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A review by jordan_noel
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
3.75
The Cruel Prince is an adventurous, magical, fantastical tale of a group of sisters trying to figure out what they want to be and in what world--human or fairy--they really belong.
The main character, Jude, is tough, resilient, strong, and intelligent. I immediately loved her and wished for her to succeed. I grew to despise anyone in her path, even those she loved.
I hardly had ambivalent feelings for any character in this book. They were well-developed with diverse personalities.
Though this book isn't too fast-paced, it'll keep you immersed in its abundance of quips, magical instances, and riddles. I found this a fun read to help escape the world we're in. And I do plan to read The Wicked King when time.
Still, there were a few details in this book that I found distracting.
Many "strategies" in the book felt impulsive or just impractical and lacked the complexity I was anxious for.
The "love" story between Jude and Cardan felt entirely out of place and unearned. There wasn't really any development; it was straight enemies to lovers without any gray area. They were fun together, but it was hard to forget Cardan's former ruthlessness and blunt brutality towards Jude and Taryn. Also, Taryn is a nightmare.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book and look forward to reading the next one.
The main character, Jude, is tough, resilient, strong, and intelligent. I immediately loved her and wished for her to succeed. I grew to despise anyone in her path, even those she loved.
I hardly had ambivalent feelings for any character in this book. They were well-developed with diverse personalities.
Though this book isn't too fast-paced, it'll keep you immersed in its abundance of quips, magical instances, and riddles. I found this a fun read to help escape the world we're in. And I do plan to read The Wicked King when time.
Still, there were a few details in this book that I found distracting.
Many "strategies" in the book felt impulsive or just impractical and lacked the complexity I was anxious for.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book and look forward to reading the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Murder and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide
There's pretty intense bullying in the story. Though fairies are immortal, humans, of course are not, and human lives are risked several times.
There are quite a few scenes of murder.
A fairy kills the main character's parents and then takes the children--including the main character--to the fairy world. A human slave girl jumps to her death (suicide) as Jude tries to rescue her from the fairy world.