Friday, July 26, 2019

Is The Cruel Prince Worth the Hype?


Holly's Black The Cruel Prince was one of the most popular and controversial books in 2018. The book community on the internet and social media exploded with opinions, rant reviews, and people gushing over the characters. I somehow managed to avoid reading it until now, even with all of the hype. This is one of those books that you either love or hate, but the question is: is The Cruel Prince worth the hype?

the plot

In the first chapter, Jude and her sisters witness the brutal murders of their parents and are stolen away to Faerie. Their parents' killer, Madoc, is the faerie general and the biological father of the eldest sister, Vivi. For the next decade or so, Jude and her siblings grow up in a strange world, raised by a murderer. Jude has to face the struggles and dangers that come along with Faerie and being a human surrounded by imps, royalty, and nymphs. 

I really enjoyed the premise of this novel and the mystery that evolves into some shocking twists and turns. Jude and her inner conflict are the main driving force of the plot as she attempts to carve out a place for herself in faerie society by any means necessary. While I enjoyed the court politics and network of spies, the odd pacing threw me off. The first third of the novel winds slowly through the story, the middle third maintains a perfect pace, and the ending was too rushed. The majority of the action takes place in the last 100 pages and yet nothing major occurs in the first 200 pages. While I did like exploring the slowly unfolding story in the beginning, I think the pacing issues creates stilted storytelling. 



the characters

Jude: the protagonist. I loved Jude. Realistic, flawed characters are what I am always looking for in fiction. I think everyone is over the "perfect and beautiful" characters that can do no wrong. Jude is cruel at times but has good intentions. She juggles her love and hatred for Faerie and those living in it while trying to claim any semblance of power she can. In many ways she is driven by fear and desire, but maintains a sense of fairness and humanity in an oftentimes faithless society. I was rooting for her the entire time as she pushed back against the world that wanted to push her down. 

But what about the other characters? I'm afraid I can't say much because other than Jude, the rest of the cast are woefully underdeveloped. Her family don't play into the plot save for a few scenes. I like Vivi for her defiance and *heavily* disliked Taryn for her lack of loyalty and spine. The princes and princesses are background characters, as well as the school bullies and team of spies that Jude joins. You get mere impressions of their personalities. 

On the other hand, the cruel prince Cardan presents as a vicious, despicable character for most of the book. I didn't find his turnaround to be as out of nowhere as some people said; if you read his scenes carefully, you can almost see his true personality beneath the caricature he puts on (the one Jude believes in). Since we don't know Cardan outside of Jude's perspective, we don't really know who he truly is anyway, so his arc is surprising but not entirely unwarranted. Plus, the "romance" everyone is buzzing about is a minor subplot. Some readers claim it is a case of "insta-love," but I don't see it. There isn't an actual relationship/love story to be considered insta-love, and the one that is present is still filled with bad blood and conflict. 

the writing

The writing is effective and straightforward, but at times was too simple. Certain scenes were all telling without any attempt at showing. Sometimes an important event would occur in a paragraph or two rather than the pages I thought it required to fully appreciate and process what happened. I would blink and someone had died or been rescued without much description to lend it importance. For the fantastic setting, I expected more of a whimsical, metaphorical style of writing as opposed to the almost elementary syntax. 


the world 

I'm a sucker for a good faerie story centered around the Seelie and Unseelie courts. Holly Black effectively shows the glittering and horrifying world in all its bloody glory. On one hand, Faerie is a fascinating world of whimsy and enchanting settings. But underneath that beauty lies a harsh, bitter world filled with desperation and betrayal. The duality is presented as a necessary and central part of the story that I thought was portrayed flawlessly. The setting is rich and realistic. I can't wait to see more of it in the sequel.  

the final verdict

So does The Cruel Prince live up to the hype? Yes and no. This is not a book that will work for everyone. If you don't enjoy faerie tales or character-driven stories, then this one is not for you. While it definitely has its own issues, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and it has an addictive and exciting quality that keeps you turning the page. 


rating



Publication Date: January 2, 2018
Publisher: Little, Brown Books
Pages: 370

Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: 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. 



What did you think of The Cruel Prince?



2 comments:

  1. I literally saw this in the bookstore just last week, picked it up, read the synopsis, walked around with it for a bit and then put it back down. Idk if I’ll like it!! Maybe one day if it happens to be in the library, but I don’t think I would spend money on this book.

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    1. You should give it a shot! I got my copy from the library, too. I think it is definitely worth reading but maybe not worth buying yourself. I hope you like it!

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