The Cruel Prince Book Review

 The Cruel Prince by: Holly Black

Overall rating: 7/10

The Cruel Prince was nothing like I’d expected to read. It’s a mix between medieval times and high fantasy. The plot was very engaging, and I loved the world of the faeries. However, the plot was a little slow paced in the beginning.

The book revolves around Jude, a human among faeries. When she was little, she and her siblings were taken from their parents and brought to the faerie world. Being human, Jude had always felt less powerful, as she was a mortal, unlike the faeries. Many of her classmates at school, including Prince Cardan, the cruel prince, bully her and her siblings. All she wants is to feel more powerful, and when she strikes up a deal with one of the princes of the High Court, she becomes entangled in the fight for the throne of the High King. 

In The Cruel Prince, the book begins with a poem. I don’t often see books that have this feature, but it makes books so much better. It really helps to immerse the reader inside the book’s world. 

The topic of power is addressed in the book frequently. As Jude is a human, she often feels less powerful than the faeries since she was only mortal. That made her want to achieve the power of the faeries, and made her willing to do anything for that power. Also, the political struggle between the royal family to gain the throne of the High King was a big part throughout the book. It was surprising to see what the princes of the High Court were willing to do to gain the throne. 

The plot progressed pretty slowly in the first part of the book. There was still some action, but a couple of parts weren’t exactly necessary. The second part of the book, however, was much better than the first. There, the rising action of the book finally resolved into the climax. There could have also been some more introduction to the world of the faeries. At times, I was a little unsure what a term in the story meant, or exactly who a character was. However, that might be expanded upon in the next books.

The Cruel Prince was an interesting read, and I definitely plan on reviewing the other books in the series. The world was unique, the characters were interesting, and the second part of the book was exciting. There were some things that could have been different, but I still enjoyed the book!