A review by winterfall
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I wasn’t too sure on this when I first picked it up. I’m not too fond of first person perspective, but this book really grew on me. Don’t get me wrong, the main character is 100% a Mary Sue. But she’s actually written well? Holly made her come to life in a way that I didn’t expect at all. Jude has flaws, wants, desires, goals that aren’t impossible but are challenging enough that you are also rooting for her. These goals change as the plot progresses, but the overarching theme stays the same in the sense that she wants power, and holds onto it as much as she can. From the start, her powerlessness at seeing her parents die gives her reason for her motives, rather than feeling stale and forced, and this theme continues as we see the sisters’ lives in Faerieland - not only how they are looked down on as being mortal, but how their physical differences inhibit them from their dreams. Everything that Jude does is for power, for control, and I love how Holly keeps her consistant throughout the entire book. 
Not only did I find myself falling in love with Jude, but with the entire cast. I really loved the comparison between Jude and her twin sister, Taryn. Taryn is the polar opposite of Jude - nurturing, demure, but also ruthless when needs be. Despite this, it is clear that Taryn’s main motive is also power, though she goes about it in a completely different way. 
At first I felt that Vivi was completely unnecessary for the plot, but as time progressed, I understood why she was included. Vivi represents everything that Jude and Taryn cannot have - power without consequence, and humanity. It is extremely ironic since Taryn and Jude are fully human, but they lost their humanity as children. Vivi embraced hers the second Madoc murdered her mother. It was refreshing to see this alternate perspective. 
Since this is only the first book, we don’t get a lot of romance between Cardan and Jude, but I loved the dynamic between the two of them. It is not a healthy relationship, and Holly Black fully exploits that. Cardan isn’t human, and so this relationship will be anything but - it is nasty, dark, built on lies and manipulation and I love everything about it. However, Holly does well in planting the seeds for eventually developing their romance into something less harsh, and I liked seeing the various ways that Cardan can vague around his true feelings for Jude while still maintaining his distance. I’m excited to see where this goes! 
Overall, I enjoyed The Cruel Prince. I never thought this would be the series to get me back into reading. It is a little predictable in places, but entertaining enough to keep me engaged, and I loved the world Holly has built up and the complexity of its characters. 
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