Reviews with content warning for Grief - The Cruel Prince

3.5 🌟

This is my first fantasy read. I would never have imagined it.

I didn't like the first part. I had to force myself a bit to move on. This is probably due to the fact that I couldn't get into the universe. I couldn't see anything when I was reading. English isn't my first language, so there were lots of "fantasy words" that I didn't understand and that made it harder to read.

I found the second part (book 2) better and I was more involved and interested. Now I understand why people are invested in fantasy series, the ending makes you want to continue.

Content Warnings

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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abrielleemory's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This was a bit of a letdown after all of the hype on IG and TikTok. I listened to this on Spotify, so please don’t judge me for how I spell the names of characters.

I thought Jude was insufferable. She did the classic. I’m a strong, independent woman thing while also being too scared to stand up for herself half the time her obsession with her twin sister was so weird to me and that twist at the end made me very proud of Taryn. Vivienne was SO ANNOYING like she really tried to be the disinterested, cool older sister but was so removed that she had no character development.

I know this is framed as an enemies to friends situation, but I wish they would’ve stayed enemies the weird love thing just really didn’t click for me.

The authors overuse of descriptive language was really distracting. I understand she was trying to describe the world or do some world-building, but it kind of fell flat for me and was really over exaggerated.

I thought her becoming the spy was cool and I liked the other spy characters, but she just really annoyed me as a female main character.

I don’t think I’ll be reading the next books and I’m kind of glad that I listened to this as a free audiobook.

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lyr1cal's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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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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