THE CRUEL PRINCE follows the story of Jude, a girl ripped from her human life and placed into the faerie world. Filled with magic, drama, and a hint of romance, this story is sure to be a treat. I have to admit, I was absolutely blown away by this story and I’m definitely counting myself as a Holly Black fan.

SUMMARY VIA GOODREADS

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

MY REVIEW
Oh. My. Goodness.

I literally don’t even know what to say. I picked up this book on May 30th and finished it on the 31st. It was a story I literally could not put down (how many times can I say “literally”?).

I wasn’t even sure what the main conflict was throughout the story, yet I was still addicted. Jude’s stakes weren’t even that high, sure she could get herself killed, but that didn’t matter to her, so that didn’t matter entirely to me as a reader. The story was just so vivid and there was so much going on that I was sucked in. Sure, there were small conflicts, but they were important to Jude, and that’s what made them important to me, as a reader. From the beginning til the end there was drama and action, and I loved it.

The protagonist, Jude, was so dimensional. I absolutely adored her as a character! She was strong and determined, and she wouldn’t let anything get in her way. At times she was stubborn and got herself into trouble, but that showed how she real. I loved how she started with tragedy and made a spot for herself, even amongst those who created that tragedy. As a reader, I was immediately aware of her growth!

The side characters were so vivid, too. I found myself addicted to reading about them just as much as Jude. There were certain ones I didn’t trust, and I kept wanting to scream at the pages for Jude to not trust them, either. It was truly a wild ride!

And, omg, the romance?!!! I was literally SCREAMING at the pages (well, at my kindle) through these parts. I was so filled with distrust in parts and there was so much tension in others that built up, and wow. You’ll just have to read to see exactly what I’m talking about!

TL;DR (too long; didn’t read)
– Dimensional Characters (protagonist and side)
– Amazing setting
– Romantic tension was A+

OVERALL RATING:
5/5 stars. It was just that good.