a HUGE difference to that.
And that ending? I'm sorry? I guess I've been spoiled by Percy Jackson when it comes to how prophecies play out the end of a story.... But no thank you. I've heard for YEARS since Black Cat was published that Holly Black is one of the best. Yeah, it's creative and well structured. But the execution was... mid. i've read AO3 fics with more substance, political intrigue, and romantic development than this.
TLDR: it's okay. It's a read. If you like wattpad you'll love this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Dysphoria, War
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Infidelity, Racism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
Minor: Child death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, War
clarification for CW tags: racism towards humans vs fae, not POC. Sorry if this is misuse of the tag ❤️
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-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
-plot-
The premise of the book is easy to follow and understand. Jude wants to be a knight and more over wants to belong with the Faeries. It's a great introduction to fantasy novels that isn't too overly complicated with dark themes balanced with mystery amd the occasional lighthearted moments. The twists are great in my opinion and was a intriguing read
-characters
I love Jude. Her attitude and humor (though unsure at times she meant to be funny, at least to me) was pleasant. It's easy to connect to being an outsider and wanting more for yourself and in the process possibly losing yourself. The other characters were fun and I'm intrigued to read the rest of the series to see what secrets they hide and more depth to their characters that don't meet the eye. Already I love Cardan and Oriana.
-world building-
Don't go into this thinking it's like Acotar or a typical fantasy. I would compare this more to the world that the ShadowHunter Series from Cassandra Clare comes from, it's a mix of the real world clashed with true fantastical magic. Toads and trolls and mermaids and imps and such. It gives a far more childlike fantasy that you'd find in a storybook. I found it a tiny bit jarring sometimes with mention of Target and such but it's a fun world.
-spice-
This book isn't very spicy with a little fluff here and there but one scene really had me wishing for more and a desire to see how far the author will go but I did enjoy the focus more on character building and the plot, not being too steamy but just enough to get a taste.
-readability-
I devoured this book and usua,ly if I enjoy a book I savor it. This was hard to put down once we got halfway thru the book. Again I think it's a easy to follow plot and interesting enough storybook type fantasy for beginners to delve their toes in but also a pleasant read for lovers of storybooks that created wonder for us as children and can enjoy that along with some of its dark undertones.
The premise of the book is easy to follow and understand. Jude wants to be a knight and more over wants to belong with the Faeries. It's a great introduction to fantasy novels that isn't too overly complicated with dark themes balanced with mystery amd the occasional lighthearted moments. The twists are great in my opinion and was a intriguing read
-characters
I love Jude. Her attitude and humor (though unsure at times she meant to be funny, at least to me) was pleasant. It's easy to connect to being an outsider and wanting more for yourself and in the process possibly losing yourself. The other characters were fun and I'm intrigued to read the rest of the series to see what secrets they hide and more depth to their characters that don't meet the eye. Already I love Cardan and Oriana.
-world building-
Don't go into this thinking it's like Acotar or a typical fantasy. I would compare this more to the world that the ShadowHunter Series from Cassandra Clare comes from, it's a mix of the real world clashed with true fantastical magic. Toads and trolls and mermaids and imps and such. It gives a far more childlike fantasy that you'd find in a storybook. I found it a tiny bit jarring sometimes with mention of Target and such but it's a fun world.
-spice-
This book isn't very spicy with a little fluff here and there but one scene really had me wishing for more and a desire to see how far the author will go but I did enjoy the focus more on character building and the plot, not being too steamy but just enough to get a taste.
-readability-
I devoured this book and usua,ly if I enjoy a book I savor it. This was hard to put down once we got halfway thru the book. Again I think it's a easy to follow plot and interesting enough storybook type fantasy for beginners to delve their toes in but also a pleasant read for lovers of storybooks that created wonder for us as children and can enjoy that along with some of its dark undertones.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Violence, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Racism, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Classism
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It took me about 25% of the way through to start truly enjoying this book. Because it takes the path of a slow reveal of situations and motivations, the beginning groundwork can be almost frustrating because you don't know why some people are acting the way that they are. Also, for a book with so much death and otherwise adult themes, the characters and the writing style both are a bit juvenile at times. I struggled at first with the incongruency of a lack of contractions in dialogue mixed with colloquialisms like "that sucks," but I eventually got used to it and do recognize that it makes sense given the setting. I also really hate first person present tense because it feels overdramatic and impractical, and this book uses it throughout.
That being said, I really like the main characters. Some of the side characters are a bit flat, but Jude, Cardan, Maddoc, Vivvie, Dain, Taryn, Oriana... none of them are "good" or "bad." They just are. They make decisions, they have instincts and natures that make those decisions difficult. I love the complexity! I also think this book set up a series (trilogy) well, so I'm hoping to like the next two even more! The worldbulding is awesome. Holly Black has created a very interesting mix of "fae" and "mortal," complete with rich history and quirks and physical descriptions.
I don't factor audiobook reader into my overal star rating, but I give Caitlyn Kelly 3.5/5⭐️. Honestly, I think she was part of the reason I struggled to get into this book, but there's no telling for certain. She oftentimes doesn't seem to read with the same cadence that the words on the page suggest. She also has a cheesy tone when voicing male characters and over-acts when it comes to emotional (and even sometimes non-emotional!) scenes.
