As I'm sure many of you have heard, The Cruel Prince is one of the many highly anticipated books of 2018, and it certainly did not fail for me. I loved mostly everything about this book and here is why. The story follows Jude as she and her two sisters are carried away back to Faerie after the fey general Madoc murders their parents in front of them. Madoc then raises the girls as his own, teaching them to the ways of the fey. Jude and her twin have no fey blood in them and so must endure unending turmoil, contempt, and relentless teasing. In ten years Jude learns it is easier to show anger as it hides the neverending fear. With this knowledge, Jude finds herself agreeing to alliances beyond her control that place her into a test of loyalty, and a game of deceit and politics.
I cannot tell you how amazing Holly Black's writing is. Unfortunately for me, I am not a well enough written writer to describe it. This novel had me questioning everything. At first, I was not connecting with any of the characters. I found myself disliking Taryn, Jude's twin, throughout the entire novel. So I will say no more about her as I cannot say more without spoilers. I found it hard to connect with Jude until about the middle of the novel. By that time, I had a vague understanding of why she made the decisions that she did. I still found her, however, to be a bit whiney. She never seems to actually grasp her own sense of power. I did like, however, how she was strong when she needed to be (for her family). Even while angry with them, they were still who she fought her. I also like how she never compromised herself. She spent the whole story telling her older sister Vivienne that Faerie was her world, and she stuck by that all the way to the end. I sincerely hope this is something that Holly Black continues in the second book (AND THERE BETTER BE A SECOND BOOK!!!)
My favorite thing of the whole novel was the overall concept of the fey. Too many times I have read stories that make the fey out to be beautiful and nature driven. I was so freaking glad that someone portrayed them the way I feel that they might actually be. Beautiful but deadly. I believe Holly Black wrote, "They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire." A lot of people forgot that blades still can cut you, no matter how dull. However, the best description of the fey was by the villain, Madoc when he says, "Some are good with pipes or paint. Some have skill in love,” he says finally. “My talent is in making war. The only thing that has ever kept me awake was denying it." That one moment where he speaks of his own cruelty is enough to remind the reader that Jude has a right to live in her fear. She is living in a cruel world where the monsters are real and there is no knight that will help her, only the ones who will hurt her.
Overall I rate The Cruel Prince 5 out of 5 stars. This was truly a well-hyped book. It was a rollercoaster for my emotions, and there is such a plot twist even I wasn't prepared for it. There are many times where friend and foe are interchangeable, but it also doesn't surprise you since it is the Faerie world. The cliffhanger at the end was more than satisfactorily. I don't think I can wait for the second book to come out.
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