The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
My name is Sadie, I am a sophomore and a competitive figure skating who loves to perform. I enjoy reading fantasy, historical fiction and romance
The Cruel Prince is an engaging young adult novel that has a touch of romance. The protagonist is a mortal girl named Jude Duarte who is trying to survive the magical and terrifying world of Faerie after being taken there at seven years old with her two sisters.
The story begins with Madoc, the biological father of Judes older sister Vivienne, who has arrived to claim Vivi as his heir. In the fight to keep their daughters safe, their mortal parents are ultimately killed by Madoc, and the three sisters are swept away to grow up in Faerie. Though Jude and her twin are not children of Madoc, he raises them and teaches them the art of sword fighting.
Throughout the book Jude faces many struggles, most of which are rooted in her mortality. She never gives up, continuing to fight for her place among the ruthless Folk of Faerie. You will love Jude’s cunningness, determination and resilience against those who try to hurt her. I enjoyed how Holly Black built the world with so much detail in the first half of the book, so that as it sped up in the second half, with more twists and surprises, I could fully appreciate the high stakes and felt the weight of the power shifts. Before reading this book, I wasn’t well versed in Faerie lore, but this author makes it easy to understand, and you will feel like an expert on this world.