That being said, I really like the main characters. Some of the side characters are a bit flat, but Jude, Cardan, Maddoc, Vivvie, Dain, Taryn, Oriana... none of them are "good" or "bad." They just are. They make decisions, they have instincts and natures that make those decisions difficult. I love the complexity! I also think this book set up a series (trilogy) well, so I'm hoping to like the next two even more! The worldbulding is awesome. Holly Black has created a very interesting mix of "fae" and "mortal," complete with rich history and quirks and physical descriptions.
I don't factor audiobook reader into my overal star rating, but I give Caitlyn Kelly 3.5/5⭐️. Honestly, I think she was part of the reason I struggled to get into this book, but there's no telling for certain. She oftentimes doesn't seem to read with the same cadence that the words on the page suggest. She also has a cheesy tone when voicing male characters and over-acts when it comes to emotional (and even sometimes non-emotional!) scenes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Abortion, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, War
Minor: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Incest, Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Xenophobia, Excrement, Grief, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, War
adventurous
dark
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racism, Violence
Moderate: Suicide
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
junge dieses buch war not at all what i expected, but I LOVED IT
THE DARK MYSTERIOUS FANTASY? THE POLITICS??? i ate that shit up!! alterrrr die intrigen und plotttwists, das war alles SO GEIL, ich habe so viel nicht kommen sehen!!!! war geschockt
die ganze welt war so magisch und brutal; ich war so froh, nicht von einer heilen schönen feenwelt zu lesen, sondern von dieser abgefuckten grausamkeit und diesen komischen gestalten?? geil
jude war ganz anders, als ich sie mir vorgestellt hab! SHE WAS AN ICONIC, MORALLY GREY ANTIHERO and i love that for her!!!
ihr charakter war manchmal leider nicht soo richtig greifbar; ich hab es aber so gedeutet, dass sie die meiste zeit selbst noch nicht richtig wusste, was sie will und sich noch sucht; wenn das in den folgeteilen besser ist, hab ich nichts gesagt. i love her already!!
wirklich keine person in diesem buch ist ein guter „mensch“, alle waren irgendwie SO BÖSE und haben irgendwelche geheimen schemes gehabt, i ate that uppppp omg. jude auch nur bedingt sympathisch (bin mir nicht so sicher, ob ich sie mag?), but i was rooting for her, she was a queen and she was the moment!!!
das buch war fr 80% fantasy politics, es erinnerte mich stark an game of thrones, aber das hats auch so geil gemacht. it kept me guessing, wer der wahre feind ist und ich LIEBE DAS!! brauche sofort den zweiten teil
THE DARK MYSTERIOUS FANTASY? THE POLITICS??? i ate that shit up!! alterrrr die intrigen und plotttwists, das war alles SO GEIL, ich habe so viel nicht kommen sehen!!!! war geschockt
die ganze welt war so magisch und brutal; ich war so froh, nicht von einer heilen schönen feenwelt zu lesen, sondern von dieser abgefuckten grausamkeit und diesen komischen gestalten?? geil
jude war ganz anders, als ich sie mir vorgestellt hab! SHE WAS AN ICONIC, MORALLY GREY ANTIHERO and i love that for her!!!
ihr charakter war manchmal leider nicht soo richtig greifbar; ich hab es aber so gedeutet, dass sie die meiste zeit selbst noch nicht richtig wusste, was sie will und sich noch sucht; wenn das in den folgeteilen besser ist, hab ich nichts gesagt. i love her already!!
wirklich keine person in diesem buch ist ein guter „mensch“, alle waren irgendwie SO BÖSE und haben irgendwelche geheimen schemes gehabt, i ate that uppppp omg. jude auch nur bedingt sympathisch (bin mir nicht so sicher, ob ich sie mag?), but i was rooting for her, she was a queen and she was the moment!!!
das buch war fr 80% fantasy politics, es erinnerte mich stark an game of thrones, aber das hats auch so geil gemacht. it kept me guessing, wer der wahre feind ist und ich LIEBE DAS!! brauche sofort den zweiten teil
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The enemies to lovers is doing enemies hard core. I am here for the vibes and am having so much fun tbh. The betrayal and twists are super fun
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Murder
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book kept me on the edge of my seat.
I do not know, but many plot twists were no secrets for me, but I liked it maybe even more because of it.
The writing style was so good, that I wanted to read almost the whole book, even English isn’t my mother tongue, in one seating.
Jude and her story.. the cruel prince and the subplot with her twin sister. I loved it all the way, even if very dark things happen in the plot.
And can I have those elaborate gowns the fey wear at parties? The descriptions of them were stunning!
You’ll find me ready the sequel 🤭
I do not know, but many plot twists were no secrets for me, but I liked it maybe even more because of it.
The writing style was so good, that I wanted to read almost the whole book, even English isn’t my mother tongue, in one seating.
Jude and her story.. the cruel prince and the subplot with her twin sister. I loved it all the way, even if very dark things happen in the plot.
And can I have those elaborate gowns the fey wear at parties? The descriptions of them were stunning!
You’ll find me ready the sequel 🤭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Classism
Moderate: Drug use, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Kidnapping, Pregnancy, War