Thoughts on : The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Genre : Fantasy
Series : The Folk of the Air, book 1
About the Book :
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 :
A year ago, I had no plan to read The Cruel Prince. The previous books I’d read from the author had been okay, nothing more, and faerie has never been my thing. As much as I love fantasy, it never really caught my interest. It’s not the hype that finally got to me though, but the comments of other readers who promised that even those who usually don’t enjoy faerie-related books would love this one.
I decided to give it a chance – and could only make it a few chapters in.
But then, a few weeks ago, I picked it up again – and once I got past the first few chapters I flew through it. I was mesmerized by the world and its characters. The pace was brisk, the twists unapologetic, the plot suspenseful and compelling. To my surprise, I found myself enjoying a subgenre of fantasy I hadn’t before (and now, I find myself wanting to read more similar books!)
I think what made it work for me was Jude. I absolutely loved her. Stubborn, strong and clever, she’s a complex young woman and perfect as a main character. Flawed, she often made bad decisions and suffered the consequences – and, most importantly, reacted accordingly. On top of that, her choices aren’t always the kind we see a lot of YA main characters make, which made it all the more surprising and enjoyable.
On that note, I’ve seen a lot of people comment on how violent the book is, and I tend to agree. In some ways, it’s not more violent than other YA novels, but the difference is that Jude is often directly involved rather than just a witness. The faerie world is cruel and no one is spared.
Jude is also surrounded by an eclectic group of characters, some likable and some not, all equally interesting. The faerie world makes it hard (and almost impossible) to trust anyone, and it was a lot of fun trying to guess everyone’s motives. Because of this constant state of doubt and double meaning, Jude’s relationship with her twin sister, who’s the only other human around, was made more complex.
All in all, I had a really great time with The Cruel Prince. Even with the quick pace of the story, Holly Black manages to create a world that is rich in details. I’m not sure if I would have loved this book a year ago, or a year from now; it feels as though it was a case of the right book at the right time. I’m glad I read it now though and ended up loving it so much. I’m at a point in my reading where I needed this experience desperately!
And now, add me to the list of readers who are eagerly awaiting The Wicked King this January!
