grommit's review
adventurous
dark
fast-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
4.0
Fantastic politics, cruel people, and sucks you into its world
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Death of parent
Moderate: Slavery, Abandonment, Suicide, Murder, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Blood
Minor: Classism, Racism, Child death, Infidelity, Addiction, and Pregnancy
20sidedbi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicide, and Slavery
Minor: Pregnancy
avie_j's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Murder, Death of parent, Violence, Blood, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Suicide, and Death
Moderate: Alcoholism and Addiction
annierrra's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death of parent, Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Suicide
mary_do12's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
ugh, i love this book.
this was the first re-read i’ve ever done. to be honest with you, i used to think re-reads were kinda boring because… well, you already know what’s happening. but then i felt the desire to read about my fav characters again and i did it and AAAH.
this was the best decision ever. maybe i’ll only re-read books from now on. i first read this book series 2 years ago so there were some things i did indeed forgot but they came back to me when i read the book again. i also realized that my reading habits have definitely changed in those last two years. i used to be a CRAZY fast reader and now i’d say i’m an average speed reader. i payed much more attention to detail which made me recognize new things in an old story. also, for some reason, i was able to understand the talk about politics and strategy MUCH better than when i first read this book. maybe that‘s because i know the outcome and therefore understand the planning better.
i also have to mention that the first time i read this book was in my native language (german) but i enjoyed it more in english. what surprised me was that, despite me having read the book before, i was giggling and gasping just the same. the best scenes still made me feel the best of emotions, even though i totally knew they were in there. in fact, i anticipated them. and they hit the same, if not better.
coming back to my comfort characters was SO comforting and it made me feel excitement in a way i never have before. i looked forward to keep on reading the whole day, i brought the book to birthday parties and running errands and going shopping and to church.
this book is a masterpiece still, nothing will ever come close to this story that i hold so dearly to my heart.
i’ve never quite realized how fond i am of these characters until now.
i feel at home again.
this was the first re-read i’ve ever done. to be honest with you, i used to think re-reads were kinda boring because… well, you already know what’s happening. but then i felt the desire to read about my fav characters again and i did it and AAAH.
this was the best decision ever. maybe i’ll only re-read books from now on. i first read this book series 2 years ago so there were some things i did indeed forgot but they came back to me when i read the book again. i also realized that my reading habits have definitely changed in those last two years. i used to be a CRAZY fast reader and now i’d say i’m an average speed reader. i payed much more attention to detail which made me recognize new things in an old story. also, for some reason, i was able to understand the talk about politics and strategy MUCH better than when i first read this book. maybe that‘s because i know the outcome and therefore understand the planning better.
i also have to mention that the first time i read this book was in my native language (german) but i enjoyed it more in english. what surprised me was that, despite me having read the book before, i was giggling and gasping just the same. the best scenes still made me feel the best of emotions, even though i totally knew they were in there. in fact, i anticipated them. and they hit the same, if not better.
coming back to my comfort characters was SO comforting and it made me feel excitement in a way i never have before. i looked forward to keep on reading the whole day, i brought the book to birthday parties and running errands and going shopping and to church.
this book is a masterpiece still, nothing will ever come close to this story that i hold so dearly to my heart.
i’ve never quite realized how fond i am of these characters until now.
i feel at home again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Incest, Grief, and Emotional abuse
jordan_noel's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
3.75
The Cruel Prince is an adventurous, magical, fantastical tale of a group of sisters trying to figure out what they want to be and in what world--human or fairy--they really belong.
The main character, Jude, is tough, resilient, strong, and intelligent. I immediately loved her and wished for her to succeed. I grew to despise anyone in her path, even those she loved.
I hardly had ambivalent feelings for any character in this book. They were well-developed with diverse personalities.
Though this book isn't too fast-paced, it'll keep you immersed in its abundance of quips, magical instances, and riddles. I found this a fun read to help escape the world we're in. And I do plan to read The Wicked King when time.
Still, there were a few details in this book that I found distracting.
Many "strategies" in the book felt impulsive or just impractical and lacked the complexity I was anxious for.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book and look forward to reading the next one.
The main character, Jude, is tough, resilient, strong, and intelligent. I immediately loved her and wished for her to succeed. I grew to despise anyone in her path, even those she loved.
I hardly had ambivalent feelings for any character in this book. They were well-developed with diverse personalities.
Though this book isn't too fast-paced, it'll keep you immersed in its abundance of quips, magical instances, and riddles. I found this a fun read to help escape the world we're in. And I do plan to read The Wicked King when time.
Still, there were a few details in this book that I found distracting.
Many "strategies" in the book felt impulsive or just impractical and lacked the complexity I was anxious for.
Spoiler
The "love" story between Jude and Cardan felt entirely out of place and unearned. There wasn't really any development; it was straight enemies to lovers without any gray area. They were fun together, but it was hard to forget Cardan's former ruthlessness and blunt brutality towards Jude and Taryn. Also, Taryn is a nightmare.Overall, I did really enjoy this book and look forward to reading the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Murder and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide
There's pretty intense bullying in the story. Though fairies are immortal, humans, of course are not, and human lives are risked several times. There are quite a few scenes of murder.Spoiler
A fairy kills the main character's parents and then takes the children--including the main character--to the fairy world. A human slave girl jumps to her death (suicide) as Jude tries to rescue her from the fairy world.cynka's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Chwyciłam po tę książkę, bo chciałam przeczytać książkę z półki i po polsku. Uciekłam w świat, któremu tak daleko i blisko do naszego. Niesamowicie polubiłam te postacie, są tak dobrze nakreślone. Idealnie też wyważone było dla mnie to, ile było niedopowiedziane z tym, ile było "na wierzchu". Nie wiem, czy to ma sens, ale chyba próbuję powiedzieć, że plot-twisty nie były z dupy i gdzieś były hintowane, na co też zwracałam z resztą uwagę.
This was super enjoyable i już od razu biorę się za kolejną część.
This was super enjoyable i już od razu biorę się za kolejną część.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Murder, Violence, Blood, Suicide, and Torture
Moderate: Vomit
annikenr's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, and Death
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Torture
bold_badger's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Physical abuse, Bullying, Xenophobia, Violence, Suicide, Kidnapping, Grief, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, and Alcohol
Moderate: Toxic relationship
kingcrookback's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Admittedly, a little heavy on the "young" in "young adult" for me, but I found myself glued to this. Holly Black does a good job of creating and maintaining tension regarding both characters and plot. I find the complicated father-daughter relationship between Madoc and Jude especially interesting. However, I found Black's worldbuilding a bit lacking in detail at times. What we do learn about the cultural norms and expectations of Faerie is effective. Faeries looking visibly inhuman? Love how that highlights Jude's outsider status. They can't lie? Fascinating! Keep Jude on her toes and keep me engaged by forcing us both to work at navigating interactions. At times, though, I felt a bit in the dark as to what certain things look like (nixies?? Madoc's estate??). Then again, I do also feel that because Black had me invested in Jude's journey, worldbuilding concerns are secondary. I absolutely zoomed through this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Slavery, Alcohol, Death of parent, Grief, and Physical abuse
Minor: Kidnapping, Infidelity, and Suicide