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A review by apalershadeofwhite
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
4.0
Holly Black: the master of tripling.
I see a lot of authors use repetition as it is a powerful linguistic device, though not many use tripling. Holly Black does it so well! The most effectively she uses it is during times of strife where the character needs to recognise and make sense of their emotions. Amazingly done. But the great writing doesn't end there. Holly Black uses hyperbole perfectly. It's not too outrageous that it feels false and juvenile, which is so refreshing! Also, the descriptions are so good! One I loved in particular was that Oriana's dressed were repeatedly described to be unripe in colour. I adore this! It's such a fine detail but hold so much power and symbolism.
When it comes to subtleties, Holly Black is pretty good, but there was one instance where she was a little TOO subtle, in my opinion: Jude's escapades with poison. This is only mentioned twice! I feel like it could have been use more frequently but still in a subtle manner, like an aching stomach or a dizzy head, throughout the narrative. I like that she didn't harp on this detail, but it almost felt like a forgotten plot point until the end. Another thing I noted, though a very small thing, was the direct address in chapter eight. It felt really abrupt, and it took me out of my flow, but this didn't happen again, so it feels so miniscule.
I often found myself forgetting the characters were meant to be 17, especially in the 'first book'. (Side note, the 'book one' and 'book two' layout took me way too long to figure out. I excuse myself in the fact that I read this digitally and at first though they'd sneaked the second book into the first pdf accidentally.) The bullying felt so immature. I had to try so hard to stop myself from picturing a small young girl, about ten years old, with wisping hair stamping her foot under her dress at a boy barely taller than her with untamed black hair, and the type of flush in the cheeks that only children seem to have.
I see a lot of authors use repetition as it is a powerful linguistic device, though not many use tripling. Holly Black does it so well! The most effectively she uses it is during times of strife where the character needs to recognise and make sense of their emotions. Amazingly done. But the great writing doesn't end there. Holly Black uses hyperbole perfectly. It's not too outrageous that it feels false and juvenile, which is so refreshing! Also, the descriptions are so good! One I loved in particular was that Oriana's dressed were repeatedly described to be unripe in colour. I adore this! It's such a fine detail but hold so much power and symbolism.
When it comes to subtleties, Holly Black is pretty good, but there was one instance where she was a little TOO subtle, in my opinion: Jude's escapades with poison. This is only mentioned twice! I feel like it could have been use more frequently but still in a subtle manner, like an aching stomach or a dizzy head, throughout the narrative. I like that she didn't harp on this detail, but it almost felt like a forgotten plot point until the end. Another thing I noted, though a very small thing, was the direct address in chapter eight. It felt really abrupt, and it took me out of my flow, but this didn't happen again, so it feels so miniscule.
I often found myself forgetting the characters were meant to be 17, especially in the 'first book'. (Side note, the 'book one' and 'book two' layout took me way too long to figure out. I excuse myself in the fact that I read this digitally and at first though they'd sneaked the second book into the first pdf accidentally.) The bullying felt so immature. I had to try so hard to stop myself from picturing a small young girl, about ten years old, with wisping hair stamping her foot under her dress at a boy barely taller than her with untamed black hair, and the type of flush in the cheeks that only children seem to have.