#i also love Jude's dynamic with Madoc

[discountsoysauce]

Okay, I'd like to preface this by saying that I'm not trying to be hostile, nor am I defending Cardan's actions by saying this. I agree that what he did was cruel and despicable, and there's no justifying that. I also agree that Taryn is a complex and nuanced character who clearly loves and cares about her sister and was just trying to survive the same way Jude was. That being said, I don't agree that the things Cardan did hurt Jude more than what Taryn did. I'm not saying I think what Taryn did is worse than what Cardan did, but I do think that Taryn's actions hurt Jude the most. At that point, Jude and Cardan were strangers. He hated her, and she hated him, and she knew exactly what to expect from that. His actions hurt her tremendously, but they were never betrayals. Everything he did was exactly in character with what she thought of him.

Taryn, on the other hand, was her sister. Her best friend. The person in this world that she trusted more than anyone else. They did everything together and trusted each other with everything they had. Taryn's betrayals hurt the most not because what she did was actually worse than Cardan but because she was someone who Jude truly trusted and loved with all her heart. (Once again, this is not arguing over how bad Taryn's actions really were it's arguing over the emotional impact they had on Jude. I can go on a whole other rant about how Jude ignored Taryn's concerns in favor of her own stubbornness, which led to Taryn feeling frustrated and ignored, but that's a different conversation). Jude puts Taryn's safety and comfort above her own on multiple occasions (letting her make an oath to never help Jude at the lake so she can get out, advising she stays behind from the lessons when she knows its going to be dangerous, agreeing to risk her life going back into Elfhame to prove her sister innocent for a crime she committed even after being betrayed) and yet Taryn doesn't really do the same until qon when she takes Jude's side over Madoc's after he nearly killed her (if you do have examples of her doing this feel free to rebutt me it's been a couple of days since I read the book).

Jude understands that Taryn made an oath to never help her, but she also knows that humans don't have to keep their oaths. Even more so than her secret relationship with Locke or tricking Cardan into relinquishing Madoc from his oath (which i will get back to), I think the most egregious betrayal Taryn ever did was leave Jude alone with Valerian. She could have accidentally kicked her chair or bumped into her on the way out or even just broken the oath even one time and apologized on her hands and knees for it after or played it off as if she didn't know Valerian was planning something. She could have stuck her neck out for Jude exactly once. And she didn't. She left Jude alone with the most violent and bloodthirsty man at the top of a tower completely defenseless. I fully believe that no matter what oath she was under, that was something Jude would have never done. And Jude felt betrayed by it.

The Locke thing to me is a betrayal but an understandable one. Taryn obviously had her reasons for doing what she did. She wanted to fit in the same exact way that Jude did, and she found her opportunity to do so. It's obvious she was torn up about lying to her, at least to some extent, although some of her actions call that into question. She told Jude that she wanted to find her place in Faerie by finding love, and Jude wanted to find it by becoming a knight. Since love didn't seem as important to Jude as knighthood, Taryn took the opportunity that was presented to her. That being said, this betrayal still hurts Jude tremendously, although it's less because of Taryn's actual actions and more how Jude perceives them.

I think this last betrayal is what especially hurt Jude. Throughout the story, the one thing Jude wanted was power. Like Taryn, who wanted to fit into Faerie by finding love, Jude wanted to fit in (or surpass) Faerie by obtaining power. While Jude didn't approve of Taryn's relationship with Locke, she does accept it. She never does anything to sabatogue Taryn's attempts at reaching her goal. She gets her a wedding gift that will make her more beautiful than her, she attends her wedding to Locke despite the betrayal she feels, she threatens Locke to never betray her sister, and she keeps quiet about Locke attacking her and stealing her wedding gift because she wants her sister to be happy. Jude never does anything to get in the way of Taryn's goal of finding love (after her relationship to Locke is revealed). The same cannot be said for Taryn. Jude had finally gotten the power she'd been vying for since the beginning. She was struggling to maintain it, sure, but she had it. Then Taryn came in pretending to be her and tricked Cardan into freeing Madoc of his oath to the crown and relinquishing control of half of their military force. And just like that, everything Jude had been working to build came crumbling. Whether or not things would have turned out differently had Taryn not done that (which I think they would have), Taryn knowingly sided with Madoc in trying to tear away Jude's power, the one thing she had been fighting for this entire time. While Jude never dared get in the way of Taryn's goal, Taryn willingly got in the way of hers. And that, to Jude, is probably the worst betrayal of all.

