Reviews with content warning for Death - The Cruel Prince

Jude is an engaging and exciting main character who knows what she wants and is not afraid to fight for it. I am a Jude stan and wanted her to succeed in all her endeavors. She slayed quite literally …

Characters I Loved: Vivi, Oak, the Bomb, the Roach, and the Ghost

I hate the following characters (not in any particular order): Taryn, Locke, Valerian, Balekin, etc … Holly Black can write an antagonist!!!!!!!

I also love the way Holly Black creates worlds!!! Moving to Elfhame immediately!!! Not to mention, I enjoyed the Faerie Court politics.

Jumping into the Wicked King ASAP!!!

Spoiler

Jude killing people, poisoning people, and managing to get what she wants… slay

The way Locke did Jude so dirty than still got Taryn … like Taryn, girl, noooooooo!!!! As soon as Taryn said she liked a guy, I knew it would be Locke. It just made sense how she acted.

I didn’t see the whole Dain storyline coming … damn :/

I’m sorry but Cardan tortured Jude … are we ignoring that?! Listen, Jude and Cardan make a powerful couple sure, but … I don’t think we should dismiss what he put her through. Yes he was going through stuff too, but that’s no excuse to how you treat others.

Content Warnings

thebookaddict's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional inspiring lighthearted 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

4.5

🇳🇱: in het begin had ik moeite met het inkomen Het boek is niet super vlot geschreven. Het verhaallijn daarentegen is wel super goed. Ik vond de karakter echt top en ben verliefd geworden op Cardan! Het plot was ook prima te volgen en ik zag hem niet aankomen! Een top boek en ik kan niet wachten op de andere delen

🇬🇧: it was a bit hard to come in. The book isn't really fast paced. The storyline is really really good. I liked the characters and I fell in love with Cardan. The plot was also really good, i didn't see it coming! Also we love a strong female character! A great book and I am excited for the other parts

Content Warnings

fieldofhats's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

“Faerie might be beautiful, but its beauty is like a golden stag’s carcass, crawling with maggots beneath her hide ready to burst.”

Spoiler warning from here on.

I was skeptical with this book at first, but it grew on me with every chapter. I read this via Audible and it took me a couple hours to get into this book, but once I did, it was smooth sailing. The YA writing style threw me off a little at first since the themes seemed pretty mature, but I quickly got used to it. We are seeing this story told through the perspective of a young adult/old teen, so it makes sense, and it’s done very well.

It also took me a while to get into the court politics, because that’s just not my thing, but I was sufficiently engaged and understood 85% of what was going on! The spy and intrigue plot was so-so for me; I didn’t care much for it at the beginning, although I thought Jude and Dane’s relationship was very interesting; but after Dane was killed and we got to see the whole Court of Shadows at their lowest, I was invested. I’m very excited to see where that plot goes in the coming books! I’m still not the biggest fan of all the politics in general, but I love all of the characters and their dynamics (and my best friend assures me the sequels are amazing), so I’m going to go on with the series.

Jude is an amazing main character. She has relatable flaws and deals with them in such a realistic way. She’s headstrong, which is both a strength and a weakness, since she’s bold but doesn’t know when to stop. She has a great sense of pride, which makes her a brave and determined, but also gets her in trouble with both her enemies and her family, especially towards the end when she duels Madoc. This may not be universal, but I related to her so much so I really enjoyed being in her head the entire time.

Cardan’s journey is also one that I did not expect at all. He was so cruel in the beginning, but by the end we see him in an entirely new light. He’s been through so much by the end that we pity and feel for him — especially because he’s being screwed over by Jude. I can’t wait to see that dynamic play out later on.

Overall, I think it definitely lives up to the hype! It’s more focused on politics and drama rather than romance, but the romance that’s present is done very well!

Content Warnings

booknerd_life's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense

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

5.0

Content Warnings

thelibraryofjen's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Jude is my new favorite character and I get the hype about Cardan. THE TAIL WAS CRAZY THOUGHHHH. The only reason why this isn’t 5 stars is because I was expecting enemies-to-lovers, but this is more like bully to friend to
lovers. I loved the plot and the overall political intrigue which really kept me entertained. Some people find this book boring because of that aspect but personally me I really enjoyed it. I will be continuing on to the second book whenever I get around to that.

Jude was an absolute badass and I was rooting for her through the whole book

Spoiler

why tf would Tyran do that to her SISTER?!!! I was utterly shocked and betrayed when that happend and Locke is an ick in itself. I loved the little found family with the Bomb, Roach, and Ghost that was very heart warming to see. The ending was ABSOLUTELY NOT EXPECT and I have to say I didn’t see it coming I really though Oak was going to be crowned. I really got immersed into the story and I just loved the characters and the world.

If you Love:
-found family
-bully-to friends-to lovers
-knife to throat
-batter
-lots of tension between love interests

Genre/Type: Fantasy Fiction 15+
(paperback)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice: 🌶️
Series or Standalone: First book in a trilogy (has a spin off series with oak this needs to be read first in order to understand the spin off series)

Content Warnings

More...