The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

BOOK REVIEW: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Release Date: January 2nd, 2018

Genre: YA, Fantasy

370 pages

Published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Available on Amazon

My rating on Goodreads ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE BLURB:

"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 THOUGHTS:

The Cruel Prince is one of the most loved books you'll find on social media.  I avoided reading other reviews/spoilers at all costs, since I wanted to dive into it blindly.  I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one.

This intense and dark story will keep you reading into the night.  The world of Faerie is magical, rich and colorful, but its residents are untrustworthy.  For Jude and her twin sister Taryn, growing up in Faerie was no small task.  Both sisters want very much to belong, yet, each one has a very specific goal of what kind of life in the Courts of Faerie they desire.

Jude was my favorite character.  Prince Cardan is a spoiled Royal.  A bully.  He is however, very charming, which can be useful in difficult situations. 

The writing is unmistakably beautiful and easy to follow. 

The first chapters were a little slow for me, even though it all starts with Jude's mortal parents being murdered (it's on the synopsis, so no spoiler).  But then the story picked up and it became a page-turner, full of betrayals, secrets and spies.  Reading the characters' development and the many plot twists was like a WOW moment for me.  I did see that last twist coming, but that did not make it any less memorable!

Black left so many possibilities open for the next book.  It's impossible to predict what will come next.  Will Prince Cardan redeem himself?  Will Oak follow in Cardan's footsteps and become wicked?  What's Locke's end game? 
Stop.
I want to read The Wicked King!!!
❤❤❤❤

The Quote:
“Nicasia's wrong about me. I don't desire to do as well in the tournament as one of the fey. I want to win. I do not yearn to be their equal. In my heart, I yearn to best them.”