First, I found it a little confusing, and it did stop me in my tracks, a couple of times, because of the rather tumultuous lingo.
It seems to be an odd ( yet stangley fitting for the books) mixture of 1800s English, modern day colloquial speech, and a distorted stab at middle-class terminology.
It was not unpleasant, but I needed a few coffees to get through some chapters...
But, that aside, let us talk about the plot:
The book begins in the beginning ( THE beginning) and slowly reveals more about Jude and her family's past, in such a way that'll leave you desperate for more, after every little bit.
Then, there are the wonderous descriptions of the other-worldy beauties that populate Elfhame, and the land of Faerie- which is equally described, in the most ethereal of ways!
As far as romance is concerned, it is a slow burn, with passionate fires, that die quickly, and tragically, lending to an exciting read! My heart skipped a beat, at one particular part.... : ' ]
But, yes, there is not much romance- we would have benefited a bit, from some more, however, one does learn to forgive Cardan.
At the end, was I in love with the characters?
Yes; they were so realistic ( despite being fantasy, of course) with human faults, that are deeply relatable. Each has a distinct and different set of morals and values, causing one to 'pick sides' in the most gloriousl inwardly-conflicting manners.
You will LOVE and HATE characters simultaneously, and never want it to end! - you'll understand when you read it!
Holly Black did an AMAZING job of this; the world building was magically horrifying- scary yet captivating.
So, yep, I think this book is a definate 'must read' for any YA fantasy-romance lover - like myself.
Do I love The Cruel Prince?
Yes, absolutely, but pretend I said no ;]