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A review by hagwife
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I think this novel is indicative of how I feel about Holly Black as a writer: when it's good, it's great, and the rest of the time its a bit lackluster.
The first half of the book is a mess of different threads, and while I'm not against complex stories and layers, there's so little but Jude's anger at the beginning to pin it all together. You can add bits of information in without revealing their importance and without making them seem extraneous. Jude's anger is also too unfocused for me for most of the book. I get that we're supposed to watch her carve out a place for herself in Faerie, but she has so little follow-through for the first half. Maybe that's meant to be her humanity warring with her desires. There are few fun dynamics to sort out, even if the reveals aren't earth-shattering ( intensity like Cardan's almost never translate's directly to hate and as if Locke isn't playing a long game for the matched set ).
I do enjoy Madoc's character a lot, if only because he's one of the few fae who really feel like a fae. He's true to his instincts and his passions: war, family, loyalty, and power. Everything he does revolves around those in excess, excess that matches his intensity. Most of the fae feel a little too human or watered down, more like spoiled magician's than faeries.
What is utterly remarkable is the end of the first book, because even though you know that Jude has to have a way to keep the throne for 7 years, you don't expect her to crown Cardan to do it. That we don't know about it is a trifle annoying. (It's a pet peeve of mine when we're in first person and something is deliberately hidden from the audience, because why would the narrator hide that from their inner monologue?) However, that twist and the clashing of your glee as the reader and Cardan's fury is priceless. Up until the twist I wasn't sure I was going to read the rest of the series, but I am now officially intrigued.
The first half of the book is a mess of different threads, and while I'm not against complex stories and layers, there's so little but Jude's anger at the beginning to pin it all together. You can add bits of information in without revealing their importance and without making them seem extraneous. Jude's anger is also too unfocused for me for most of the book. I get that we're supposed to watch her carve out a place for herself in Faerie, but she has so little follow-through for the first half. Maybe that's meant to be her humanity warring with her desires. There are few fun dynamics to sort out, even if the reveals aren't earth-shattering (
I do enjoy Madoc's character a lot, if only because he's one of the few fae who really feel like a fae. He's true to his instincts and his passions: war, family, loyalty, and power. Everything he does revolves around those in excess, excess that matches his intensity. Most of the fae feel a little too human or watered down, more like spoiled magician's than faeries.
What is utterly remarkable is the end of the first book,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Death of parent
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Toxic friendship