So yes, I *do* think that Cardan's actions were worse than Taryn's, but I do not think that they caused Jude more pain.

"we need more complex siblings dynamics"

you bitches can't even handle taryn duarte

[petratherrock]

What was it like for Cardan sitting around with The Roach, The Ghost, The Bomb and Jude in TCP? Drinking while discussing the plan to take over the crown

Like, Jude said she felt weird that she and Cardan are conversing as if they've been buddies for years, she notes that he does have his caring side (this is in the event after the bloody coronation before the final real coronation) and she keeps getting surprised by how Cardan also has emotions other than being a jerk (esp after witnessing Balekin punishing Cardan)

She's been so into trying to fit in into Faerie and thinking she has to best Cardan to find her place she never considered him having emotions (or that he was never really his enemy before) lol

But like

What was it like for Cardan? Suddenly this mortal girl he had been losing his mind over for who knows how long, of whom he's been crushing hard on is talking to him and opening up to him and he her (Jude would never own up to that tho lol), and he's seeing all these sides to her that he'd never know of if he just remained Cardan the jerk prince who wanted her dead to her

The dynamics here is

Jude : enemies to lovers

Cardan : enemies to crush to lovers

What was in his mind in that bit when they were lying on the ground and he inadvertently reached to touch her ear? Or when Jude told him that Valerian seeked her out at her house to kill her? Or when she told him, she was angry most of the time because if she wasn't, then she had to feel fear?

He told Jude all he saw prior to that was a mortal girl who got the parental love that he wanted from king Eldred, and he, like Jude was actually wrong because while Jude was loved and cared by Madoc, she was still stolen from the mortal world and basically adopted by her mother's killer, that she had to learn to survive in his world

Of all my favourite bits (other than the Court of Shadows bits, I love them), the parts where Jude finds out stuff about Cardan is very interesting to me

And I WANNA KNOW WHAT HE THINKS TOO

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

I was not even paying attention to Dain… Madoc is hot tho

Hmm are there any changes to Cardan that would make you more interested in him and his romance with Jude… aside from him aging him up lol

I just really like how Dain represents her goals and desires but with a more unsavory undercurrent. Like she desperately wants to be a knight in his service, and he instead offers for her to become a spy for him, which inherently has none of the dignity and respectability she was hoping for— the main reasons she wanted to be a knight in the first place! But then the personal recognition is enough for her that she loses sight of that reasoning

Then he makes her stab her own hand to prove her loyalty to him, without any magic compulsion, when that’s something you’re led to expect in this book! Like no she has to fucking grit her teeth and do it completely soberly and of her own volition. He rewards her by granting her immunity to all faerie magic and compulsion— something that’s been a huge source of fear and humiliation for her!— but not from himself. That’s hot

The beat where they’re talking alone and Oriana hurries in because it’s clearly inappropriate is really fun to me. I like the way that highlights Oriana trying to protect her and Jude not even being aware enough of her own vulnerability to really comprehend it. Tangential, but generally, I very much wish we got more of Oriana

Anyway, I mean, the trajectory I suggested for Judecardan in that other post would make him more interesting to me! And I do mostly enjoy the vibe of him being so grossed out by his attraction to her lol. And like most of the more popular shippy scenes are fun! Their bonding around the coup, her betraying him by giving him the crown, and the prospect, if not the execution of, their dynamic in TWK, where he’s resentfully entirely in her power, are all compelling!

Unfortunately he’s also so woobified, and the relationship trajectory is so repetitive, exacerbated by how the third book revolves around Cardan at the expense of all of Jude’s other relationships, make me not care for him very much. But like he’s a decent enough love interest! The dynamic just doesn’t necessarily make my brain go brr either

[tilseptemberends]

Okay, so I've finished book one and I have... thoughts.

I'm not entirely invested yet. I do enjoy a few of the characters but it's overall a much more involved read than I usually go for. Which feels weird to say because it's within the same genre. Anyway character thoughts (including spoilers) below.

I don't get why people like Locke. The second Nicassia said "he ruins things" without specifying who I knew she meant Locke, not Cardan. I can see liking him at the beginning where he does seem genuine but by the end, he's engaged to Taryn and still trying to cozy up to Jude. He also spent an entire evening making out with Jude after dressing her in his dead mother's gown which... yikes. This boy needs therapy, not a girlfriend.

As for Jude's family in Faerie. I do like Madoc. He feels like a pretty realistic father character despite the supernatural elements of the story. He clearly cares about Jude, Taryn, and Oak, despite not being their biological father. But he does so in a way that doesn't detract from how different humans and fey are in the world. It's very interesting. I like Jude, and her dynamic with Cardan by the end is fun to see. She reminds me a lot of Inej Ghafa, who I love dearly, so I'm sure I'll end up adoring Jude, too. Oak is the cutest, and if anything happens to him, I will walk into moving traffic. I'm pretty neutral on Vivi right now. She hasnt interacted with the story much yet. I actually really like Taryn. She's fighting with Jude about Locke which is... a choice... but overall, she's taking a very practical approach to a nonviolent method of surviving life in faerie.

Didn't like Dain. Liked Balekin even less. (Which is the point, I know.) Spent most of the book being massively annoyed by Cardan. Which is probably intentional since were locked in Jude's perspective. But admittedly him asking if he'd told Jude how hideous she looked that night and following it up by saying he can't tell her because he can't lie was pretty cute.

All in all, I'm not itching to read/listen to the next one immediately but I'm intrigued enough to keep going at least. Should I listen to The Lost Sisters next or just cut to The Wicked King?

[midnightrooftops]

Cruel Prince Series Review

What I knew beforehand: Enemies to lovers, a boy bullies girl in school. Originally Ithought it was modern high school and was like "weird my favorite fantasy author went that way but its a trend" and was wrong. It's fantasy high school, lol.

Pros: Madoc. I LOVE Madoc and Jude's relationship. It's so messy. I love that she loves and hates the man that raised her and that he is both a good and bad dad.

Cardan. I strangely really liked Cardan? I hate bullies and was expecting to hate him but the entire time I was reading between the lines like "Jude, I think you're projecting." He's a little asshole but he has a lot more charisma than I expected.

Cons: the storyline itself is a bit meh. A little farfetched. It was fun in the moment but anytime Jude mentioned "two months ago we were in school" I was like "yeah this is weird."

More thoughts:

I did look at some fanart while reading the series just for fun so I got spoiled a little for things. I didn't hate Tayrn like a lot of people do, she seems pretty bamboozled by a fae. Idk why that didn't read like a betrayal bc I wasnt spoiled about that but I was still like "yeah girl, you're onyour own."

I really liked the unreliable narrator. Something would happen - "Cardon stepped closer" - and then Jude would interpret it - "to get a better view of us drowning" - and the whole time I was like "girl, he's trying to make sure you dont drown." It was fun, got a bit tedious by book three but still kinda funny.

The snake thing was dumb as fuck. I could tell what she was going for and it just did not work.

Characters are ok. I dont really remember Tithe, I read it in middle school, but I was overjoyed any time Roiben was on page. It was like reading the author's fanfic about her own character, I loved it. But others, like the court of shadows, they were meh. Very tame, I think, for what I expect from faeries. I liked the dynamic of the sisters and the step mom. The brother, Oak, was often written like a toddler and then suddenly older in the last books. That felt weird but I also cannot wrote kids.

Idk it was fun and i liked it and i want to read more. Not jumping into the other books but in the mood for more fae shit (not acotar)

[hyukascampfire]

greetings, my dear ashlynn. i, 🌰, am back in your inbox with the promised cruel prince review. (no spoilers, fear not hyukascampfire-ville.) i was making some goblincore doodles just now for my media journal when i remembered you both prompted me to pick up this series and make art again so i had to rush over here‼️ first of all, i’m obsessed !? which is embarrassing because my sister just had peak literature in her room all along and i wasn’t made aware of how peak it is exactly. but she was staring at the amount of tabs she put on the first book and went “huh? which pages did i mark? nothing really happens in the cruel prince” and i was like “???” idk if it’s because i’ve consumed too much cosy fiction this year but the stakes were high so it definitely seemed to me that things did, in fact, happen.

but, i digress. you asked me to guess who your fave character is omg… idk, cardan? or oak. everyone loves oak though so i wonder if it counts (^^;) it’s probably an unpopular opinion but so far i don’t really understand what makes cardan so attractive besides the fact that he’s handsome. and i do mind that he has a tail 💀 but we’ll see. love jude though! she’s so unhinged (positive.) vivi as well. taryn… i understand why she made those questionable choices but she’s on thin ice. i love how convoluted and nuanced the characters’ family ties are; there were very interesting relationship dynamics at play and the court politics were also very intriguing. i actually sort of expected the ending but that’s only because i have N in my mbti lmao. and you were right about how similar the ~feels~ are to tsfawc, while your work itself is original. either way, i’m happy to conclude the year with such amazing reads, especially since you announced your event— i can’t think of anything interesting to request so i’ll let the others work their magic!!

just my two cents… i’d love to know in advance which requests you got, like, just the members and the tropes (?), the suspense is killing me (> <) no pressure though, i know you’ve already got a lot on your plate. good luck with everything! and take care ♡ 🌰

YESS i was waiting for this!!

i think that, even though i absolutely agree that so much happened in the first book (i mean… let’s talk abt balekin and what he did to his family omfg), the second book is ABSOLUTELY my favorite. it’s SO fun. i absolutely need to see your reaction to the ending. jude has an incredible brain.

my fav character is axtually the ghost!! i effing love the ghost. he’s actually part of the inspiration for taehyun in TSFAWC 😣 i can’t say much because you still have so much to go, but i just love him.

the tail 😭😭 i totally understand u w not seeing cardan as all that yet, but omg from this point forward…. you just gotta come back here and tell me how you feel abt him with each. holly does a great job at throwing you around >.<

i absolutely love jude as a main character. n her sisters,, well, vivi especially. taryn…………. ahem. anyway, i am SO with you on the layered and murky family dynamics. i ESPECIALLY love jude and madoc. their relationship is my #1 favorite aspect of the series. the whole, ‘my father is the worst man in the world, and i am his daughter’ thing? ugh. yes.

also the ending omfg i wish i had seen that coming because when i read it, i was ten shades of shocked and anxious. i was so excited for jude and cardan and how things were going, and well… but i think this just made things SO much better, and of course makes sense for jude’s character. phew.

thank you so much for always coming by to talk, and for wishing me well on the event!! i’ll go post the members and tropes for the event rn, i’m so excited, i’ll do it just for you hehe

[elliepassmore]

The Prisoner's Throne review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: scheming, court intrigue, faeries, morally gray characters

Stolen Heir review

First, I want to say I called it regarding Oak being exactly the kind of person you would think he would be after being raised by Madoc, Oriana, Jude, Cardan, and Taryn (and the Court of Shadows). How any of his family members were surprised by that I have no idea. I'm also happy to say that Taryn actually does seem to have gotten herself together and is much more tolerable in this book than in TFOTA (of course, that was also 8 years ago and Oak's POV is not Jude's, but still).

I enjoyed Stolen Heir but I think I like this one better. I did miss Wren's POV, though like with Oak's in book 1 having her narrate would obviously give some things away. The first book was quest-based and so we got to see a lot of new people and places, and much of the plot centered around the details of the quest. This one, on the other hand, is more along the lines of what we saw in TFOTA, where it is court against court and scheming abounds among those who want power. Questing plots are fun, but I do think I prefer this kind of intrigue.

I was so excited to see Jude and Cardan! I found it interesting to see them through someone else's eyes, since in previous books we've only ever seen them through their own, but Oak is Jude's younger beloved younger brother and Cardan's nephew and BIL, so he has a very different view of them than they do of themselves. That being said, they are more or less exactly as we remember and I enjoyed getting to see their interactions and reading their sass.

