One of the most hyped books from the last two years is probably The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. We both owned the first book but didn’t pick it up right away. And then the hype grew and grew and grew, and we were sure there was no way this book would live up to the expectations we had by then. So we waited and we waited and we waited, haha. Last week Melanie from TBR and Beyond proposed to do a buddyread for the whole series with any members of the group who were interested. Of course we jumped on this opportunity and finally dived into this series. We tried to keep our expectations low so we wouldn’t be disappointed. Let’s see if it turned out to be a disappointment or a new favorite!

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Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven 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.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal 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.

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The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Series: The Folk of the Air #1
on 02/01/2018
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

Because you’re like a story that hasn’t happened yet. Because I want to see what you will do. I want to be part of the unfolding of the tale.

Cover

Candyce This cover isn’t that fancy, but it works! I love the elements Even though the cover is simple, it does jump out at you! After reading The Cruel Prince, I definitely understand this cover even better. All in all, it really works for me!

Isabelle I really like this cover, it’s simple enough but it has some nice details. The crown looks interesting and shows we deal with royalty right away. I also like the typography and the colors that are used. The title captured my attention quickly and gives us a little peak at the darkness in this story.

If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.

Review

Candyce I have to say after reading Tithe earlier this year, I was even more afraid of starting The Cruel Prince. Tithe wasn’t a book I liked at all, but it was released so long ago, that I had to give this one a chance. The Cruel Prince definitely starts off with a bang. This book is dark and that’s clear, because Jude’s parents are killed and she’s dragged back to Faerie with her sisters. I really liked that the author added this part though. It definitely sets the mood for the story and maybe even makes it easier to understand the characters ten years later.

Even though Jude has spent more than half her life in Faerie, it’s still not easy to be a mortal. She’s still looked down upon, even though all she wants to do is find a way to fit in. As the “daughter” of the general of the High King, I’m sure she has it easier than she would if that wasn’t the case, but I still wouldn’t want to be in her shoes. I think this does make it easier to understand the world this way and how the Fae work. I’ve read a few books with Fae by now, but I’m still always interested in how everything works.

In all honesty, none of these characters are likable. Well, Jude’s sister Vivienne is funny even if she does mostly do stuff to fill her own needs, haha. Even though they may not be likable, I still loved reading about them. There are a lot of different relationships and little dramas that keep this world going and I have to say, I needed to know how it would all play out. The Cruel Prince really is Jude’s book though. We get a sneak peek of Cardan, but we still definitely have a lot to learn about him. With the way The Cruel Prince ends, I know it will be one interesting ride.

I think the first part of the book was really used to introduce us to this world and Jude. In my eyes, definitely needed, but it wasn’t something that blew me away. I wanted to know what was going on, but it wasn’t that I couldn’t put it down. That definitely changed during the second part, because that was nothing but twists and turns! Even though I figured out how some things would play out, there were still quite a few things that surprised me. I’m definitely a fan of scheming and politics, so I’m curious to see what The Wicked King will bring.

Also, even though I’m a big fan of romance, I’m glad it didn’t take over too much of this book. Of course, there are definitely parts that have to do with love, but it fit the story! I am curious to see how some relationships will play out. All in all, this book really surprised me in a pleasant way. I am actually shocked I loved it as much as I did. I won’t be waiting long to pick up The Wicked King!!

That’s what comes of hungering for something; you forget to check if it’s rotten before you gobble it down.

Isabelle We start the story with a pretty brutal opening and I think that it sets the tone for the story right away! As the synopsis tells us, Jude’s parents are killed and she and her sisters are taken to Faerie to live there. In the first chapter Jude has been living in Faerie for about 10 years. All she wants is to truly belong in Faerie.

By now, most people have heard about the Cruel Prince and about Cardan. However, for me, this story was all about Jude and Cardan was just a little part of that story. In the first half of the book we see how it is for Jude to be a mortal among Fae. Because she grows up as the adopted daughter of the general of the High King she is somewhat protected. But it’s still not easy being a mortal in this world.

Jude and her sisters all found a different way to cope with what happened to them. Taryn, Jude’s twin sister wants to fall in love and find her place among the Fae through marriage. Vivienne, Jude’s half sister keeps escaping to the mortal world and would love to move back there. She keeps on defying their father and she’s one of my favorite side characters. Jude herself wants to become a knight, she wants power that can’t be taken away.

Everyone keeps talking about how all the characters are assholes and so unlikeable. Maybe I’m just not a great person myself, but really enjoyed reading about almost all of them. These characters are complex and yes they do horrible things but I also found myself very forgiving. Who knows, maybe I was enchanted myself ;). There was definitely a difference between how much I liked the different characters, Jude being my favorite. I don’t want to say to much about the other characters as that would get very spoiler-y, very quickly. All I will say is that I never trusted anyone and I think that is great advice for this book haha.

The first part was interesting but didn’t blow my mind. I was thinking about a 4-star rating based on that part of the book. We got a little twist I saw coming from miles away so I wasn’t surprised. But it was fun and enjoyable. Next was the second part, and I had a feeling that was were things would happen.

And I was right! The second part is full of intrigue, politics, twists and turns, reveals, plotting and all that fun stuff haha. I did predict quite a lot of what would happen so I wasn’t that surprised. However, I did really like everything that happened and was happy it all went down the way it did. While I was reading I kept giggling and was super excited. I could not put this book down and immediately got and read the novella that comes after haha. You can bet I will start the next book right away! For me this was a super enjoyable, fun and exciting read. I totally get the hype and I would definitely recommend it to basically everyone haha.

But I will not stand in front of your happiness. I will not even stand in front of misery that you choose for yourself.

We are both shocked by how much we loved this book!! You can expect a review of The Wicked King, because we both plan on reading the sequel right away. Have you already read The Cruel Prince? What did you think? Let us know in the comments!