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A review by kathyreviewsbooks
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Rating: 5/5
Summary: Jude's parents were murdered when she was a chil. The person who murdered her parents took the to the Faerie world and raised them as his own. Now ten years later Jude and her siblings have to try to find their place among the beautiful but deadly fey. Jude just wants to be among the king's council, and she'll do whatever it takes.
Review: This story was wonderful, i thought it was being overhyped on BookTok but it was definitely not. I did enjoy reading this story and I'm happy that the booktoks i found on it were pitching it to me as political intrigue. There were hints of romance but it wasn't at all the plot of the story which i really loved.
The plot of this story advanced really well and i enjoyed reading all of it. I enjoyed seeing how everything tied in well together. There were heart wrenching scenes. Scenes with a lot of political tension. So many twidts throughout the book that i was never anticipating. It was amazing and the writing had it all flowing so well.
The characters in this story were also wonderful. I fell in love with Jude. I loved seeing her doing things for herself and standing up. I really loved how Jude wasn't perfect, she did things that couldn't be excused sometimes. I loved how she developed throughout the story and masterfully planned out that last twist in the story. Cardan was also wonderfully written. Cruel and terrible but what were you expecting? It's literally the title of the story. However getting to see some of his background and learning about it more towards the end, that was heart wrenching. It doesn't excuse how he behaved, never will but it gives us more insight into his character.
In this book there is little romance with i actually quite loved. I feel like if there had been a lot of romance it would have taken away from the political intrigue of the story. This story is wonderful without the romance. So for whoever is pitching this story as an enemies to lovers story please stop. It's not, they're not even lovers yet by the end of the story.
Yeah i really loved this book. I recommend you read it if you enjoy political intrigue. Do not pick it up if you're looking for an enemies to lovers story you will be very much disappointed. The title of the story is literally the cruel prince, so don't pick it up if you're expecting a nice prince.
Rep: Biracial main character, Bisexual side character, Polyamorous side character (Princess Rhyia is said to have, "two lovers" on pg. 80.), WLW Relationship (side character)
Rating: 5/5
Summary: Jude's parents were murdered when she was a chil. The person who murdered her parents took the to the Faerie world and raised them as his own. Now ten years later Jude and her siblings have to try to find their place among the beautiful but deadly fey. Jude just wants to be among the king's council, and she'll do whatever it takes.
Review: This story was wonderful, i thought it was being overhyped on BookTok but it was definitely not. I did enjoy reading this story and I'm happy that the booktoks i found on it were pitching it to me as political intrigue. There were hints of romance but it wasn't at all the plot of the story which i really loved.
The plot of this story advanced really well and i enjoyed reading all of it. I enjoyed seeing how everything tied in well together. There were heart wrenching scenes. Scenes with a lot of political tension. So many twidts throughout the book that i was never anticipating. It was amazing and the writing had it all flowing so well.
The characters in this story were also wonderful. I fell in love with Jude. I loved seeing her doing things for herself and standing up. I really loved how Jude wasn't perfect, she did things that couldn't be excused sometimes. I loved how she developed throughout the story and masterfully planned out that last twist in the story. Cardan was also wonderfully written. Cruel and terrible but what were you expecting? It's literally the title of the story. However getting to see some of his background and learning about it more towards the end, that was heart wrenching. It doesn't excuse how he behaved, never will but it gives us more insight into his character.
In this book there is little romance with i actually quite loved. I feel like if there had been a lot of romance it would have taken away from the political intrigue of the story. This story is wonderful without the romance. So for whoever is pitching this story as an enemies to lovers story please stop. It's not, they're not even lovers yet by the end of the story.
Yeah i really loved this book. I recommend you read it if you enjoy political intrigue. Do not pick it up if you're looking for an enemies to lovers story you will be very much disappointed. The title of the story is literally the cruel prince, so don't pick it up if you're expecting a nice prince.
Rep: Biracial main character, Bisexual side character, Polyamorous side character (Princess Rhyia is said to have, "two lovers" on pg. 80.), WLW Relationship (side character)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Murder, and Suicide