Welcome back to another week at Bess’ Book Corner!
This week we will be reviewing The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. This book is a fantasy romance with a spice rating of 1.
Jude’s parents were murdered when she was only seven years old. Jude and her sisters were then taken to Elfame. At seventeen years old, all Jude wants is to fit into the Fey world. However, Fey hates humans with a passion. Prince Carden is the worst of them all. His cruelty, mocking, and hatred towards her, make life more difficult. To prove herself worthy of being in Elfame, she must defy him and reap the consequences of her actions.
Vivi is my favorite character. She is full of resentment towards Madoc. She does what she wants because she is Madoc’s blood. She cares about her human sisters and she hates Elfame. Honestly, she'd rather be a human than a Fey. It is kind of like curly hair girls vs straight hair girls. Curly hair girls want their hair straight whereas straight hair girls want it curly.
The main character is Jude. Jude and her twin sister Taryn live in Elfame. Life is hard for them because they are humans living in a Faerie land. Her biggest hater is Carden, one of the princes of Elfame. I related to Jude with the anxiety she experiences. However, I had a hard time connecting with her outside of mental health.
I found the pace of the book rough. It was slow at first and I originally DNF’d it. With the encouragement of my sister, I restarted the book and stuck with it. The second half of the book sped up and events hit you left and right, that is when I started to enjoy the book.
The author did well in the details of the setting. The beginning of the book sets a detailed picture of what Elfame is, what it is like, and what the Faeries look like. The setting was so thorough it almost dragged the book a bit. I do like this left to the reader’s imagination.
I liked this book to keep reading. However, I did not like this book as much as I hoped. The biggest reason is not connecting with the main character Jude. Now this is strictly my opinion. Every reader has a book/character they cannot connect with. That is perfectly fine, this is not a one-size-fits-all kind of deal. With that being said, it took me a bit to find out why I did not connect with Jude. Her immaturity and need to control everyone. Now I have anxiety and what she says she feels when she tries to keep the panic at bay is a form of anxiety. I know how that feels. However, I have never been one to try to control people. Maybe some of their actions, but people who do what they want to do. Jude has not grasped the idea that she can try but people have their own free will. The only person she can control is herself.
This book is an enemy to lovers and the spice is very minimal. It is cute in a childish way. However, I did not realize it was a romance until the end of book one and, the beginning of book 2. Maybe I was just oblivious to it.
Overall, this is a great story. I did find it compelling at the end of book one. I had a hard time connecting with Jude, and it was a cute romance. I would recommend this to your mother.
Rating 3 out of 5
Fun dog fact: Dogs can get jealous when they see you giving another dog affection.
This is so true! Bess will get jealous of Boomer when I give him attention. Boomer is jealous of everyone. He wants all the attention all the time! :)
Please let me know your thoughts on this book if you have read it.
Also, put down your book recommendations for me to review!
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