Incredible world, dark and disturbing but not for me.
My feelings on this book are conflicted, to say the least!
Holly Black has created a world completely unlike any other. It is dark, twisted and deadly, as are the characters who inhabit it. It is simply explained but with the way the world-building is done, it makes it come to life so easily in your imagination. The start of the book is explosive and the story unfolds rapidly from there when Jude and her sisters are brought to the land of Faerie.
This book is called The Cruel Prince for a reason, the cruelty and hatred that is seen among the characters is very disquieting. The book deals with abuse, and some very complex relationships. Every character we meet is twisted and flawed in their own way, which can make TCP very entertaining at times but definitely not an easy read.
The politics, scheming, spying and plot twists were excellent to say the least but I could not connect with any of the characters and just felt very "meh" about a lot of it. That being said, I read the book in one sitting but my mind was constantly wondering if I actually was enjoying the book or if I just needed closure. The book is very hyped, and I can see why others enjoyed it, but it wasn't for me. When I finished, I was unsure whether I wanted to continue with the trilogy or not.
**Updated post Wicked King release:
I enjoyed the Wicked King much more than I enjoyed the Cruel Prince! If you're struggling with TCP it's worth pushing through and then continuing with the series. Everything I liked about the Cruel Prince was amplified in the Wicked King and the plot was excellent!
Holly Black has created a world completely unlike any other. It is dark, twisted and deadly, as are the characters who inhabit it. It is simply explained but with the way the world-building is done, it makes it come to life so easily in your imagination. The start of the book is explosive and the story unfolds rapidly from there when Jude and her sisters are brought to the land of Faerie.
This book is called The Cruel Prince for a reason, the cruelty and hatred that is seen among the characters is very disquieting. The book deals with abuse, and some very complex relationships. Every character we meet is twisted and flawed in their own way, which can make TCP very entertaining at times but definitely not an easy read.
The politics, scheming, spying and plot twists were excellent to say the least but I could not connect with any of the characters and just felt very "meh" about a lot of it. That being said, I read the book in one sitting but my mind was constantly wondering if I actually was enjoying the book or if I just needed closure. The book is very hyped, and I can see why others enjoyed it, but it wasn't for me. When I finished, I was unsure whether I wanted to continue with the trilogy or not.
**Updated post Wicked King release:
I enjoyed the Wicked King much more than I enjoyed the Cruel Prince! If you're struggling with TCP it's worth pushing through and then continuing with the series. Everything I liked about the Cruel Prince was amplified in the Wicked King and the plot was excellent!