One of the most popular books of 2018 (according to Goodreads readers) was Holly Black’s book, The Cruel Prince. I had to wait forever for it to become available on my library’s waiting list, and it was so good, I ended up buying the hardcover during Amazon’s Black Friday sale anyway.
The book drew me in right from the beginning. The text was inviting, and the book starts with… a murder. From there, the story continues to stay interesting.
The story revolves around a set of sisters. The oldest, Vivi, was half faerie. The two younger twins, Jude and Taryn, are human. After their parents are murdered by Vivi’s biological father, they are taken to live in faerie.
Jude and Taryn don’t exactly fit in. The prince, Cardan, along with his friends, treat them cruelly. Despite this, Jude wants to be a warrior among the faerie. She has the temperament for it.
The king is expected to pass on his throne, and several of his children are conspiring to get it. As with a lot of transitions of power, this one might come with some surprises. Jude becomes involved in one conspiracy, only to find that her father is involved in some shady dealings of his own. You won’t want to put down this book as you find out what happens.
There were a lot of things that I loved about this book. First, the writing is great. It’s hard to explain why, I just could feel how it drew me in. Second, the setting and characters were great. I haven’t read too many books set in faerie, but that didn’t matter, reading this book. The characters weren’t flat good-guy or bad-guy types; they all had a little of both to them, just like real life. The plot was also great.
The Cruel Prince was one of my favorite books from 2018 for a reason. I’m looking forward to reading The Wicked King when it comes out as well.