THE CRUEL PRINCE
by Holly Black
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pub Date: Jan 2, 2018
Publisher: Little, Brown Books FYR
Length: 384 pages
Spoilers: MARKED
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Jude was seven years old 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.
In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war 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.
TRIGGER WARNING:
Graphic Bullying
Predictable
This story was nothing unique, in my opinion. I found much of the plotline to be predictable and common for this type of story and the things the main character, Jude, did were very typical for that of a young female protagonist in this scenario. There were obvious items that were designed to be ‘plot twists,’ but they were really easy to pick up on if you were paying any attention.
Main Character
Jude, the main character, was really uninteresting for me. She had a personality, but she was definitely more of a reactor than an actor in this story. She spent most of the time simply ‘surviving’ or trying to supplicate to everyone else, which made her a really boring and difficult to care for.
‘Book Two’
For some reason – unclear to me – The Cruel Prince has a ‘Book One’ and a ‘Book Two’ in it, but the book two is not of the sequel. It is of this first book and it really bothered me that it was labeled in this manner. However, ‘Book Two’ is where the action actually exists in the book. Had The Cruel Prince ended after ‘Book One,’ I would have simply closed it up and walked away without remembering a single thing that happened or likely wanting to read another Holly Black book ever again because that ending was so obvious and so cliche. But if you make it through ‘Book One’ then you’ll enjoy ‘Book Two’ better.
Romance
Seriously, Jude? You find a piece of paper with your name furiously scribbled over it a hundred times and it NEVER dawns on you that there might be something OTHER than anger behind it? ANYBODY with a brain could tell those scribblings were not of hatred, but of desire. Cardan likes you, you halfwit!
And then there’s Locke who played like a fucking fool! You really thought that out of nowhere he was just infatuated with you? Really?! Good god teenagers are portrayed as dumb.
Melanie Noell Bernard 
I actually rather enjoyed this book BUT I’ve always had a soft spot for YA Fantasy HOWEVER I TOTALLY agree with you on the predictability and the obvious plot twists (my brain was constantly commentating on what would happen like wait for iiiiiiit and yep there it is. Called it. lol). There were so many OMG moments that weren’t OMG at all if you were paying half attention. But that’s honestly with most YA fantasy…for whatever stupid reason. And yet I still enjoy them (I truly don’t understand haha when other books are predictable or typical I get severely annoyed but with fantasy I sort of shrug past it LOL not always but yeah sometimes 😬 Guess that’s my weakness haha)
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Huh. I think I get MORE annoyed when it’s with YA fantasy, but I think it’s because they’re ALL like that. They all seem to have similar plot elements and what not so I just feel like I’m reading the same story over and over again. Why do we need a dozen different writers all writing the same story? But what can I say? I’m harsh. 😛
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Oh no you’re 100% right lol they’re all basically the same which is stupid to me but I guess it’s like a weird comfort food for me? haha I’m definitely not saying they’re good but I tend to go back to it when I’m in a slump. I literally don’t understand why DON’T JUDGE ME hahaha 😜
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Hahahaha. I guess something familiar and predictable. Nothing too ‘out there.’ 😛
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Awesome review! I agree with everything you said, especially the romance! Ugh, it drove me insane!
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Thank you, Kelly! I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who saw right through this book!
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I actually bought this book last week cuz it was £1 for kindle. Don’t think I’ll read it any time soon tho. I can only take so many uninteresting and annoying main character a mobth and had my fair share of them for May 😂
Great review tho!
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Hahaha! Thanks, Norrie! And sorry to hear you just bought it, but I have heard some people like it so it’s definitely a matter of perspective. Hopefully you’ll find something more interesting to read next. 🙂
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