“Nice things don’t happen in storybooks,” Taryn says. “Or when they do happen, something bad happens next. Because otherwise the story would be boring, and no one would read it.”
Oh my God... Where do I start with this?!
Dear readers, just a friendly warning:
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Cruel Prince, the first book of The Folk of the Air trilogy. The book was beautifully written, with so much suspense, drama, plot twists and romance. Enough of each to leave you asking for more.
It all starts when Madoc travels to the real world, seeking vengeance from his previous lover, Eva, and her new lover/husband, Justin. He then decides to take his rightful child, Viviane. But he wouldn't leave his trailer wife's twin daughters, Jude and Taryn. He adopts them like they were his own and back to Faerie.
In the beginning, we find that Madoc treats the twins as best as he can. He made sure they're enrolled in classes with other Faerie children and expected them to be given full privileges, like the other children of the (grants). What he doesn't know is that the Faerie princes were constantly bullying his girls: Prince Cardan (the youngest of the High King's offspring), Nicasia who likes power, Valerian who likes violence in all its forms, and finally, Locke who likes dramatics. Each one of them torments our protagonist in a unique way. , aligning with their interests.
Grown-ups were always worried, always whispering.
Jude decides that she's fed up with the bullying and wants to attain a higher position for herself to protect her existence in Faerie and her future. She trained with Madoc to perfect her swordsmanship skills and secure a place with the knights. And so, she takes part in the Summer Tournament.
Following the tournament, where she proved her brilliance to the onlooking crowd, things turn out in her favour! Not in the way she'd expected or even planned though. I will not dwell on the details and further spoil this brilliant book for you. But I assure you, I have a lot of tabs for "oh damn!" in this book, making up for all the terrible books I've read throughout this month :)
Faeries make up for their inability to lie with a panoply of deceptions and cruelties. Twisted words, pranks, omissions, riddles, scandals, not to mention their revenges upon one another for ancient, half-remembered slights. Storms are less fickle than they are, seas less capricious.
The characters:
No character mentioned in the story is without development, a plot or some meaningful addition to Jude's character (one way or another), or the story in general! Not many have such a skill, like what I've witnessed as Black's.
Jude - We definitely witness her growth and quick adaptation to her surroundings. I love how she learned to make the best of whichever situation she's in, making use of her lessons with Madoc in war strategy. We see that she is somewhat still is a novice as she keeps referring to her moves as "a game of chess with Madoc", indicating her lack of experience in the field or real life.
Taryn - Jude's twin. Unlike her sister, Taryn has a quiet, yet very effective presence around Jude. She plays it safe, keeping a low profile not to trigger the princes into bullying them any further. She had a way of calming her sister and controlling her anger throughout
Viviane - Madoc's daughter and the eldest sister (I prefer referring to her as Jude and Taryn's half-sister). She had a strong presence with a powerful personality. She cared for her younger sisters throughout, she was there for them (Jude in particular) when things weren't easy. She comforted them and made sure their life wouldn't suck as much. I love how she refused to adapt to living in Faerie and was determined to secure her life with Heather in the real world and take both, Jude and Taryn with her! Viv was someone you can definitely count on, no matter what.
Madoc - the bloodthirsty warrior might be one of my favourite characters. The opening scene starts with him murdering both, his ex-wife (Eva) and her lover (Justin) (Jude's parents), yet he does not hesitate to take all three children, his own Viviene and his wife's, the twins. He spends his days loving them and ensuring they were treated as equals to the faeries. There so many fatherly moments that the young ones didn't fail to notice and appreciate, however, this father of theirs in the one who murdered their mortal parents.
I love my parents' murderer; I suppose I could love anyone.
Oriana - Madoc's second wife, Oak's "mother"... lol I won't press this further. She was always looking out for Oak and the girls! Always lecturing them to take care to not dance too hard, to stay away from Faerie fruit, not make deals with other Faeries, not insult anyone in any way. She's always been good at heart.
Oak - The child didn't really take an active part in the story. He was beloved by his sister and all those around him. He was playful and sometimes used "glamour" and ended up torturing Jude, without meaning to. His backstory, which was only revealed towards the end, is simply heartbreaking. After all, he did not ask to be what he was...
Cardan - The youngest prince of Eldred's children. He is charming, handsome and cruel in torturing those beneath him, Jude in particular. His character, we find out later on, is far deeper than what his actions would falsely give away. Be it his expulsion from the High Courts and how Balekin (his eldest brother) treated him, all simply reveal why he is the way he is. On a more personal note, every time he tortures someone, the first question that comes to my mind was "who hurt you, child?".
I will not go into details about Cardan's friends, but I just love how Black didn't spare a moment for the reader to question. They all had a back story, and Locke... that beautiful bastard, Locke... His sudden stepping in, when the rest were torturing Jude with the Faerie fruit, controlling her actions, undressing her in public like that. At the time, yes, it was a noble move on his part. To tell you the truth, what happened between him and Jude afterwards was simply too good to be true.
Because you’re like a story that hasn’t happened yet. Because I want to see what you will do. I want to be part of the unfolding of the tale.
I find it very disheartening that Locke played both sisters the way he did. What was even more shocking was Taryn's choice to go with him, her betrothed, regardless of how things went down between him and Jude! How could she (Taryn) have managed to stay so composed when Jude went on telling her about their dates (Jude's with Locke) when Locke kissed her when they spent the night together... Even after Madoc said to her that Locke doesn't deserve either her or her sister. Having that said, he will not stand in the way of her choices
Jude and Cardan... After Jude found that note written by Carden with her name all over that piece of paper. Her name, written over and over again. The pen pressed so hard against the paper it tore through it and probably there were marks on the table/desk. I remembered what Charles told Jake after he won the bet with Amy (from Brooklyn Nine-Nine):
Charles: Jake, do you know why little boys pull little girls' pigtails on playgrounds?
