Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

40 reviews

violet_imagination's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

So so so pleasantly surprised and unexpectedly drawn in that I finished it in a day.

Why surprised? 
  • It's my first Holly Black book, so didn't know what to expect.
  • I prefer historical fantasy, so the prologue really put me off. 

What I loved
  • The world, small as it may be, and the descriptions of decor that come with it, as well as the multitude of characters 
  • The story and its pace. I constantly found myself thinking "okay just ONE MORE chapter" and then I'll put it down. A lot happens, but also doesn't, in the best possible way.
  • The level of (un) predictability. I've read people complaining about the lack of a storyline and I guess I understand what they mean, in a way? But instead, I see it as a story slowly unfolding and changing direction as it does. You dont know which way we'll go - grand scheme of things - for a long time. The intermediate branches of story are interesting in and of themselves and sort of... Mislead you into forgetting to mind the big picture (which I like!). If you had asked me at page 10 (random number) how this would turn out, I would not have been able to tell you - and that's despite my brain constantly trying to predict everything. Sure, there were some things I saw coming, but that's okay. I wasn't expecting to be slapped in the face with surprise at every turn. 
  • Surprisingly, the romance (mind you, not "SPICE"). Like many, I too have developed a love for smut, but this is refreshing. I love how little agonizing there is. If there's a love interest, it's nice - but it's just that.
    Would I have liked Jude and Cardan to rip each other's clothes of at one point? 100% But I'm also kind of glad they didn't and can just quietly hope that maybe they will in the next book
  • I don't know how to phrase this... The "ease" with which things are settled? Drama's, deaths etc are not drawn out more than they have to. You don't get a chance to get annoyed and think JUST DO IT ALREADY. Maybe the word is "uncomplicated". As a consequence, I suppose, I often found myself staring wide eyed at how quickly something happened, but apparently I like that? 

What I didn't like:
  • Predictably: the going back to the mortal world. I read fantasy to forget about our boring little world and don't like being reminded of it. But I have to admit, it was manageable. 
  • Some of the characters:
    I would have liked to better understand Oriana, or... Felt more. Hated her, pitied her, loved her - anything to have made me feel SOMETHING. She's neutral, but not neutral enough? The same goes for Vivi. Why is she there. What is her point? Why does she barely do anything?!
     

Okay, so. A 4.0, I think. I would read it again, but it's not an immediate favourite. 

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glddstwmn's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25


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k3nzi3's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

very entertaining but i would also not put this in the young adult book section like it was in my book store. (both jude and cardan's families are fucked up) 

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noellegrace8's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

It took me about 25% of the way through to start truly enjoying this book. Because it takes the path of a slow reveal of situations and motivations, the beginning groundwork can be almost frustrating because you don't know why some people are acting the way that they are. Also, for a book with so much death and otherwise adult themes, the characters and the writing style both are a bit juvenile at times. I struggled at first with the incongruency of a lack of contractions in dialogue mixed with colloquialisms like "that sucks," but I eventually got used to it and do recognize that it makes sense given the setting. I also really hate first person present tense because it feels overdramatic and impractical, and this book uses it throughout.

That being said, I really like the main characters. Some of the side characters are a bit flat, but Jude, Cardan, Maddoc, Vivvie, Dain, Taryn, Oriana... none of them are "good" or "bad." They just are. They make decisions, they have instincts and natures that make those decisions difficult. I love the complexity! I also think this book set up a series (trilogy) well, so I'm hoping to like the next two even more! The worldbulding is awesome. Holly Black has created a very interesting mix of "fae" and "mortal," complete with rich history and quirks and physical descriptions.

I don't factor audiobook reader into my overal star rating, but I give Caitlyn Kelly 3.5/5⭐️. Honestly, I think she was part of the reason I struggled to get into this book, but there's no telling for certain. She oftentimes doesn't seem to read with the same cadence that the words on the page suggest. She also has a cheesy tone when voicing male characters and over-acts when it comes to emotional (and even sometimes non-emotional!) scenes.

