Book Summary:

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.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

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Review:

“Show your power by appearing powerless.”

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The Cruel Prince is intoxicating–it’s full of deeply constructed political plays and betrayals, intricately developed characters, highly-detailed fantasy worldbuilding complete with countless moving parts behind every described scene…what more could you ask for in a young adult fantasy series? On top of it all, our FMC, Jude, is absolutely ruthless. Her cutthroat nature is the perfect pin of tension to describe the fear of living in a world that looks at you as nothing more than something born to reproduce and die. She wants the power to feel like she belongs, and will stop at nothing to achieve it.

I read something online that described Jude as being “feral” and I could not agree more. She’s one of the first FMCs in a LONG TIME that I’ve actually felt could make a difference in a world that she’s unfamiliar with. She’s worked day and night to learn to use her disadvantages to her advantage, the things about her that others underestimate and see as flaws, and take things to another level that far surpass what any of her opponents think she’s capable of… and yet somehow she just keeps taking things further. I’m rooting for her every step of the way. She is relentless, driven by her desire for power, and willing to sacrifice everything in order to gain some semblance of the upper hand, even if it costs her something of her own.

One of the main conflicts in this story is the dynamic between Fey and humans; humans are seen as lesser, weak and meaningless creatures, and the cast of characters introduced sets up a dangerous dance of deception and deadly hatred between Jude and the handful of Fey children she studies with. Unlike her sisters, Jude refuses to take the hits sitting down, striving to crawl, fight and deceive her way to greatness using anything to her advantage–including the one thing Fey creatures cannot do that humans can; lie.

“If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.”

I found myself pleasantly surprised with each of the twists and turns presented as this story progressed, and I wasn’t ever quite perfectly on the mark with what I anticipated happening. Characters are a huge part of what makes me enjoy a series, and the more morally complex characters there are provide a higher stake in each scene.

Out of the dozens of important character relationships in this story, the one that most intrigued me was the relationship between Jude and Cardan (shocker, I know, wanting to learn more about the misunderstood antagonist; sue me). The raw hatred between Jude and Prince Cardan is divine. Each page is littered with deadly tension that can cut like a hot knife through butter. They are at each other’s throats from the second he’s introduced, and their banter back and forth is written in such a way that tells me there’s more to each other’s hatred than just being human and Fey. Her hatred toward Cardan drives enough spite under her skin and pushes her to keep poking the bear–and their initial conflict erupts in one of the most bad-ass lines said between enemies in a young adult book that I’ve read in a long time.

“I am going to keep on defying you. I am going to shame you with my defiance. You remind me that I am a mere mortal and you are a prince of Faerie. Well, let me remind you that means you have much to lose and I have nothing. You may win in the end, you may ensorcell me and hurt me and humiliate me, but I will make sure you lose everything I can take from you on the way down. I promise you this is the least of what I can do.“

It isn’t until Jude gains more confidence in herself and her ability after convincing Madoc to let her fight, that the bullying turns deadly, and we’re reminded just how high the stakes are for mortals in the realm of Faerie. Even the strongest of relationships are tested, and sibling rivalries brew under the surface as motivations shift with the changing times. Deals are made, bonds are formed and broken, and promises are placed, switching the tides in a constant back and forth of wondering who has the upper hand. There is ALWAYS something going on behind the scenes, and that’s one of the main components of this story that makes every page turn full of perfectly paced action.

“You had the advantage of me twice, and twice you gave it away. Good luck getting it again.”

This book fell just short of a five star rating for me because I found it sometimes difficult to keep track of the various Fey species, terms, and locations. At times, I found myself glossing over certain descriptions just to follow the plot, and I can see how that might pull some readers out of the experience. This didn’t take anyway from my overall enjoyment of the book, but I’m certain I missed some important developments setting up the players for the next installment.

The ending had me on the edge of my seat, safe to say I had no idea what was going to happen, but maybe it was due to my own misinterpretation of the plan set in place by the Court of Shadows. The ascent to power is both thrilling and terrifying, and really hammers home that all actions––no matter how small or how thought-out––have consequences for everyone, even those not necessarily involved in the planning.

The fast-paced novel successfully pulled me by my shoulders and threw me around on its wild ride of unpredictable twists and realizations. Jude is a protagonist you’ll root for, even with her morally grey decisions, and the romantic tensions hold the perfect amount of YA slow-burn. There was a bonus chapter at the end of the novel that was from the perspective of another character that shed some interesting light on the final scene, and it’s left me so excited to see how the story continues in the next two books. I hope my review enticed you enough to give it a try for yourself! You won’t be disappointed.

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~Here are a few of my favorite quotes all taken out of context, without page numbers, and [redacted] names to further hide any potential spoilers~

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“If you live your life always afraid, always with danger on your heels, it is not so difficult to pretend away more danger.”

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“Have I told you how hideous you look tonight?” [ ] asks, leaning back in the elaborately carved chair, the warmth of his words turning the question into something like a compliment.
“No” I say, glad to be annoyed back into the present. “Tell me.”
“I can’t.”

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“What could I become if I stopped worrying about death, about pain, about anything? If I stopped trying to belong? Instead of being afraid, I could become something to fear.”

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“Most of all, I hate you because I think of you. Often. It’s disgusting, and I can’t stop.”

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“You’re like a story that hasn’t happened yet. I want to see what you will do. I want to be part of the unfolding of the tale.”

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“I love my parents’ murderer; I suppose I could love anyone.”

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