The Cruel Prince by Holly Black Review

Disclaimer: I am reviewing these books from the way I felt about it and it's all my personal opinion love you guys!

Summary: 

It's a fantasy novel where a human named Jude lives in Elfhame. She has been dreaming and training to become a knight her whole life but her father won’t let her. She is bullied for being a human, especially by Prince Carden and his group of friends. It is an amazing story about a girl overcoming the obstacles in her way and finding people along the way who will help her and become people she feels she can trust. 

Spoiler Free Review: 

I gave this particular book of the trilogy a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I loved the plot but I personally felt like it got slower in the middle but the end picked it up. The ending shocked me completely. I didn't see it coming. In the beginning of the book, you learn about how she came to live in the kingdom of Elfhame which I don’t want to spoil but I actually teared up a little bit. Her and cardens relationship was one of my favorite things because they absolutely hate each other (which makes for a good enemies to lovers romance). I will warn you though that the romance isn’t as much as people made it out to be on tiktok. I am a huge fan of Jude sticking up for herself throughout the book! Overall I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend the trilogy because it is an amazing read and you might have a different opinion about the book. 

This is how I imagine part of the forest might look like as they walk through

Spoilers:

Girlllll, when I tell you the way Jude killed Valerian was shocking because I didn’t think she was actually going to do it! That was one thing that shocked me but also finding out that her dad Madoc was working with Balekin I wanted to cry. Even though he killed her and her sister's family and brought them home with him, I, in all honesty, liked his character. Finding out about the family dynamic was very interesting. When she became a spy for Prince Dain and the way he granted her the wish of being unacceptable to the magic. I thought that was very interesting, especially her team she works with. I love Ghost so much, he is just so cool. I still can’t fully imagine what Roach looks like but I have my own idea. 

Now listen, I don’t think you can understand how much I love Carden. Even if he was being a jerk, I understood he was part of the royal family and since that was the case, he might have a hard time at home. I was right in this aspect because his brother Balekin did to him, I got so angry I almost threw the book. The tournament and fight was cool but at times it felt a little slow. I was shocked toward the end when Carden and Jude kissed. I was internally screaming and that's partially what saved it for me because I didn’t expect it. I also didn’t expect Jude to use Carden to become king instead of Oak since she found out Oak is of royal descent. I loved the twists and the start of the romance that felt like true enemies to lovers.