A review by pocketspoon
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

slow-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

I still enjoy some YA books, but I am definitely too old for this one. A host of the problematic bully-lover dynamics that I can't stand. Seriously, putting that shit in YA books is irresposible. And a really disinteresting and weirdly unsympathetic narrator/mc. Maybe it's just laying groundwork for somebody to actually have growth in later books, but... I do not care. It also moves so slowly. I got so bored of waiting for the story to actually progress that I read the synopsis on wikipedia to convince myself to keep going (and usually I hate spoilers). Would not have finished the book at all if it hadn't been a recco, but now I'm wishing I hadn't so I wouldn't have to tell the recommender how I feel about it.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings