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A review by thebiglittlelibrary
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
4.0
4 ⭐️ Gimme, Gimme More!
I had no idea what The Cruel Prince was about before starting, but I enjoyed it! In fact, I read it in one day and purchased the rest of the series halfway through.
Is this the best fantasy book I've ever read? No. Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes. It was a delightful story that kept me engaged and dreaming of what it would be like to live in a magical faerie world.
Quick overview for those who know nothing about this series:
*No real spoilers*
Jude, her twin sister Taryn, and their half-sister Vivi grow up in the human world. Until one day, Vivi's birth father, Madoc, finds them, kills their parents, and takes the children back to the faerie world. He raises Jude and Taryn as if they were his own daughters and teaches them the art of war and ways of combat (Madoc is the High King's general). While Jude and Taryn grow fond of Madoc (developing a sort of love for him), Vivi vows always to hate him and does everything she can to defy him.
The faerie realm is quite dangerous if you're a human. In fact, humans are regarded as lesser beings and are usually treated as such. However, being the general's daughters, Jude and her sisters are raised alongside the Court's children - some, including the High King's son, Cardan, enjoy bullying them. While Jude focuses on proving her worth and value by honing her skills as a fighter, Taryn is set on proving herself worthy by finding love with a faerie.
Things I liked:
• The faerie world. I just spent the last three months reading SJM (who I ADORE), but it was a nice change getting another author's perspective on faeries. Holly Black gives us many descriptions of both the faeries and their world, so it was easy to imagine yourself there. Not sure it's a world I want to live in, but I definitely would have fun visiting as long as I don't eat any of the faerie fruit or wine.
I had no idea what The Cruel Prince was about before starting, but I enjoyed it! In fact, I read it in one day and purchased the rest of the series halfway through.
Is this the best fantasy book I've ever read? No. Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes. It was a delightful story that kept me engaged and dreaming of what it would be like to live in a magical faerie world.
Quick overview for those who know nothing about this series:
*No real spoilers*
Jude, her twin sister Taryn, and their half-sister Vivi grow up in the human world. Until one day, Vivi's birth father, Madoc, finds them, kills their parents, and takes the children back to the faerie world. He raises Jude and Taryn as if they were his own daughters and teaches them the art of war and ways of combat (Madoc is the High King's general). While Jude and Taryn grow fond of Madoc (developing a sort of love for him), Vivi vows always to hate him and does everything she can to defy him.
The faerie realm is quite dangerous if you're a human. In fact, humans are regarded as lesser beings and are usually treated as such. However, being the general's daughters, Jude and her sisters are raised alongside the Court's children - some, including the High King's son, Cardan, enjoy bullying them. While Jude focuses on proving her worth and value by honing her skills as a fighter, Taryn is set on proving herself worthy by finding love with a faerie.
Things I liked:
• The faerie world. I just spent the last three months reading SJM (who I ADORE), but it was a nice change getting another author's perspective on faeries. Holly Black gives us many descriptions of both the faeries and their world, so it was easy to imagine yourself there. Not sure it's a world I want to live in, but I definitely would have fun visiting as long as I don't eat any of the faerie fruit or wine.