Novel: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black | Goodreads
Release Date: January 2, 2018
Publisher: Hachette
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Get it Here: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository
Synopsis
Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.
As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
My Review
Excuse me, while I take a second to bow down to Holly Black, author of Cruel Prince, and the Queen of Faerie. Oh my god, she nailed this book from beginning to end. I am a bit late to the hype party on this, but I was in no way disappointed. Holly Black creates a fully immersive story set in an insane backdrop, in one of the darkest young adult novels that I’ve read in a long time.
This book starts with the main character watching a man murder her parents, then this man kidnaps her and her two sisters and raises them as his own. Yeah, that’s right within the first chapter we’ve got murder, kidnapping, and Stockholm Syndrome. I definitely uttered the phrase, “Oh my god, what the ef?!” no less than 45 times reading this book.
Jude is our main character. We also have her two sisters: Taryn, Jude’s twin, and Vivienne, Jude’s older, half faerie sister. The guy who murdered their parents is Madoc. Madoc is Vivi’s father and the General for the King of Faerie. Madoc’s wife is Oriana and his son is Oak. Madoc goes to great lengths to make sure Taryn and Jude feel like they are a part of the world of Faerie. They go to school with members of the Gentry, which are sort of like the high fairies or the ones that look mostly human.
What Madoc doesn’t understand is that because Jude and Taryn are forced together with these Gentry, they are bullied and ridiculed. Prince Cardan and his group of followers, Nicasia, Locke, and Valerian are the nastiest. Valerian resorts to actual, physical violence, while Locke’s psychological games could be the most heartless. Truly I was not expecting such a dark and dangerous world. At one point we learn that a fairy bit Jude’s finger off. O-F-F, off. What the hell, Holly Black? I’m twenty-nine years old and that messed my world up!
There is a line of Jude’s that really stuck with me. It perfectly encapsulates Jude’s approach to this world, “I do not yearn to be their equal. In my heart, I yearn to best them.” She is given the chance when Dain allows her to become one of his spies. She meets his Court of Shadows and learns more about spying. She also gets more and more involved in the drama and intrigue of the royal family. Dain is to be the next king but turns out he’s sketchy as hell. He makes Jude stab herself in the hand. WHO DOES THAT? I’m serious. This is a young adult book, but basically, the Red Wedding happens, and it blew my mind.
I really appreciated the relationship that is explored between Cardan and Jude. They don’t like each other, but they have both seen each other at truly weak moments. More than that, I love that they didn’t immediately end up together. We get hints of a hate to love relationship, but it feels like it may be a slow burn. I’m also so excited to learn more about the Court of Shadows. The characters seem snarky, creative, and hilarious. Ultimately, I cannot wait for the release of Wicked King next year. I cannot wait to see where Holly Black takes this world because she really and truly shocked me at every turn.
