The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Review by Tatum
Rating: 4/5
The Cruel Prince follows teenager Jude, who lives in the land of the fae. She lives with her sister, and her half sister's faerie family, all respected members of the High Court of Faerie. Jude wishes to be accepted by the Faerie as a strong mortal, and not just as someone's human daughter. She becomes deeply involved in the dark secrets of the court, and is willing to risk her life for her sister and the court.
I really enjoyed this book, the twists and secrets of the court are shocking, and make you rethink characters motives. Jude is a strong female character, who is written to still enjoy feminine things as well as being able to kick butt.
Her romance between other characters is intense and wholesome, and the betrayal she experiences is realistic for a fantasy novel. Every character has an important role, and eventually become useful in the sequel books as well. I highly recommend this book and its series to anyone who is interested in YA romance and fantasy novels, though the romance is treated as a side plot and doesn’t become important until around half-way through the novel. There are tropes like enemies to lovers, and explore themes of truth, deception and jealousy, among many more.
All the character dynamics feel natural, and Jude always provides comedic relief when necessary.
Cardan, a main character, suits his environment as a royal of the court, and though his actions can be seen as cruel, his motives are later discussed and explored.
Overall this book is great for readers just getting into YA fantasy, aside from small writing changes I rate this book a 4 out of 5 and will definitely be rereading it in the future.