REVIEW: “The Cruel Prince” by Holly Black 💭

Title: The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1)
Author: Holly Black
Pages: 370

Release Date: January 2 2018
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Format: Hardcover

Genre: Fantasy
Goodreads Rating: 4.18 (of 75,804 ratings)

 

  
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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.

This review will contain spoilers.
If you’re a fan of TCP, don’t take this review personally. This is my opinion! I fully support your love of this book, as I hope you would support my love for a book you disliked.

If you read my mini disclaimer, you can see what direction this is going to take, so, um, let’s just get into it.

THE INTRODUCTION, a.k.a, The First 50 Pages

Jude and her sisters wept the whole way to Faerieland. 

The beginning of The Cruel Prince has so many unique names and locations, without enough descriptions to keep me current on the whos and whys and wheres. My brain was going, “Wow, Jude wants to be a knight! I love a badass female— Wait a knight for who? The King? Is this the King of Faerieland or like, Elfhame? What are Courts how many Courts are there why do we have Courts what do they do is this King the ruler of all the people in Faerieland or just one Court?”

*brain explodes*

Non-human creatures got little description beyond their species name and one/two trait markers. I can understand if Black assumes readers already know what a goblin is, for example. But each book will have its own version of goblins, and The Cruel Prince is no exception. I’m quickly told about hobs, imps, goblins, grigs, faerie steeds, pixies, boggans, foxkin, and ogres … and I have no idea where they all fit into the the world of the Fae. How ANYTHING fits in, least of all Jude and her sisters. 

(or what anything looks like. in my mind, humans to fae = blurry humanoids with the occasional horns / tails)

At first it seems like an owl, but it’s got hob eyes.
^ And a hob’s eyes look like?

After 50 pages, I decided to re-read everything and try to cobble together a better understanding because the confusion was getting overwhelming. (it kind of worked)

THE CARDAN/JUDE FEUD

Before I even knew the title of this book I knew that Jude VS Cardan was this epic thing (thanks Twitter). But wow was that underwhelming and almost nonsensical.

Prince Cardan, sixth-born to the High King Eldred, yet still the absolute worst, strides across the floor towards us. 

Cardan is introduced as a wicked, terrible prince who rips off the wings of pixies when they fail to bow in his presence. Except all his interactions with Jude are so meek. He kicks dirt on her food. She retaliates by putting salt in his food. I felt like I was reading a middle school fight. 

Jude’s sudden desire to take on Carden came out of nowhere. She was angry at Madoc for refusing to let her become a knight. Then BAM! “I must go after Carden!” I couldn’t track her decision-making process for this. Especially since … girl, you literally saw him rip the wings of someone for not bowing. 

(WAIT, Sha. What about that scene when Jude consumes the apple? Is that “middle school fighting”? Cardan was a bystander—don’t read this as “innocent” though—in this scene. IMHO, the real cruel person in Cardan’s group is Valerian. Cardan is just spineless and goes along with the terrible things his friends do.)

THE WRITING, a.k.a., Me Saying “Wait, What?”

Sometimes the language used both in Jude’s narration and characters’ speech sounded vaguely old age. Other times, I got the most casual language that just. Didn’t. Fit.

I take a deep breath. If I could ask him for any boon, what would it be? I understand the danger, of course. Once I tell him, he is going to try to strike a bargain, and faerie bargains seldom favour the mortal. 

Like, you’re invulnerable, except to an arrow made of the heartwood of a hawthorn tree, which just so happens to be the exact kind of arrow that your worst enemy prefers. […] Basically, like everything about Faerie, gaeses are awesome, and also they suck. 

This took me out the story several times, and did nothing to help tie together the Faerie universe Black is trying to create. Not only was the prose not cutting it for me (I’m sorry) but I struggled to follow nuances in the plot.

(perhaps a combination of too much happening without enough clear explanation)

Like, how did Jude determine what Madoc was going to do with Oak? She had no clues to prove anything. The minute she figured out who Oak was, she was clued in to every detail of Madoc’s plan. << the reader needs maybe some steps in your thinking Jude!

THE CHARACTERS, yeah, this was a real struggle

I couldn’t truly connect with anyone in this book. Oh, I enjoyed some of the adventures Jude had, for sure. But so many of the characters in this book either A) weren’t fleshed out enough or B) acted contrary to their characterization.

Little did Prince Dain know that my real skill lies in pissing people off. 

Jude is entirely unpredictable. I could never guess when she would lash out at Cardan or bow her head to his comments. When she would embrace Madoc’s substitute parentage or reject his presence. She gave me whiplash on every page. I needed to know WHY she made these decisions, what drove her, more than “I want to be better than the Fae,” because that can’t explain her daily decisions.

(and so many decisions. made no. SENSE.)

Vivi, Madoc’s blood daughter, refuses to acknowledge his claim to her. She skips school, escapes to the mortal world whenever she can, and insults Madoc with snide comments at every opportunity. Yet for some reader she calls him “Dad”?? Yes, it’s a small detail. It still makes no sense to me.

And how Balekin beats Cardan for drinking and whoring around … when Balekin is Prince of the Circle of Grackles, who drink and whore around. I just.

(not that abusers EVER have a logical reason)

CW: suicide, murder, abuse

My main issue with this book is that it comes across like there wasn’t any substance to the events happening. I was continually pulled out out of a story I couldn’t connect to in the first place. 3.5 crowns, which I realize is a high(er) rating after my complaints, but my rating system includes consideration for what I think others will enjoy, not just what I enjoy. And clearly, this book is massively enjoyed.

On the BRIGHT SIDE I loved one quote so much I had to screenshot it and I’m sharing with you now.

“If you hurt me, I wouldn’t cry. I would hurt you back.”

well. did you make it this far?