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noellegrace8's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Abortion, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Incest, Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Xenophobia, Excrement, Grief, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and War
kailynreads's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Bullying and Violence
Moderate: Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Slavery and Abortion
adoptedbuttons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Violence and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Racism, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Torture, Toxic relationship, and Abortion
cloudysky123's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
bookmark3brodi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Classism
balluna's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
And there are so many plottwists, holy
The ending is absolutely stunning and HAS to be one of my favourite endings ever
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Abortion, and War
lifeonasofa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
AD - PR Product
“What do you think about stealing a crown? Right in front of the kings and queens of Faerie?” Her grin curls up at the corners. “Just tell me what I get to blow up.” - 💥 Holly Black
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.25 Stars
A big thank you to @tandemcollectiveuk @hotkeybooksya and @blackholly for sending The Folk of the Air series across as part of the readalong. It was one of the most enjoyable readalong chats - we were all very immersed! 💬
I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to read The Cruel Prince 🙈 and whilst I wasn’t feeling it the first 60 pages or so - wow did I get sucked in! I found it hard to close the book and save the next section. 📖
Minor Spoilers ⚠️
I really enjoyed Jude, she’s so badass and so clever, I loved her one liners and I didn’t know what she was going to do next. Taryn, I’m sad she accepted feeling weak but I think I see where her character is going - and I’m here for the chaos! Also Vivi, what a gem, I love that she was completely in on that ending 💪🏻
All the men in this book are trash - honestly, I knew they were not to be trusted. I’m unsure how I feel about Cardan, I’m glad it wasn’t a quick “oh suddenly I’m nice” switch but I’m still on the fence about who he is. 👑
My favourite characters were hands down the spies - love their dynamic. I found myself really looking forward to their banter, so I hope we get more of them in book 2! I’m excited to see how they run the kingdom 👀
Within the first 100 pages, we really had a good plot. I wasn’t a fan of the bullying but it kinda makes sense given the girls are human. I did NOT see the ending coming at all - I was shocked alongside everyone else 😂 I like how it’s been left wide open for the rest of the trilogy.
Buzzing for next month - which book so your favourite?! 📚
#instablogger #literature #bookstagrammer #booklove #tbr #bookcommunity #bookoftheday #booktography #readersofig #bookreader #bookreviews #readathon #booksphotography #bookgrammer #readersofinstagram #bookreviewblog #ilovebooks #bookworm #bookstoread #thecruelprince #thefolkoftheair #hollyblack #tandemreadalong #thecruelprincereadalong #thefolkoftheairreadalong #readalong
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Blood, Grief, Abortion, and Alcohol
lizzye33's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Excrement, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Abortion, and War
ali_debookness's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and War
iamsherlocked's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Some (read: two) characters tend to come across as more caricature-ish than terrors they’ appear to be meant to be.
Power and Love seem to be major themes in this book, as one
or both of them influence the actions of each character in the book.
Jude and Taryn, two humans living among the fae, fostered by their parents’ murderer are bullied, constantly bullied and looked down upon by the fae, especially the youngest fae prince, Cardan and his friends, because of their mortality, their ‘weakness’ so to speak.
At one instance, one of her bullies says this to jude-
“After all, being born mortal is like being born already dead.”
Jude and Taryn also choose to deal with their situation in two very different ways, for similar reasons. They want to fit in. Jude wants to become a knight, she’s ambitious and wishes to be the best warrior and be *BETTER* than them while Taryn is the kind to keep her head low, and wishes to find love so she may become one of the folk.
Basically, this is a book my 14-15 year old self would have loved way more than my present self does, but since it started to grow on me towards the end and I really did like Jude, I suppose I’ll read the sequel and find out what happens to these characters.
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Abortion