Welcome back, fellow book readers! Today, I will be reviewing yet another extremely popular book series, The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.

It’s a trilogy, and in this post, I’m reviewing the very first book in it.

Here’s a short blurb first:

At a very young age, Jude Duarte watches her parents being murdered before her eyes, by a man who is not only immortal, but also from the realm of Faerie. That man is Madoc, a bloodthirsty redcap, general to the high king of Elfhame, Eldred.

Soon after, Jude, her twin sister Taryn, and their elder sister Vivienne, who unsettlingly resembles the murderer himself, are taken to Elfhame, a dangerous and enchanting land where beauty is power, and power is everything.

There’s just one problem.
Jude and Taryn are human. In a world of immortal Fae with otherworldly abilities, they are seen as weak, fragile, and “born to die.” Though Madoc raises them as his own, their mortal nature makes them constant targets of cruelty and humiliation. Most of the folk tolerate them, but others think it’s unfair how well they are treated.

While Taryn chooses to endure and survive quietly, Jude refuses to accept her place. She doesn’t just want to belong in Faerie. She wants power. She wants to be feared.

But standing in her way is the royal Greenbriar family, especially the youngest prince, Cardan, who seems determined to make her life unbearable. She wished to be a knight, but unfortunately for her, none of the elder princesses seemed to notice her talent.

As court politics grow more dangerous and betrayal lurks at every corner, Jude must decide how far she is willing to go to claim her place in a world that was never meant for her. Whom should she choose to protect, to support, and whom to make her enemy? How would she carve out her own place in this world where nobody wants to give up power, and every threat is disguised in plain sight?

“If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.”

Okay, so one word….wow. I was not expecting to have such an interest in court politics in any book. And the female main character (Jude) is one of the most well-written I’ve come across. As side characters, Taryn and Vivi played their own parts well. Also, the plot twists were actually twisting.

It’s an awesome book; even if it weren’t a trilogy, it would be a good standalone. Holly Black’s writing style is captivating, and it’s fully from Jude’s perspective, which gives us a good look into her thoughts, mind, and overall personality. It is also descriptive in the right way, I mean, it provides the right amount of detail in the correct parts. The entire concept is that there are a whole lot of things happening in the book at the same time, and somehow I’m able to grasp the concept of it easier than expected. Maybe it’s because it’s from Jude’s POV, and we can see that she’s hyperventilating as well, and doesn’t pretend like she isn’t. 

Just keep in mind, for the better part of the first book, Prince Cardan and his ‘friends’, Locke, Valerian and Nicasia are absolutely insufferable. Till around chapter….fifteen or something, the major feeling you’ll have is.. “hello?? Sir?? Aren’t you supposed to be a protagonist or something?? Well, why are you trying to outright murder Jude??”

It gets way better later on, though. So, to round off, I would most definitely suggest this. The plot overall was really good. Also, the language is not fully Gen Z-fied, suggesting a more royal and regal vibe.  It’s also not completely old language, not Shakespearean sorts either. It’s a small thing, but I really liked it.

And then look at the cover! It’s actually super simple and pretty accurate, if you look really well at the crown and then the bold lettering of ‘prince’. (I’m being dramatic to prove a point) Plus, there’s the fact that it’s all lined with gold. It glitters whenever you tilt it to the light. Now, who wouldn’t want such pretty books on their shelf?

I’m moving on to a book analysis, which contains a lot of spoilers. Please skip it if you haven’t read the book yet!

If you liked Prince Cardan (I mean genuinely, not just because he’s good-looking and has a tail, okay 🙄) for the first 15 chapters or so, that’s scary; stay away from me.

He didn’t have that much of a part in politics till the coronation ceremony. Previously, it was just him and Valerian tormenting Jude and Taryn. I don’t include Nicasia in this, because she had potential to be a likeable character, and also didn’t serve any real purpose. Interestingly, she had a way bigger part in the later books,  and we get a bit of a character-development arc there. (I read the full trilogy already)

If I go on the list of the tricks and pranks between the epic “Jude vs professional bullies with familial issues”, it would take forever. So, I’ll just leave it there.

Valerian annoyed me a lot, and he was a ‘I want to kill the main character for no real reason, I’m just bored and petty and mean’ character. Some time later, he is six feet under the ground, courtesy Jude Duarte. He doesn’t really contribute much to the story. But it shows just how far she would go for real power.

Just a minor issue in her life.

Anyway, I found the entire Court of Shadows idea very interesting, and the gang of spies of Prince Dain were all super. The code names were all creative as well. Also, the geas on Jude plays a major role even in the other two books, and everything seems to click into place.

The story revolving around Oak’s birth, Oriana and Liriope’s friendship, was jaw-dropping. It’s ingenious, really, and I think it was pretty unique. 

Since we’re talking about Liriope, let’s move on to her problem child: Locke.

Being serious, I think anyone who read the first book would like him in the first few chapters, because…you’re supposed to. He treated Jude nicely, seemed sweet enough. Locke turns out to be a traitor. Should have guessed it coming, since everyone who reads the back of this book would know somehow Cardan is going to end up with Jude. The line was somewhere like, ‘…he is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him so much that sometimes, when I look at him, I can barely breathe.’ 

………

Sure.

And no, it will not be ‘love at first sight.”

He threw her into a river.

The point is not to be deceived by beauty.

And then Holly Black kills almost Cardan’s entire bloodline in one chapter.

And he hid under the table because his brother Balekin just killed his entire family (+ because he probably had too much wine)

Jude joins him… also under the table. 😄

We learn about his traumatising childhood.

Then Jude kidnaps him (as she is still technically working for Prince Dain) and threatens to stab him because he’s contributing nothing to any cause.

At that point, you start feeling a little bad for him.

Plus? The ending?? I was terrified for Jude, believe me. I already kind of knew what was about to happen, but I would never have guessed how. The way she pulled it off was extraordinary.

One tiny thing, I wanted a bit more of a story regarding Princess Rhyia, Elowyn and Caelia. But…well. They died before half the book was finished.

Also, The Cruel Prince has a lot of awesome quotes.

“I want to be like them. But in my heart, I want to best them”

“‘But…how did you know which glass to put poison in? I could have chosen either one, and you would have had to take the other.’ Madoc said. ‘I didn’t. I poisoned them both.’ I say.”

On that very cheerful note, I end my review! Thanks for reading, hope to see you in another post 🙂