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aralalala's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

As a romcom girly, I picked this up because of swoony bookstagram reels, only to be met first with a whole lot of blood, bullying, political conflict, violence, and complicated family relations before the very little romance around the last quarter of the book.

Nonetheless, I devoured this in one sitting.

It’s a complicated and complex tale, and the characters, even more so. They’re all questionable, but it was a thrilling ride despite it not being romance-heavy (again, as a romcom girly). 

It’s not lighthearted at all and it’s not for  days when you’re just looking to turn off your brain. It has really dark themes and intense scenes, but overall, it’s not as emotionally heavy as others that share similar themes (at least, I don’t feel that way).

The writing is so well done from a technical standpoint. It wasn’t dragging and you had the necessary details you need when you needed it. There were no plot points that did not make sense, and if there were plot-holes, I didn’t notice.

It was very easy to get sucked into its universe, and the plot was compelling enough to keep me turning the page.

Jude is a very strong and lovable character. As complicated as she is, it was somehow very easy to relate with her complexity. It was an exciting ride and I look forward to how the rest of the story unfolds in the series!

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yasaman's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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elisabethstre's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

junge dieses buch war not at all what i expected, but I LOVED IT

THE DARK MYSTERIOUS FANTASY? THE POLITICS??? i ate that shit up!! alterrrr die intrigen und plotttwists, das war alles SO GEIL, ich habe so viel nicht kommen sehen!!!! war geschockt

die ganze welt war so magisch und brutal; ich war so froh, nicht von einer heilen schönen feenwelt zu lesen, sondern von dieser abgefuckten grausamkeit und diesen komischen gestalten?? geil 

jude war ganz anders, als ich sie mir vorgestellt hab! SHE WAS AN ICONIC, MORALLY GREY ANTIHERO and i love that for her!!!

ihr charakter war manchmal leider nicht soo richtig greifbar; ich hab es aber so gedeutet, dass sie die meiste zeit selbst noch nicht richtig wusste, was sie will und sich noch sucht; wenn das in den folgeteilen besser ist, hab ich nichts gesagt. i love her already!!

wirklich keine person in diesem buch ist ein guter „mensch“, alle waren irgendwie SO BÖSE und haben irgendwelche geheimen schemes gehabt, i ate that uppppp omg. jude auch nur bedingt sympathisch (bin mir nicht so sicher, ob ich sie mag?), but i was rooting for her, she was a queen and she was the moment!!!

das buch war fr 80% fantasy politics, es erinnerte mich stark an game of thrones, aber das hats auch so geil gemacht. it kept me guessing, wer der wahre feind ist und ich LIEBE DAS!! brauche sofort den zweiten teil

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readwithria's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Cruel Prince was a great start to this YA fantasy series! It did a great job of getting me hooked on the world and the story, and I’m excited to read more!

Jude is such a force to be reckoned with! Her pivot from wanting to be a knight to embracing her newfound skills was so great, and I really enjoyed seeing her grow into her strength. 

The political maneuvering was so interesting! I love tactical plays in books like this, and The Cruel Prince was full of them. The planning, the manipulation, the betrayals 😩 SO GOOD

I will definitely be continuing the series asap. 4 stars.

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oddpilot97's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I think I might be obsessed with this book. It’s the first novel I read as an adult that gave me the same feeling as when I read as a child. 
 
Enemies to lovers is one of the best tropes in my opinion. And this book did not disappoint. I appreciated that both characters were complex, with dynamic motivations, and that there wasn’t an uncomfortable power dynamic.

The only tiny critique I have is that the audiobook narrator got a bit whiny at times of high tension. It was a tad grating/melodramatic.
 
The main character isn’t a goodie two shoes, and I loved that. The plot had excellent twists and turns without being predictable, and never got too dull. The twists were well established in advance as well, which I appreciated. It's got my favorite parts of YA without feeling immature.
 
Read this! It’s amazing. 

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cloudysky123's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The book is a must read for fantasy lovers my fav fantasy read so far this year this is epic shit really!!! Pls I'm begging everyone to read this atleast once guys

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