Oak is a trickster and a liar. He is, as mentioned, exactly the kind of person you would expect considering his family and the people he grew up around. He's good at scheming and seeing what people want, but he's also incredibly loyal and would do anything for his family. Unlike his father and sister, Oak still doesn't have ambitions for the throne. But that doesn't mean he isn't still involved in court intrigue, and this book shows us just how involved he is and the manipulations he's willing to use to protect the throne. It was interesting to get inside Oak's head since he's a child in TFOTA and Wren is technically a newcomer. Oak does feel like he needs to live up to what his family needs and the sacrifices they've made for him (though let's be honest, Jude's queenly ambitions only started with Oak, she sustained them on her own), and that creates an interesting dynamic. Related to this and to his scheming, Oak has so many layers and masks to portray the things he wants people to see that he also feels like people don't really know him, and it was interesting to see how that plays out.

Oak and Wren spend a lot of time separated in this book, but it's clear Wren is trying to get a grasp on what's going on and what exactly she wants. There are enemies closing in on all sides, and she struggles to find a workaround for all the people demanding things from her, and who have the power to make those things happen. While I know it would probably spoil some of what she's planning, I would've liked to have Wren's POV in this book alongside Oak's. I feel like we are missing part of the story by not having it, and I'd like to know more of her thought processes and how she decided what was a strategic decision vs not. That being said, we do get to see how Wren behaves when she feels she's been betrayed, and we also get to see how far she'll go for those she's loyal to. She and Oak have that in common, and the two are seemingly willing to rend anything, including themselves, apart in order to save those they love.

I enjoyed following the schemes of this book and learning who the new enemies were. Bogdana is obviously a major player, but there are people in the background that get revealed as the book progresses. In TFOTA, the game is putting someone on the throne and keeping them there. In this book, it's about determining who is out for the throne and what (and who) they have on their side, all while trying to balance competing priorities.

I'm particularly interested in the setup at the end of the book that seems to promise at least one more book set in Elfhame/involving the Greenbriar-Duarte clan. Holly Black had an interview that basically said as much, so I'm super interested to see where that goes (here's hoping it's Jude and Cardan again!).

Overall I enjoyed this book and seeing how Wren and Oak's story ended. It was interesting being inside Oak's head, though I did miss Wren's POV as well. I'm looking forward to future books set in this world!

[daddycardan]

Lol taking inspiration from another ask, how would u rate the main characters from ur fav to least fav w reason?

Oh my god, this is gonna be a thesis but I’ll do my best.

Jude and Cardan take the joint number one spot, I can’t decide between them. I love them for different reasons. Jude—she is a vicious, opportunistic woman, which we don’t see much of in literature. But she isn’t just crazy for no reason. She has a haunting backstory and the lack of security and powerlessness is a huge theme in her life, so she has clear and justified motivation for her horrible deeds that are done in the name of acquiring power. I say gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss. As for Cardan, he was an unwanted, abandoned child who, when he realized he couldn’t get any attention otherwise, decided to become cruel and horrible—as the proverb goes, all publicity is good publicity. To that, I say manipulate, manslaughter, manwhore.

Madoc is probably number two, just because I love how he is their father and the killer of their father, at the same time. It’s in his nature to thrive on murder, and he’s clearly very impulsive with it. But he also clearly regrets some of those decisions, and he has the spine to bear the responsibility to raise his daughters, and despite the abuse they suffer at the hands of other faeries, Madoc actually provides really good conditions for them. He loves his daughters and it’s cute. His power struggle with Jude is absolutely delicious. And his final words to Jude when he stabbed her are just heart-wrenching.

The Court of Shadows crew are Jude’s first faerie friends and they all have their unique skills and relationship dynamics. I am a bit of a Jude x Ghost shipper, so the Ghost will always have a special place in my heart. Ugh, why does he end up with Taryn tho.

Oak and Vivi are cute and supportive, and I love the relationship they have with Jude.

Nicasia is hot. And she does care about Cardan, despite the little misstep she made with Locke which she seems to deeply regret. So that makes her a little more humane in my eyes.

Taryn is a bit of a bitch and a shit sister, and she’s very selfish with her decisions, and her motives don’t really appeal to me.

Locke is the last scum of this Earth. I wish he died a more painful, bloodier death.

