Book Review: The Cruel Prince
- Rudi
- Aug 22, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 8, 2021
Details
Name: The Cruel Prince
Series: The Folk of the Air #1
Date of Release: January 2nd, 2018
Author: Holly Black
Genre: #Fantasy #YoungAdult #Romance #Fiction #Faeries
No of Pages: 370 pg (hardcover)
My Rating: 3.5/5
Synopsis
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.
Overview
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.
Plot (spoiler alert!)
Oh my god! I honestly don't know where to start with the plot of this book. For one, it is hands down one of the most intricately woven plots that I have read. Although there are a few cliche giveaways, for the most part of it, the events that unfolded were unexpected and surprising.
In the beginning, almost everything seems to work against Jude- Madoc doesn't grant her the green sash for the Summer Tournament, she is bullied and humiliated by her classmates, and even Taryn (her twin) is forced to pledge that she would not aid her blood sister. However once she is recruited by Prince Dain, to be one of his spies, things appear to look up for her- she is given a geas to protect her from enchantments, one of her classmates, Locke, seems to take an interest in her, and she has the opportunity to become a Knight in the Faerie Court- however the key word here is 'appear'.
On the night of the coronation ceremony, Jude finds out that the 'secret admirer' of Taryn, is none other than Locke, the same boy who had claimed to like her. That being said, the entire royal family is slaughtered by power thirsty Balekin, the eldest son, save for Cardan, the root cause for Jude's torture in Faerie. Jude manages to get a drunk Cardan to the Court of Shadows, and hold him hostage. In the meanwhile, she finds out that her adoptive brother Oak is in fact the son of the late Prince Dain.
Having been trained by Madoc, one of the best generals in Faerie, in battle and strategy, Jude comes up with a plan to save the kingdom from getting into the wrong hands a.k.a. Balekins hands. This however means that she will have to go against Madoc and almost half of the Court, while joinig forces with her arch nemesis. She finds allies in Prince Roiben of the Court of Termites, and manages to enter the royal feast, along with Cardan, the most wanted person in all of Faerie.
With the help of the Roach, the Ghost and the Bomb (former spies of Dain), Jude manages to get hold of the crown. Like the many plot twists, again, Jude does the unexpected. Now, Cardan is the King of Faerie and if he disliked her before, he sure loathes her now. The book ends with Jude appointed as an advisor of the High King Cardan, although she gets her place in the Court, Jude couldn't have imagined the events leading up to it even in her wildest dreams.
Character
Let's start with the protagonist- Jude Duarte. As a human in Faerie, Jude is always left out and bullied for being different, for being mortal. Naturally, she wants to fit in. I'm sure all of us relate to this. No one wants to stick out like a sore thumb. And although she isn't like the rest of the Gentry, or her sister- who adapts easily- Jude slowly learns to embrace her uniqueness and use it to her advantage.
Jude is the opposite of a stereotypical YA protagonist. She is ruthless and can be twisted at times. She is unafraid to draw her sword, to spill blood, and she most certainly does not believe in a fairytale ending. She is cold and calculated, but at the same time, she feels every single emotion in the spectrum. Overall Jude is a realist, she sees things for what they are, and takes life one step step a time.
It's not just Jude. Almost every single character in the book living or dead has been clearly defined. Not just that, as personalities, they are so diverse and complex in themselves, that I have to admit, I was baffled!
As a reader, I also sympathise with Taryn, although some of you may disagree with me (if you've read the book that is). She was forced to choose. On one hand was her sister, someone she had grown up with and loved dearly. But helping her meant that she herself would be thrown in the face of trouble. On the other hand were the Gentry. They would provide her much needed protection, but going with them was almost equal to disowning her own blood. I admit that Taryn did have her lows, she did choose to save herself every time an opportunity presented itself and she also remained loyal to her betrothed, even helped him make a fool of Jude. However these were all side effects of the choice she made.
Cardan is another character who piqued my interest in particular. He is quite the opposite of Jude- he hates violence and he is portrayed incompetent and a tippler. Despite their differences, Cardan is drawn to Jude, something that seems to puzzle him more than anything else. Cardan is mistreated by the only family that he has, and his 'friends' favour him only for his position. All- in- all, Cardan is lonely and has a super complex personality that is hard to put down in words.
Writing/Concept
Faerie or Land of the Fae is a concept that has been explored by writers of almost all ages and genres. It is, believed to be the land of enchantments that co-exists with us mortals. The faerie described by Holly Black is similar to the one expressed by Cassandra Clare in many of her series. Clare however spoke of Faerie from the view of an outsider, while Black describes it from the point- of- view of someone who has lived there almost all their life.
The details in the description of Faerie are almost invisible to the untrained eye. They are extremely subtle, but they are there. As I read the chapters, one to another, I don't remember clearly reading a description of the area, but here I am, with a vivid picture of Faerie painted in my mind. From the woods to the brooks and the various flora and fauna, it is quite the magical place.
The subtlety isn't just in the description but also in the storyline and the characters. By the end of the book, I felt this kind of satisfaction of having completely experienced a new place and having met new people. In particularly I like the way Holly Black has portrayed the emotions of the characters- it is never just plain words, it is always in actions and reactions, and that, I think is a beautiful way to write.
"If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse."
-Jude Duarte
To sum it up, I really liked this book. I'm not yet sure if it is something I will go back and read multiple times, but it is definitely enchanting and entertaining. I definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of fantasy or action and adventure.
Like, Subscribe and Share ;)
Comments