Reviews

The Cruel Prince, by Holly Black

gracepowell's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-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

5.0

nadih's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

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

4.0

jenner33's review against another edition

4.0

9/8/22 Update: I have completed the series. Overall, I consider it a solid four star fantasy young adult series. I thought all of the action was reasonable. The characters were interesting. I felt entertained the entire time and it was a good story.

What a pleasant surprise and a good read. It was the book that I didn't even know I needed. I love the dark fae and their cruelty. This was a fun concept.


My predictions/final thoughts:

Spoiler

I knew something was up when she said Cardan thought they were on the same side but I was definitely stunned that she crowned him king. I can't wait to see their future love/hate relationship grow and change.
I feel like she didn't really want to be in charge but maybe she did on a certain level? She has wanted power and earning the respect and her place amongst the fae. Will she be able to let go of the crown?
I think her sister is going to cause drama/trouble.
Nicasia is defintely going after Cardan. He does have a soft spot for her. It will be interesting to see if anything further happens with their relationship too.

zadien's review

Not a fan of the bully romance trope or sisters turning on each other. No one was likeable in this story I’m afraid and even if characters aren’t likeable you should still be able to connect otherwise how do you keep reading? Well, you don’t. So DNF. Which is a shame because I liked other books by this author. 

azkedillia's review against another edition

4.0

Waiting to see what the rest of this series holds. Good plot and character development. Hopefully the next one continues with the pace this one ended with.

lauraeb's review

adventurous dark mysterious 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

3.0

There’s something about Holly Black’s writing style that really bores me? Once again, the first half of this book was pretty difficult to get through but the action of the second half was intriguing and kept me guessing. I’ll give book two of the series a shot I guess.

vcaho23's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

The Cruel Prince was a slow start for me. When I started the book it took me so long to get into the story and immerse myself in it. About two thirds of the way through was when I was truly invested into the story and did not want to put the book down myself. Jude, Cadarn, and even Oriana grew on me to the point I learned to love each of them. I would say to anyone looking to read this book for the first time leave the hype that this series has obtained over the years out of it, and allow yourself to take your time with these characters. Take your time learning these characters, experience all the turmoil with them, and allow them to take you on an adventure with them through a world of faires. 

dimitraza's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

nell_reads's review against another edition

4.0

Wow! I was hoping that this was going to be a simple read but I stayed up all night to finish because I wanted to see what happens. I read the court of thorns series so I was eager to start another Fae world book. This was very much falling in love with the villain but at the same time it wasn’t even about that. So much plotting/killing/who done what, that I might just end up buying a physical copy to keep and read again later. I love how the Main character is so into herself and very egotistical in her actions in the quest for power. It’s not very often you run into female characters who are so much like their male counterpart in books like this. And it just so happens she’s more Fae acting then human and that poses a problem living in their world.

eepbeep21's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.0