Please use media literacy to realize that romance is not everything for this book. The main plot is about a mythical land with rules & customs that show up as trials to the human MC. Go into the book with that in mind. Romance does happen! It's just not the main focus.

Nevertheless, I was on the edge of my seat, to my sweet surprise. I saw all the bad reviews but knowing Holly Black's past works, I decided to give this a read. It did not disappoint whatsoever.

Content Warnings

lottebluebird's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book kept me on the edge of my seat.
I do not know, but many plot twists were no secrets for me, but I liked it maybe even more because of it.

The writing style was so good, that I wanted to read almost the whole book, even English isn’t my mother tongue, in one seating.

Jude and her story.. the cruel prince and the subplot with her twin sister. I loved it all the way, even if very dark things happen in the plot.
And can I have those elaborate gowns the fey wear at parties? The descriptions of them were stunning!

You’ll find me ready the sequel 🤭

Content Warnings

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.

Content Warnings

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.

Content Warnings

adoptedbuttons's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Didn’t think I would finish until like page 250

Content Warnings

philosofreaky's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

caitsamermaid's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Fun enough read, but nothing to enthrall me or encourage me to continue the series

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dramagirl2003's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I was a little worried that I would find the world-building too confusing but I clearly loved this even more than I thought I did since I finished 50% of it in a day! now this is a real enemies to lovers, my first, and i liked it

thoughts while reading

p20: IT'S CARDEN
p33: love jude's imagination
p35: well that is a surprise
p39: i can just see jude quickly becoming a killer just to prove madoc wrong. i don't think she'd dare to sneak into the running for knighthood without his approval
p77: based on trope norms, i suspect this is the point that carden starts to secretly admire jude
p88: I'm scared dain is gonna abuse her in some way. faeries are mischievous at heart, no matter how supposedly honourable they are. but then maybe carden will save her, and then it might be alright
p96: hmm bet scattering jude's salt is just a cover for saving her
p100: HE DID THAT ON PURPOSE
p118: oh. my. gosh. no wonder carden is so cruel!
p197: i could never
p200: well due to spoilers i think i know that

carden eventually becomes the high king, so I'm very curious to see how this pans out, cause i don't see it happening tomorrow

p211: interesting. and all of a sudden, now she's a killer
p245: CARDEN KNEW I SWEAR HE MUST HAVE KNOWN AND THAT'S WHY HE'S MISSING
p275: well i did think that

taryn and locke had a thing for each other right from the start

p292: that makes so much sense
p307: well this is a mysterious turn of events. i feel so much more sorry for carden because jude is a badass manipulator who will break him with any fraction of vulnerability he displays
p353: what. a. badass. move.
p358: ah meirda
p365: now that i was not expecting. i'd actually forgotten all about the spoilers after i getting fully invested in the story

quotes

I draw my sword, and he does, too, the scrape of metal loud in the room. I hear distant laughter, but here in the hall, we are alone.
My hands are sweating, but this had the feeling of inevitability, as though this is what I was careening toward the whole time, my whole life.
"You can't beat me."
"I already have."

"I imagine you're not feeling quite yourself," I tell him.
His sword sags a little, and he looks at me in sudden comprehension. "What have you done?"
"I poisoned you. Don't worry. It was a small enough dose. You'll live."
"The cups of wine," he says. "But how did you know which one I would choose?"
"I didn't," I tell him. "I poisoned them both."

"Have I told you how hideous you look tonight?" Carden asks, leaning back in the elaborately carved chair, the warmth of his words turning the question into something like a complement.
"No," I say, glad to be annoyed back into the present. "Tell me."
"I cannot."

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