The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

July 09, 2019

5/5 stars

Having disliked some of Holly Black's other books and hearing a few negative reviews, i was reluctant to read The Cruel Prince. I kept telling myself i wouldn't enjoy it, therefore have been putting it off for soooo long.

Anyway, i am so glad i finally picked it up because this book was amazing. Like, sit down and read it in one sitting amazing.

So why did i like this book so much?

The world building was amazing

Even though this world and its large cast of characters was so complex i never felt confused or out of my depth. The way Holly Black describes the world feels completely natural. The world building is weaved slowly into the storytelling so easily that nothing feels like a "dump of information".

The pacing is perfect

The first half of this book is a little on the slow side but in my opinion this was completely necessary and i was still hooked from the very beginning. In the first half of the book, political intrigue is woven into the story slowly and then once the book hits the halfway mark... BAM.. constant action. It left for the perfect amount of setting up and world building so when the craziness of the second half started, i was invested in the world and the characters enough to really enjoy the story.

Complex and Interesting Characters

Each character had their own motivations and secrets about them but the character that really stood out to me was the heroine Jude. I loved her so much. First of all, i loved that she was a bit of an unreliable narrator throughout the book. For example: at the beginning she paints a very nice "rosy" picture of faerieland but then a few chapters later she informs the reader that she hasn't been entirely honest. I found that very interesting and made it even more exciting to read from her point of view.

Similarly, Jude is definitely an anti-hero. She wants to do the right thing but she isn't afraid to do bad things to get there. Again this made her a very interesting character to read. I can't wait to read more of her story in The Wicked King.

The Dynamic Between Jude and Cardan

I loved reading their interactions! Especially near the end of the book. Their relationship evolves and changes very naturally across the book and it was great to read about. There is definitely room for more growth in The Wicked King and i can't wait for it. (also i totally ship them but that is beside the point).

Mystery and Intrigue

The main focus of this book is definitely the politics of Faerieland. Theres a scramble for the crown thats complex and exciting. Especially throughout the first half of the book there is a lot of mystery that keeps you guessing and there were so many plot twists that i didn't see coming. This made for a very exciting read.

Overall, i loved this book so much. I rated it 5/5 stars and in my opinion it is worth all the hype it gets. So if you're debating whether to pick it up or not i'd say that you should at least give it a try!