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Dear Readers, Aliens and Creatures, I have to say… 😒😒😒 The hype related to ‘The Cruel Prince’? It seems to be real. Damn, frikkin real.
▪️BASICS:
Official title: The Cruel Prince
My title: Wild Painful Creatures
Author: Holly Black @blackholly
Fav character: Oak – out here living his best psycho infant faerie life
Type: Book – Series
4.7/5
▪️INTRO:
Well, THAT was unexpected.
Gobbled up in a night… sooner if I had decided not to sleep? Wow. Ehem…
Well, Ms. Black, you sure can write.
▪️REVIEW:
DO NOT cross into the faery world, DO NOT settle in, get comfortable, be glamoured by all things beautiful. DO NOT eat and DO NOT dance… If you are mortal, FLEE… FLEEEE the faeries.
Jude and her twin Taryn (Twice the error 🤣🤣🤣 *reference to Too Wicked to Kiss) are the full human daughters of a mortal woman. One who fled the stunningly beautiful world of Faerie, and her fae general of a husband with their child in her womb. One who did not have much time to regret the decision.
The three girls, with mortal blood, have been brought to Faerie and have been thrust very high up the social ladder. Supping, attending and dancing with princes and courtiers of Faerie they are in for the bloodiest, most vicious and most beautiful machinations of their lives.
Love is a tricky thing in this story and when mixed with desire, power and lust, will prove a heady combination in the most disastrous of ways. I love it!!
Strong enough heroines growing slightly insane;
Desire for power, for limbs, for MORE, that can be tasted from the page;Violence, pain, blood, death…
Faerie is not a place for you, but Cardan is most def for me. 😁🤤🤤🤤
Why not a 5/5? I don’t know… I wanted MORE. I am also not convinced that I will continue to like Jude. 💁(I also want this book in hardcover).
▪️CONCLUSION
My greatest issue with the plot was Jude’s behaviour at times. I found her thinking processes to be quite… ‘human’, behaviour-wise. Especially since she did not grow up as one. In my estimation, although she may have had a few reservations, certain things, like modesty, her concern with cruelty, etc, should have been a tad less pronounced. 💁
I will say that there is a certain embracing of the nature of Faerie that occurs within the few months of her growing into herself… or rather, of her being decisive in what she truly wants, which made me accept her previous human-ness.
Themes
▪️ Love and Family – How much are you willing to do for your family, is definitely treated beautifully here. From the scorned ex-husband who takes on the responsibility of all of his wives children, to the the half-sister who chooses not to belong, to the twins intent on breaking away and finding their own solace.
This theme continues as you consider the relationships other prominent characters have with their families, or lack thereof, and how that shapes their behaviour.
▪️ Betrayal – FLEW AROUND LIKE MADNESS in this book 🤣🤣🤣. So much crossing and double crossing and triple crossing 🤣. The key point here though, had much more to do with ideals and convictions, than just wickedness. Most of the betrayal that happened was because the characters were unwilling to give up on their convictions, be it for good or for ill.
▪️ Power – especially when there are kingdoms of very strong and unbalanced beings involved, is seductive. The ability to lord over these, the seduction of command, the implied ruthlessness to be able to control somewhat uncontrollable things. Having the power to make your own decisions and stand by them, is something that Jude gradually gains and is loath to part with. It is something all three sisters desperately want, and it is very well-done in the story.
▪️ Desire – can be a dangerous thing. Sometimes desire is a drug. Desire does not have to be only for people, but also for things… desire for permanence, to be safe, to be happy. Desire to control your destiny, to be equal… all of these desires culminate and BURN in this book, and I love it!
Black does an excellent and compelling job making everyone very desperate and needy. Just gluttonous for what the other has, or seems to have, and that they may lack.
🌑🌑🌑
Over to you!
QOTD:
- If you have read it, what are the themes and scenes you loved in this book?
- If you haven’t read it, are you remotely interested? 😁💁
