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I don’t know whether to be disappointed I didn’t discover this gem sooner, or pleased I don’t have to wait long for the sequel: The Wicked King which is due to be released 9th January 2019.
It should therefore come as no surprise when I say I absolutely loved it.
The Cruel Prince very quickly establishes the world, and it is one which is so easy to get lost in—so much so that I found it difficult to put the book down and step away from it for basic human needs such as sleep. This is my opinion is the sign of an incredible book, and it has been such a long time since I have read one which pulls me in completely, leaves me with the insatiable need to know what happens next, and invested in the character’s narratives.
Holly Black, I tip my hat to you. I am in awe of your beautifully crafted world.

What worked for me?

The Characters:
Jude:
Of course Jude’s character is going to be the one we know the best since we follow the story from her perspective, and know her thoughts and feelings on each character.
It goes deeper than that though. Through the rich and in depth descriptions, you feel as though you are living each moment with her—you feel what she feels, whether it be fear, confidence, lust or revulsion—you experience it all with Jude.
In any story told from a first person point of view, it is essential that the reader can relate to them, understand them, and —even if you want nothing more than to leap into the pages and shake them when you see something they are either oblivious to, or just unwilling to acknowledge.
Jude (and the reader) go on a roller-coaster ride throughout The Cruel Prince, and I’m sure The Wicked King will deliver more of the same.

Prince Carden:
Oh, Carden, you complex piece of work. Holly Black has done a great job with him.
He is the eponymous “Cruel Prince” and you can immediately see why. He has a very cruel streak and he is, for lack of a better term, a bully. But is there more to him than meets the eye?
We’re not supposed to like Carden because Jude doesn’t like him—she has particularly strong feelings about him in fact, but throughout The Cruel Prince as Jude learns more about him, his life, and experiences it is easy to empathise with him.
Yes, he may not be a nice guy, but I challenge you to say that you don’t like him by the end of the story.
In The Wicked King, I think we will see some more character growth for him, and perhaps more

Taryn:
Taryn is the polar opposite of her sister. They may look identical and get drawn in by the same guy, but that is where the similarities end.
She appears more placid that her sister, and craves belonging in the Faerie world in an entirely different way to Jude. She wants to marry, and has a suitor who is going to ask for her hand—for Taryn this will give her the belonging and place in the world she desires, but at what cost?
It is great to see these differences, and it highlights that twins are there own individual people.
By the end of The Cruel Prince, I cannot say that I like her very much. In fact, I want to shake her and tell her how much of an idiot she is being.
The way that an opinion can change on this particular character is a testament to how well Holly Black develops her characters in the story in an organic and natural way.

Vivienne:
If I could have an older sister, I would love to have one like Vivi.
She is a strong, independent character, and rebellious. She has never forgotten her home in the mortal world, nor has her desire to return dissipated.
And yet, she remains with her sisters, protects them in spite of this.
Vivi may not be a great role model in a lot of ways, but she is in every way that counts.
I adore her, and hope to see more of her in The Wicked King, and her relationship with Heather.

Locke:
After finishing The Cruel Prince, I’m wondering about the pronunciation of his name. All the way through I was reading is as “Lock” but upon reflection, I’m wondering if it should be “Loki”—the latter would certainly serve well.
I straight up have strong feelings about him—I do not like him one bit. He is, put simply, a douchebag.
What I enjoyed about his characterisation is that he is presented to Jude (and, by extension, the reader) as one of the ‘nice’ guys, but as we learn more about him we see this is not necessarily the case.
He’s rather ambiguous, and it is a joy to read him because, whilst we learn his motivation, I’m intrigued to know what his ultimate end goal is—surely there is more to what he is doing than “enjoying drama and a good story.”
There is definitely more to him than meets the eye, and I have a suspicion that he will have a hand in the events that unfold in The Wicked King—and not in a good way.

General Madoc:
I am so on the fence about Madoc—I switch between loving him and hating him—which is not at all a surprise since we see him as Jude sees him, and she does not hesitate in sharing the bad as well as the good.
He is the man who murdered her parents in cold blood. He is also the man who brought her into the world of the Faerie and raised her as his own, affording her every comfort she and her sisters could ever need. He loves them as well as he can.
But at his core he is a general, and his love and need for war outweighs everything else.
After the events that unfolded at the end of The Cruel Prince, I’m intrigued to discover what the next move of this master strategist will be.

The World Building:
The Cruel Prince has everything you need to become fully immersed in the world: exquisite descriptions, believable and complex characters, and a sense that this could be a real place.
It is so easy to picture the world of Faerie in your mind, and you feel as though you are there and sharing the experiences with Jude. An especially stand out moment in my mind is Jude’s experience with Faerie Fruit.

The Relationships:
I think the highlight of The Cruel Prince is the complex relationship between Jude and Madoc. It asks the question of how can you come to love the man (redcap) who murdered your parents in front of you, and then took you away from everything you know. Holly Black presents this so well and, even though the situation is incomprehensible, you cannot find it in you to find it wrong for Jude to love him.
Jude and Carden. What can I say? They hate each other—or at least that’s what they tell themselves, but is that really the case? Their relationship begins as one of intense dislike and hatred for one another, but it becomes a little more complex especially as the stakes rise throughout the story and they interact outside of the “playground”. I am shipping hard for them, and I suspected early on they have to be endgame—right?
Family is everything, and the relationship between Jude, her sisters Taryn and Vivienne, and her brother (for all intents and purposes) Oak shows this fantastically. The love between them is clear throughout. Taryn, however, has me doubting just how much her sister means to her with her actions—she is a fool for love and she has seriously damaged their relationship, possibly beyond repair. The complexities within Jude’s family dynamic are written very well by Holly Black. You become invested in it so easily.

The Twist/Big Secret:
This worked so well, and was incredibly well thought out. I won’t spoil it by going into detail, but I don’t think you’ll see it coming.

What didn’t work for me?
Okay, I really am at a loss for what to put here since I absolutely adored The Cruel Prince. If I was to be picky, I’d say there are elements and twist in the story which can be predicted and so the reveal doesn’t come as a shock.
However, I do believe that this is Holly Black’s intention, especially as you are seeing it all through Jude’s perspective. She wants you to put the pieces of the puzzle together before the main character. Of course, I’m not referring to the biggest secret in the story—that is something we find out with Jude, and it is a juicy one.

Rating?
5/5 stars from me.
If it was at all possible to give higher then I would.
The anticipation and eagerness to read The Wicked King now is real—and it hasn’t even been 24 hours since I finished The Cruel Prince. There’s only 3 weeks to wait; I can manage that.

Recommend?
I would absolutely recommend The Cruel Prince.
Anyone who hasn’t read it yet is missing out on an absolute treat.
Seriously, what are you waiting for? Go and buy it now so you can become enchanted by this book.