A review by genieinanovel
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

5.0

Going into this book I was wary because, and I’ll be totally honest here, I’m not a fan of fantasy books that include Faeries and other creatures that are in these types of books. It’s usually hard for me to get into and follow. However, for some reason, I was compelled to read this book and I’m so glad I gave it a shot!

Jude and her sisters, Taryn and Vivi, were only kids when their parents were murdered and they were taken to Faerie by Vivi’s biological father, Madoc. As the years go on, the girls grow up with different attitudes towards their new home – Vivi despises it, while Jude and Taryn want to find their place after finally accepting it as their home.

The story is told by Jude, who desperately wants to be a knight for the prince in line for the throne, Prince Dain, and finally fit into the world of Faerie. Meanwhile, she and Taryn are constantly bullied by the youngest prince, Cardan, which only makes Jude angry and want to prove herself even more. Jude’s story reveals that she is, in fact, not a perfect character, but given her situation at times, you can see why she acts the way she does.

As far as the story goes, it was really interesting. Like I said, I’m not usually into these types of fantasy novels, so learning about a new world was intriguing. I actually enjoyed the political aspect of the Faerie world and how things worked. It wasn’t hard to follow at all and the twists thrown into the story made me keep turning the pages!

Though I don’t dislike Jude, she’s not my favorite character either. I actually like her sister Vivi the best – she’s got spunk and really cares about her family, well, her sisters and brother anyway. I’m still unsure about Taryn, though I’m not a big fan at the moment. Cardan had some redeeming moments towards the end, but even before… who doesn’t end up loving the “bad boy” of the story? Then I loved the members of the Court of Shadows, the Roach, the Ghost, and the Bomb… they were my favorites along with Vivi, and I hope to see more of them in the sequel!

So overall, I really enjoyed The Cruel Prince and I’m very much looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy, The Wicked King!