The Cruel Prince started off with Jude as a child and her abrupt and brutal abduction to Faery and just like that one, The Wicked King starts off with another childhood memory, one of brutality of a different sort.
“Sometimes Jude longed for her bike, but there was none in Faerie. Instead, she had giant toads and thin greenish ponies and wild eyed horses slim as shadows. And she had weapons. And her parent’s murderer, now her foster father. The High King’s general, Madoc, who wanted to teach her how to ride too fast and how to fight to the death. No matter how hard she swung at him, it just made him laugh. He liked her anger. ‘Fire,’ he called it. She liked it when she was angry, too. Angry was better than scared. Better than remembering she was a mortal among monsters. No one was offering her the option of training wheels anymore.”
This is a story of a girl who grew up too young and Holly Black’s analogy of Jude and riding a bike and how faerie forced her to learn without training wheels was an insightful way of looking at things. Creative, unique and exudes her talent as a writer.
I was definitely looking forward to seeing more of the Court of Shadows especially after the death of Prince Dain and original leader of said group. After Jude had Cardan crowned as King to save her brother, Oak from a place of power he was unready to take, gave her a sense of leadership and power as the true hand to the Crown. She had complete control over Cardan and would keep that until a year and a day, as their deal stated. She was even more cunning in this novel, however, we see her emotion for Cardan cloud her mind and ultimately leave her in a devastating spot as this book reached its end. But I won’t spoil it because it is a shock that is too good to know before diving in. But, seeing the Bomb have feelings for the Roach was adorable! However, I wanted to see more of the Ghost and that kind of backfired on me, to say the least.
“I served Prince Dain’ the Ghost says. ‘Not you.’”
I knew it was fishy when he lured her away from Taryn’s wedding but I never would have thought that he would turn against her and work with Prince Balekin and the Undersea. That shook me to my core. I really wanted to see more of his backstory and now I don’t know. He still doesn’t seem evil to me…Time will tell I guess.
Speaking of the Undersea, I absolutely loved that angle completely! Something about the sea makes it all the more mysterious and spooky, especially when they spot shadows coming up from the ocean and walking to the Tower of Forgetting, it was so intense!
I also don’t know what to think about Cardan’s confession to Jude once she is freed from the Undersea’s prison. Is his soul finally learning to love? And let someone in? or is it an elaborate ruse to get Jude back? Because it felt real to me.
“I wasn’t kind, Jude. Not too many people. Not to you. I wasn’t sure if I wanted you or if I wanted you gone from my sight so that I would stop feeling as I did, which made me even more unkind. But when you were gone—truly gone beneath the waves—I hated myself as I never have before. Perhaps I am foolish, but I am not a fool. You like something about me,’ he says. ‘The challenge. My pretty eyes? No matter, because there is more you do not like and I know it. I can’t trust you. Still, when you were gone, I had to make a great many decisions, and so much of what I did right was imagining you beside me, Jude, giving me a bunch of ridiculous orders that I obeyed nonetheless.’
I am robbed of speech.”
How else am I supposed to feel about this?? I loved this touch because it showed Cardan actually open up about his feelings and it made him vulnerable!! As he took a step toward humanity it seemed like Jude took a step towards immortality. Their actions and feelings started to change and become opposites. He got warmer and she got colder. So I applaud Cardan and his subtle justice he takes against Jude at the end (again I won’t spoil because it’s too good) but I believe it was a bitter taste of her own medicine, so well done Cardan!
This book made me like Cardan way more than I think I should. He had humour throughout and some just seemed to stay with me. Either because they were funny like this one;
“It seems I have a singular taste for women who threaten me.” That one’s for you Jude! Haha
Or ones that are funny but real and just seem to stick with you even after bigger bombs drop to twist the plot further.
“Someone tries to betray the High King, murder. Someone gives you a harsh look, murder. Someone disrespects you, murder. Someone ruins your laundry, murder.”
It was funny and ironic because Cardan said it as a joke but it was true. All of it! And I mean this quote seemed to liven his personality and I really liked seeing him joke like that because it again showed how he seemed to warm up as all others around him turned to cold-blooded murder (as he put it).
I rate this a little lower with 4 stars because I felt like The Cruel Prince had a few more scenes where twists were either gorey in nature but completely unexpected or thrilling because you don’t know what that character will do next. I am beyond excited to see what happens in the conclusion! And although so far it hasn’t been happy, I’m really hoping for a happy ending! 2020 seems far away as I think about it now so it better be good! Haha!