Of course, I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
Synopsis
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. A decade later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the faes 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.
About the book
Holly Black knows her audience so well. She’s not kind to her readers because she knows we don’t really want that anyway. There is no sugar coating. So of course ‘The Cruel Prince’ opens with a brutal murder that leaves Jude, her twin sister Taryn, and their older sister Vivienne at the mercy of the redcap general – Madoc. Jump to 10 years later, and the three sisters are all living in Faerie. They’ve been raised as Madoc’s own, more or less, and each is trying to find her own place among the beautiful but cruel, deceitful but always honest, fae.
For Vivi, returning to the human world is the answer. For Taryn, assimilation and playing by the rules are the only way. For our narrator – Jude – rebellion, bloodshed, and winning her place in the King’s council is what she desires.
This is one of those books where the fairies are actually scary. Yes, they are pretty immature, but they’re cruel and terrible creatures who play with mortals for fun. Neverland’s fairies have no place here; these fae possess the power to force humans to do their bidding unless you wrap a string of rowan berries around your neck or turn your stockings inside out.
The writing
One of the main downsides to this book is that many readers dislike Jude and find her annoying. The cause for this is probably because the story is narrated from Jude’s point of view. The whole story sounds like her own roaring thoughts and feelings. Maybe she annoys herself too as many of us get annoyed with ourselves and our own thoughts.
Holly Black's writing is so incredibly poignant and lyrical – this makes this entire book read like one giant tragic ballad, yet in equal parts, there’s heartbreak and hope.
‘The Cruel Prince’ is not a romance novel. Though it is woven in here and there, the overarching plot becomes full of politics as the story progresses. Much of this novel is centred on political relationships, the complications of monarchies, dynamics between different courts, and plots to overthrow power. That being said, it is very well-developed and unique compared to many young adult books
The characters
This book is so haunting, so dark, and so very twisted.
One of the most beautiful things about this book is that none of these characters are perfect. Jude, Cardan, all of them do bad things, and none of them are ever excused for their crimes, but they learn to deal with them and the other ramifications that come from their actions. None of us are perfect people, and we all make bad choices at times. But this book accepts that and reflects that, but also highlights the importance of growing, becoming a stronger person, and picking what battles you want to fight.
Cardan’s relationship with Jude starts and unfolds slowly. They have that wonderful love-to-hate relationship; however, their relationship is actually a little unhealthy. What happens between the two of them is a peculiar kind of love-hate. It’s a game played out of spite. It’s all about power and desire.
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