[thethrobbingmembers]

THE THROBBING MEMBERS REVIEW: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Love it when a boy is doomed to be King. -Catherine

Put #1 Madoc fangirl on my gravestone. -Sarah

If I could go back in time to middle school, I wouldn't give myself any hints or information about the future, but I would tell myself to read this book. Even though it wasn't out yet. -Margo

I didn't think I liked this book and then I IMMEDIATELY read all of the sequels. -Lily

Dream Cast

Jude

Cardan

Theme Song: Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift

Summary: Spirited away to the world of Faerie after the murder of her parents, Jude learns how to adapt herself to survive, shedding kindness for cunning and empathy for ruthlessness. Her greatest tormentor is also her greatest teacher -- Prince Cardan, the youngest and cruelest son of the High King, who rips wings off of subjects and promises Jude a grim future should she not submit.

Yet not everything is as it seems. Just as Jude is about to prove herself as worthy of her place, a coup disrupts the High Court, forcing new alignments. Now Jude's ambitions rest in the safekeeping of her enemy...

And she can use that to her advantage.

Review:

I can't be objective about this book. After the horror that was A Court of Thorns and Roses I never wanted to read a book about fairy romance again. I could have died never having to hear the words "dark and mysterious and cruel" ever again and been HAPPY.

Thank God I decided to ignore those emotions and give this book a chance.

What to say that hasn't already been said? I could be clever and analytical, waxing poetic about the reversal of gender dynamics between Jude (power-hungry and desperate to better herself through strength and violence) and Cardan (babygirl helpless with a sword but cunning and insightful, able to endear himself to his kidnappers with his bratty wiles). I could talk about the cycle of abuse and how it affected Jude and Cardan differently, or the wickedly brilliant manner in which Holly Black approached Madoc (he may show up to your fencing tournament covered in blood but he will show up). Or how just like all the best books about the fair folk, they are beautiful and frightening and irreverent of gender norms -- queer and rich in a way most boring heteronormative dark YA novels are not.

But what I will say instead is this:

Thank you Holly Black for restoring my faith in YA fantasy novels about morally grey fruity cunty characters. I read this book within a 24 hour fever dream, cackling and drinking wine and experiencing a high I have not felt since I was in middle school. You're a real one.

-Smurf

10/10* stars

*I cannot be objective about this book so while this rating is not by unanimous consensus, everyone rated this book extremely highly

Additional Ratings

Hot Dad: 10/10

Madoc may be a murderer but he is such a supportive dad -- the opposite of left baby. No notes. (Honestly we forgot we were supposed to hate him)

Lore about the fair folk: 8/10

Loved the vibes, but could have done without the over-explanation of how fairies don't have periods.

Notes: Cardan is babygirl.

[eerna]

Eerna i finished TSH AND THEN found out it's sequel comes out in A YEAR idk why I'm surprised i mean ofc but damnit it's SO LONG UNTIL THEN OHMYGOD WHY ARE THERE BOOKS RELEASED SO EARLY IN THE YEAR NOW I HAVE TO LIVE FOR ANOTHER LITERAL YEAR FOR IT

Oak and Wren my beloveds they're in so much pain where we leave em at the end of the book whyyy holly black

But i really love how unconventional her stories and characters are btw. Also can't wait for Cardan and Jude actually showing up next book

Fave Oak's quote of Jude "she will wear you (Lady Nore) as a hat" *chefs kiss*

Also am I spying a potential father-in-law - daughter-in-law dynamics between Madoc and Wren? Like this man collects twisted relationships with his (step) daughters and now Wren yes pls I'd like to see more of that !!! I think he just has a soft spot for daughters (sorry Oak lol)

NOOO REST IN PIECES LOLOLOLOL getting a 2023 book 3 days into the year sounds great in theory, is horrible in practice. Glad you enjoyed it!! Oak and Wren are my babies. All atrocities instantly forgiven. Madoc is just addicted to being fatherly to messed up kids, he absolutely tried to dad Oak too but Oak is too used to it so he just rolls his eyes and goes "DAAAAD just STOOOOOOP". Can't wait for Jude to show up because I honestly have no idea how she will react. Will she be pissed? Will she be entertained?? Obviously Oak is in no danger and landed himself in this mess because he defied her, but also Wren made the entire family look like idiots. 2024 come soon

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Dead Dove, Do Not Eat

I've heard so many good things about Holly Black. I have a very dear friend who loved the Spiderwick Chronicles when we were kids. I see this book all over bookstagram and I understand it periodically makes the rounds on booktok (I'm an old, I don't Tik Tok, so if I'm wrong about this...my bad). I'm also a fan of a good classic fae fairy tale. I went into this book KNOWING that it had enemies to lovers vibes. I don't even dislike the enemies to lovers trope.

