Review by booknerdsophie - The Cruel Prince

booknerdsophie 's review for:

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

4.5

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I've wanted to read The Cruel Prince for a while. It definitely did not disappoint!

Notes and Explanations

Medium pacing: The book starts out slower, but once the tournament happens, it definitely picks up speed. I never felt like it was rushing, and it only dragged in the very beginning.
A mix of plot- and character-driven: Originally, my instinct was to say it was more plot-driven. But a lot of characters,
specifically Oriana, which I'll elaborate on later,
have really strong arcs that made me pick mix.
Strong character development: Like I mentioned above, a lot of the characters have very strong arcs.
Loveable characters: With the exception of one character I'll mention later, I did like all of the characters (apart from the ones you very obviously shouldn't *cough cough* VALERIAN *cough*).
Complicated diversity: I think there was some representation, like the different types of faeries and Vivi's being bi, but this didn't ever feel super diverse.
Flaws of main characters a focus: I think all of the characters' flaws are shown and they definitely address them, which is honestly great! Flawed characters are the best ones. Like Jude, I have a short temper, so this helped add relatability to the book.
Moderate classism: I feel as if most trigger warnings don’t usually require an explanation, but I did think this might seem confusing. but The different types of faeries being servants rather than nobles, and the constant bullying of Jude due to her mortality (and the kidnapping of humans to become servants) read as classism to me, because the faeries who were more human-like (if that makes sense) were treated much better.
Additional things I really liked:
- Oriana's character arc: I felt as though she really grew through the book. Her motives are very clear and reasonable, and I think her growing to accept Jude and helping her crown Cardan really made the book another level.
- The progression between Cardan and Jude's romance: I love enemies to lovers, because I think the relationship dynamic is such a natural and cute one. Their romance did not have an insta-love feel. Jude didn't suddenly stop hating Cardan, she slowly starting liking him more.
- The community between the Court of Shadows: I LOVE found family. Even more than enemies to lovers, because I have my own found family and it's wonderful finding them. The mentorship between Jude and The Ghost, the sibling feel with The Roach, and The Bomb's spunk were all wonderful. I also thought the slow revelation about how Dain wasn't as great as he seemed to be was also very tastefully executed.
Why it isn't five stars:
- Violence: Despite what it may seem based on the books I like, I am not a fan of violence in books. Reading the scene
  where the whole royal family was executed
  really gave me the ick, and I had to put it down a bit. I don't like violence but I can stomach it. If you can't handle it at all, this book literally has graphic violence in the prologue. Don't read it.
- Taryn: She bugged me right from the get-go. I understand not liking the actions of Jude, but she was downright rude to her and incredible awful. Jude literally did everything to keep Taryn safe, and Taryn just threw Jude under the bus multiple times.
  In addition, the way that she acted around Locke was absolutely inexcusable. Like, I understand that he didn't want her to say something (which is really toxic, but don't get me started). But Taryn could've at least been like, "Oh, you shouldn't date him," and saved Jude the heartbreak and a duel.
  Also, why do Jude and Vivi have normal names, but Taryn's is super out there? This was random but really bugged me a little.

All in all, if you can handle the content warnings (and a little annoyance at some things), I would for sure recommend reading this. I can't wait to continue the series. If you do decide to give this book a try, I hope you enjoy it!

Content Warnings