ARC Review #2: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Hello fellow bookworms! Welcome back to Roy Reading Co! I apologize for being a little behind on my reviews, I've been hung up since I broke my laptop! But it should be fixed really soon! Today I'm excited to be reviewing Holly Black's latest ARC The Cruel Prince! This was the first ARC I grabbed of the shelf when I started my job at An Unlikely Story. I hadn't really read any of her fae books before, but I recognized her name from the "Spiderwick Chronicles" Series. When I first grabbed this galley, there wasn't a summary really anywhere online, so I'll be sure to provide one below! I will say this book took me a while to read, but simply because life got in the way.

So a quick summary of the book is basically, that Jude (a human) lives in the Fae world with the Faerie that murdered her human parents. She struggles to fit in this faerie world and she really tries to prove herself and show that she belongs. But there's a change of power coming in the kingdom, she becomes a spy for the prince, meets some Unlikely allies, and gets totally tangled up in the politics of the Fae World.

This is supposed to be the first book of a series (I believe a trilogy but don't quote me on that). The series right now is projected to be called The Folk of Air series, but "The Folk of Air" wasn't really discussed in the book at all. The Cruel Prince is set to hit shelves January of 2018 and I would definitely buy this book! Since I've already read it, I will probably be waiting to buy the paperback. I didn't love it so much that I need the hardcover but I definitely liked it and would want it on my shelves. I thought I had pictures of the unfinished cover but I guess I didn't take any so the unfinished cover is the stock photo above and the final cover looks like this:

Compared to the cover I had this one is super beautiful!! I know if I saw this on the shelves I would definitely want to at least read the blurb, if not buy it! Talk about coverlove!

Now for my the good stuff- my thoughts on the book:

I actually really enjoyed this book! In the beginning I was not sure how I felt about it, and I contemplated not finishing it, but by the end it got really good! Like I said, I haven't read a lot by Holly Black, or even now that I think about it, a lot of Fae books. So I guess my opinion is not the most valid, but I thought this was a super unique idea! Especially I think since I haven't read a lot of Fae books, this felt like something new and really original! I think I was so in love with the idea that I wanted to keep reading to make sure that I loved it.

We all know that I love world building- it's one of my favorite parts of fantasy books. And oh boy. Did this book have some word building. This faerie kingdom that Jude lived in was so interesting and different! Like people rode horses and toads and there were all sorts of interesting creatures dwelling there! I felt like I was exploring a new fantasy world and the detail just sort of immersed me into this new place.

I will say it will definitely be easier to read this book if you're someone who's read a lot of Faerie fiction, or even more of Black's books. I personally haven't, and I found it a little difficult to read because I wasn't totally up to speed with the tropes and the different kinds of fae that were mentioned throughout the book. But if you're someone really familiar with "Fae" worlds, you'll totally understand what's going on.

Another problem I had with this book, was that it had a distinctly slow start. There was a lot of build up to the initial conflicts and problems that the plot of the book revolved around. To me, it didn't feel like the plot really started moving until at least 1/3 of the way through the book, maybe 1/2 way. And honestly the plot really really started moving and I was genuinely interested really only in the last 1/4 of the book. But at that point it was clear why so much buildup was necessary.

The end left on sort of a cliffhanger, so I am definitely intrigued to read the next one though there's really no news about when that book will be out! I will be on the lookout worry not!

I thought the character development was really interesting throughout this book. The protagonist really struggles with wanting something she can never have and fighting to prove herself, while at the same time doing some pretty criminal things. And honestly, it was just plain weird to be rooting for a character that was not that great of a person. Like spying and thieving is all good fun but I don't feel great about wanting the best for a murderer. But still, it was so interesting to see Jude develop as a character and struggle with who she's becoming as a person.

There was also a lot of very twisty scheming in this book. I felt like I couldn't trust anyone! Every time a character started to act nice, I was immediately suspicious of them. It honestly happens in every YA book, and I honestly think it's a product of this happening in every single book, and I've learned that any character you might love, might also be stabbing you in the back. But it felt like every character was backstabbing and plot against Jude and I! Trust no one in this book. It almost got to the point that there was so much scheming and backstabbing that I would get confused and think "Wait a darn minute, has this person betrayed me yet? Is it safe to like them?". A few times the betrayal was so surprising you couldn't help but be like "Well played Black, well played."

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Holly Black's latest fantasy novel, The Cruel Prince, despite its sleepy start. The concept was super fascinating, it was such an intriguing world, that was dark and lush and exciting. The details really made the story come to life. It's action, adventure and betrayal really kept me on my toes and once I got into the thick of the action I couldn't put it down! Normally when I read galleys, I'm horrible and I keep them because I love them. I liked this one so much I immediately brought it to work the next day so my friends could read it and I would have someone else to talk about it with! All in all, I'd happily give this book a 📚📚📚+.5 (3.5) out of 5 simply! Super excited to see where this series goes!

Have you gotten your hands on an ARC of The Cruel Prince? What did you think? If you haven't are you excited to read it?? Let me know in the comments!

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-Kayla