And yet somehow, I still managed to be the "I don't know what I was expecting" gif when I finished this book. Let's talk The Cruel Prince.

There were a lot of really good things about this book. Holly Black is a top-notch writer, and the quality of the writing itself is really great. Black is also an excellent plotter, and the momentum and stakes of the story absolutely held me as a I read.

I also really loved the complicated relationships between Jude and Vivi, and Jude and Madoc. The sheer messiness of those relationship dynamics balanced against the reality of Jude having to live with and navigate them is glorious and supremely well handled.

I was less enamored of the dynamic between Jude and Taryn, but that's a personal preference thing because I like when siblings get along just in general--that's my very known bias.

The worldbuilding was absolutely delightful in the book, and the stark differences between human and fae were omnipresent in a highly effective way.

So for many objective reasons, The Cruel Prince is a good book. So how did I end up Dead Dove, Do Not Eat-ed?

I absolutely detest Cardan's pointless, selfish, and gratuitous cruelty. The thing is, the book TOLD me that was going to happen. It's literally right on the cover. So...yeah, I don't know what I expected, but I could not get behind Cardan and that pretty much soured me on the series. This is very much a case of personal taste, and I know that this is a pretty beloved book and series. My plan though, is to eventually read Black's adult debut, The Book of Night, and hope that that one jives a little better for me than The Cruel Prince did.

[harmonyspopculturecorner]

The Wicked King

!!SPOILER WARNING!!

I picked up this book immediately after finishing the first one. Now that Cardan is High King with Jude pulling the strings in the background, it might have seemed like not much else could happen. However, it seems in the world of Elfhame there is always new conflict arising among the different courts of faerie. I’ll admit, this book had a bit of a slower start compared to the first one, but the plot picked up nicely once new threats revealed themselves. Holly Black continues to intrigue me with the way she has built this world and all the court  dynamics, which the reader gets an even closer look at now that Jude is a crucial part of them. I really came to love more of the characters in this sequel, especially Cardan. Even though there is still so much that we do not know about him, those mysteries almost make him more intriguing. Especially when he is interacting with Jude and making the choices he does when it comes to her. Their wedding was a surprise at first, and I wish Jude could finally get a real answer on how he feels about her, as well as her feelings for him. Madoc also grew on me a bit during this story as well. I still don’t fully trust him, but I also don’t fully hate him. He is such a well written antagonist that his reasonings for his actions are understandable. However, you also want to root for Jude and all the hard work she has put in behind the scenes with no credit being rewarded. One character this book made me dislike even more though, was Taryn. In the first book she was already annoying to me. Her choices seem very selfish and just cruel at times. However, her betrayal of Jude at the end was what has solidified my hate for her. Overall, this second book was great! There didn’t feel like as much going on as in the first, but it still kept me reading for more. I cannot wait to see what happens with our Queen of Elfhame, Jude, now that she is in exile.

[youritalianbookpal]

Ten Questions Book Review - The Wicked King by Holly Black

What is it? Jude put on the throne of all fae kind her worst enemy, and now she has to deal with it.

Who should read it and why? I think you will like this if you like annoyances-to-lovers, if you like both Sansa and Arya Stark because we stan queens in every form they come, and if the ocean terrfies you. Please also note that this won't make much sense without having read The Cruel Prince.

Which genre(s) is it? Fantasy, YA.

What is the setting? Faerie, more or less 2019. Not that it matters, but when I told a friend of mine who was interested in reading the series, she was actually surprised it's technically set in the 2010s.

