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A review by sauvageloup
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
a fun and gripping book
pros:
- I loved the worldbuilding and the intrigue, with the descriptions of the different faeries with their ears and horns and the ways the thwart their spells
- there were plenty of twists and turns though some I guessed or half-way did. it was certainly gripping and I read it very fast. there was angst there too, in the reveal of Cardan's misery, and how Jude had to turn her back on her sister.
- I liked Vivi and Jude's relationship with her a lot, they clearly supported each other
- and I liked Jude too overall, she was active and tricksy and very devoted to her goal, even if that mean murder, and she didn't back down at all. the bargains she made were good and even though she was impulsive and immature, her decisions never felt stupid or frustrating to a reader.
- Cardan and Jude's little fucked up relationship was good, and grew naturally I thought
cons:
- 1st person is never my fav and I still prefer 3rd,but it was carried off fine
- I felt like Jude's past and trauma wasn't addressed in the same good way as in 'the Coldest girl in Coldtown', but maybe Jude's upbringing made her not react on a human way.
- Jude did also feel immature at times, not exactly a criticism, just maybe that the book is more aimed at teens than me
- Jude's little flirt with Locke never felt believable and I didn't really believe her being angry at her sister about it and she didn't seem actually upset either.
overall, I want to read the rest but not a new fav yet, maybe the other books will grow on me more
cw:suicide, death, gore, murder, abuse, violence
pros:
- I loved the worldbuilding and the intrigue, with the descriptions of the different faeries with their ears and horns and the ways the thwart their spells
- there were plenty of twists and turns though some I guessed or half-way did. it was certainly gripping and I read it very fast. there was angst there too, in the reveal of Cardan's misery, and how Jude had to turn her back on her sister.
- I liked Vivi and Jude's relationship with her a lot, they clearly supported each other
- and I liked Jude too overall, she was active and tricksy and very devoted to her goal, even if that mean murder, and she didn't back down at all. the bargains she made were good and even though she was impulsive and immature, her decisions never felt stupid or frustrating to a reader.
- Cardan and Jude's little fucked up relationship was good, and grew naturally I thought
cons:
- 1st person is never my fav and I still prefer 3rd,but it was carried off fine
- I felt like Jude's past and trauma wasn't addressed in the same good way as in 'the Coldest girl in Coldtown', but maybe Jude's upbringing made her not react on a human way.
- Jude did also feel immature at times, not exactly a criticism, just maybe that the book is more aimed at teens than me
- Jude's little flirt with Locke never felt believable and I didn't really believe her being angry at her sister about it and she didn't seem actually upset either.
overall, I want to read the rest but not a new fav yet, maybe the other books will grow on me more
cw:suicide, death, gore, murder, abuse, violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Slavery, Murder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Physical abuse, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Blood, Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Suicide
the slavery is in a fantasy context. the suicide part is short but explicit. sexual content is limited to kissing and fumbling