Review by taliahsbookshelf - The Cruel Prince

taliahsbookshelf 's review for:

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

4.5

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Thank you to BookTok for forcing me to finally read this. A journey and a half, I found myself sucked right into the politically intriguing nature of Elfhame and the suspenseful plot. Every single character has so much to them and Holly Black's writing encompasses a desire to know more and to be truly involved in the world of faerie. The worldbuilding was absolutely stunning. Complex writing, but simple enough to be easily sucked in without much thought. Descriptive language that pulls the reader in and makes them feel like they're experiencing everything as Jude, not just alongside her. And that ending? It left me desperate for the next book.

Favorite quotes:

"Instead of being afraid, I could become something to fear."(197)

"If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse."(210)

"True power isn't granted. True power can't be taken away."(267)

"This is what you wanted, isn't it? What you sacrificed everything for. Go on. It's all yours."(372)

Content Warnings