Started: 03/11/19
Finished: 18/11/19
Spoilers: No
3.5*
This is going to be a strange review for me to write, and possibly a strange one for you to read, cause although at times it'll sound like I'm shiting on this book (cause at times I am), I did enjoy this book A LOT.
This is a book of two parts for me. It feels like two different books by two different writers in many ways.
I simultaneously want to hold this book up Simba style and rave about it, and also want to throw in across the room and rant.
Bare with me on this one and I'll try to explain.
Characters
Okay so there's quite a few characters and I have feelings for all of them so I'm going to rush through this briefly.
Jude: loved
Taryn: hated
Vivi: liked
Cardan: hated, then disturbingly loved ( more on this later.)
Madoc: hated (he murdered your parents. Um, NO!)
Locke: hated
Nicasia: hated
The entire royal family: hated
Oak: who gives a fuck?
Everyone else: MEH!
So basically Jude and Cardan are the best thing about this book, but we kinda already knew that, didnt we?
Plot
I'm strangely torn in my review of this book.
On one hand, I found the first 3/4 of the book very slow and frustraing at times, but then that final quarter of the book blew my mind and I couldnt read it quick enough.
That last section of the book has me wanting to rate it five stars, but the majority of the first part has me thinking more like two or three stars.
As good as the ending is, and as excited as I am to read the next book, I can't overlook how angry the first part made me. But let me explain why.
Bully plot lines.
As someone who was bullied throughout high school, I find no joy whatsoever in reading a book in which the MC is severely bullied. And nowadays readers are so aware. Everything's triggerwarning this or triggerwarning that, but no one ever says triggerwarning: extreme bullying. Well I am, right now.
Sure, the book's called Cruel Prince so I knew Cardan was going to be a dick, I just assumed he was a general dick and not just a dick specifically to Jude. He's a bully. He's a nasty piece of shit and he's a coward.
In the latter half of the book however I found myself, disturbingly, liking him, and I didn't want to. I had to keep reminding myself how nasty he was in the beginning, cause frankly there's no excuse for bullying.
The sad, strange fact is, I like Cardan, and that sort of makes me feel dirty. Once he stopped being an ugly piece of shit though and started to work along side Jude, my enjoyment skyrocketed. All the deceit and scheming and court politics were delicious, and I devoured it all. After the half way point, there were many chapters that kept me reading into the small hours and I enjoyed these chapters infinitely more than the first half.
Setting
Elfhame (faerie?)
The map was great but didn't help me too much. I loved the setting but ultimately was left a little confused. I feel like the world building could've a bit better. I would've liked more explanation and backstory. So many other courts were mentioned and I didn't really have a clue who they were of where they were meant be from.
I enjoyed the depictions of seelie and unseelie creatures, and the way in which the opulent parties are described, but I would've like more in general in regards to the rest of the world.
Writing Style
As I mentioned before, this is a book of two parts to me, so I'll review as such.
The first 3/4
So, granted, there are some quite lovely lines in this book and real great descriptors, but for the most part, I got the sense that it read more like a middlegrade or an early YA.
Something about the writing just felt really basic and unsophisticated to me. It felt almost contained, like I wasn't allowed let my imagination run wild, free to make connections and assumtions. It felt too much like the author was holding my hand so I didn't run off, explaining things I was perfectly capable of figuring out for myself.
This book isn't subtle in it's narritive style either. Jude is an almost frustrating first person narrator in the way she points out every observation, just in case I missed it. Show me, don't tell me. Please stop telling me.
The pacing was sluggish and I often found myself flicking through later chapters and reading passages to see when something exciting was going to happen.
The final 1/4
Or more specifically, the coronation chapter onwards. Shit really hits the wall here. Although I suspected a little of what was to come, I didnt anticipate the extent to which it would happen. From that chapter onwards, I was hooked. Everything about the remainder of the book was exciting and engaging and snappy, and everything it should have beem from the very start.
Somehow the narrative, pace and writing style all changed. Everything changed. I honestly can't praise this part of the book enough. It flipped my opinion of the book completely, and quite frankly, I haven't been this excited to continue a series since I binged The Raven Cycle last December.
Final Impression Did I enjoy the start of this book? A little. Did I enjoy the end of this book? Damn right I did. Will I continue the series? Abso-fucking-lutely.
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