Jake: Because they're so easy to grab, they're just begging to be pulled.
Charles: Because they like the girls and that's the only way they know how to get their attention.
Jake: What are you saying?
Charles: All of this teasing. This elaborate date. Somewhere deep down, you like Amy. Like, like her like her.The same rule applies here, though I wasn't entirely sure of it, mainly because it wasn't much of "teasing", but more like full-on bullying! Even when he noticed their pranks were going too far, he made sure he humiliated her (and Taryn) and made them feel as lowly as possible. It was just too ugly! But hey, look how things turned out for them...
Before, I never knew how far I would go. Now I believe I have the answer. I will go as far as there is to go. I will go way too far.
The brutal massacre! Dear God... I had to put the book down and go for a walk. I couldn't go through with the whole scene at once at first. Then I just skipped it all... It was Unbearable for me to even go through with it! Balekin had betrayed them all... Madoc... WHAT??? Why would ha do that? They all turned against one another and it was UUUGLLLEEHHHHH. But one thing's for sure. Through her stumbling and mumbling, Jude managed to get something out of it all. Her plan didn't go as well as she had in mind at first, but it went through, in the end... Like no one had even expected it to go!
Desire is an odd thing. As soon as it’s sated, it transmutes. If we receive golden thread, we desire the golden needle.
Some bits in the book... I wasn't in favour of, literary speaking. For instance "Only idiots aren’t scared of things that are scary"... seriously? I've kept notes of these, so I'll just list them here:
- Madoc's crest had been meticulously described multiple times in the book. There's no need to go over it again and again once you've painted a holistic picture of the item/garment in the reader's mind
- "I knock the tunic to the floor and climb under the coverlets, pulling them over my head so that I am slightly smothered. So that I breathe in my own warm breath. I fall asleep like that".... Yeah, what's that all about?!!??!?
- "Then he did notice. He's looking at me, and I'm looking back at him, and it's the strangest thing, because I thought Locke would never notice anyone like me. He's smiling at me like he did that night at the Court, as though we shared a secret. He's smiling as if we're sharing another one."
- "Now we're both ashamed"... *smh*
- And Holly, sweetie, it is OK to use common terminology like "knock the door", and any other way to describe the action of knocking rather than repeat "rap the door", "rap softly", etc
-"And then the cry goes up around the room, from Queen Annet to Queen Orlagh and Lerd Severin"... No it doesn't! Royals don't "Cry out". You see, these repetitive fallouts in the language just kill the whole thing! Here are some alternatives:
* Royals/Members of Court commenced to sounding their loyalty to the crown
* With some tangable hesitation, members of Court began voicing out their loyalty to the crown
Idk, I'm not writer, but hey, at least they sound better than "cry out"!
The odd thing about ambition is this: You can acquire it like a fever, but it is not so easy to shed.
Overall, with the downturn of so many YA fantasy book so far this year, this one actually hit the jackpot! It's was tiring to read at first, with so much world-building... It was like going on a wild goose chase. But once it started, Jude was on a roll! And damn gurl, did you deliver!
He rises from the throne. “Come, have a seat.” His voice is replete with danger, lush with menace. The flowering branches have sprouted thorns so thickly that petals are barely visible. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it?” he asks. “What you sacrificed everything for. Go on. It’s all yours.”
Short Analysis:
Book cover: (5 stars)
Very beautiful! Sets the perfect aesthetic for the story!
Plot: (4 stars)
Jude, a mortal living in Faerie with Madoc who murdered her parents, and her two sisters
She's had enough with being the weakling, the mortal pushed around and looked down upon by everyone. She tries to secure a position for herself in high courts to protect herself and her siblings
Soon, she finds herself in the midst of a royal family feud over the crown, and she has to intervene or it all goes for nothing
Story structure and content: (4 stars)
A breathtaking flow of events!
From the crazy prologue of the story, the worldbuilding, the (somewhat) complex, yet stereotypical characters, their relationships with one another, the secrets, betrayal, mischief... It was all worth it!
On the other hand, there was so much put in the worldbuilding! And I get it, it is important for the preparation of the reader for the events that followed. But seriously, it was around halfway through the book that the main plot was beginning to make sense.
I loved the side plots! I really did! Similarly, I was getting worried as not much had been added to the main plot, and so much else was going on. The danger, where Holly would kind of forget about the main plot and pour all her energy into the side plots had been successfully evaded!
Writing style: (3.5 stars)
Holly's writing style isn't my favourite, frankly speaking. There were too many instances where I had to put the book down for some wording that made no sense or lines that were not on par with what (I personally) deem acceptable
In a similar manner, it was an easy read. Quite enjoyable!
Ending: (4.5 stars)
Magnificent! I never expected things to turn out the way they did. I had other ideas in mind. There were some clues, here and there for what Jude was planning to save Oak and save the crown from falling on the wrong head.
Nevertheless, the betrayal and resentment Cardan felt for Jude is only right.
Final rating: 4.2 stars /5
I truly enjoyed reading The Cruel Prince. There was just enough action, mystery and suspense to get this book the hype it deserves. As for the romance, yes, I agree, it was cute and some moments make you squeal and all. However, some of the writing simply ruined the moment...
Anywho, I can't wait to find out how things work out for Jude and the rest of the characters in the next book, The Wicked King.
Thank you for reading!
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