How are the characters? Honestly? I've found them very interesting, especially Jude and Madoc. I thought this series was going to be way more romance-focused than family-focused, and I actually love that it's much more balanced than previously assumed. What I really liked is the investigation in Jude's (and, to an extent, Cardan's) family dynamics.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the novel? The plot was coherent but surprising enough to be lovely. And then again, the dynamics between the characters, to me, really make the series brilliant. However, I think the pacing was a bit weird to me. After the wedding everything sort of felt a bit weird, as either too fast or too slow - and it suits the plot just fine, considering what is going on, but it still felt... Non-fluid to me.

Did I cry and/or laugh? The banter sure is fun in this book. And, while I didn't cry, there's parts of the story that still tugged my heartstrings.

Who shouldn’t read the book? Don't read this without having read The Cruel Prince. Also, this one is stilly pretty dark in some parts, so please consider checking out a proper trigger list before reading it.

Any random comment? It's really not ok how giddy this made me while reading.

Which quote stuck with me?

I want to tell you so many lies.

[sheepfulsheepyard]

ok omg so i also haven’t actually read any of holly black’s books that don’t have to with greenbriar drama™ so i totally didn’t clock that, and i LOVE it.

the idea of creating a court is soooo juicy in a political landscape full of nigh-immortal beings. like, the founder of the greenbriar dynasty is cardan’s great-grandmother despite there being, what, a thousand years or more between her uniting elfhame and cardan’s crowning? jude’s narration talks about the reverence that the folk have during eldred’s abdication (before it’s interrupted) and while obviously he’s the high king, i imagine that that sort of longevity and timelessness to political dynasties and dynamics probably carries over throughout elfhame as a function of the long lives of the fae. i can’t help but wonder if the idea of creating a court almost physically changes the landscape is some way—like, it’s such a large shift in elfhame that it actually produces a physical reaction. cardan (and later jude) as high king is connected to the land, but I wonder if the kings and queens of the lesser courts get a lesser version of that power?

im obsessed with dynamic of the ghost and taryn having seen the absolute literal worst of each other before they see anything resembling the best. like, if taryn’s seen the ghost as nothing but a weapon pointed at the people she loves, what does it feel like when she realizes he can actually protect her? or if the ghost has seen taryn seamlessly ingratiate herself with the folk, what does he feel like when he realizes she can genuinely charm and care for him, too? idk something about your mask being drawn from a portrait of who you are at your core but in colors you don’t know etc

i feel like the edges of the wild is such a terrifying place for taryn and the ghost to be because they’re two characters who ive always read as clinging the most desperately to their roles. the two of them are absolutely gutted when their respective people who they built their futures and identities around (dain, locke) began to use and twist and abandon them. i feel like this would be a special kind of horror in particular for the two of them, because suddenly neither taryn nor the ghost have predetermined roles anymore, especially around each other, and to suddenly be able to redefine yourself when you’ve been driven by nothing but regrets for so long would be, i think, a bit terrifying.

i think bringing some of the extended family (leander’s grandfather/taryn’s father in law, the ghost’s mother) would be SO interesting in part because the family trees in the series are already so wack. i love drama and i also want to explore more of taryn’s sword lessons with madoc that she got (and apparently excelled at!) as a kid because that is ENTIRE nother layer of family drama to mine because i feel like a scene where taryn holds a sword and the ghost successively flashes back first to jude and then straight to madoc because taryn’s grip and stance is the same would be so JUICY !!!

brooooooo i have not stopped thinking about the taryn/ghost court of shadows mission to another court

bestie 🫣 I am SO sorry that I am SO late but i promise i was literally thinking about every day because i was like i have VIBES but i need WORDS to respond!!!

okay, so i was super inspired by your idea of taryn luring all of the queen’s enemies to her for the court of the shadows by pretending to be the dissatisfied, slighted sister. and i was also turning over some ideas about the “wild” faerie who more or less shun the courts and reside the deeper, feral woods because locke’s father was a wild fae but—here was what got me—the ghost’s mother is also (implied to be) a wild fae.

and so the premise is that one of the lesser, smaller courts that’s situated much deeper into the woods (the “court of evergreens” or something idk) finally come to pay their respects to cardan and jude at the palace. since it’s such a comparatively backwater, remote place, being around two years late isn’t necessarily the faux pas that it would be. most importantly: it’s the main point of contact for the vast majority of the wild faerie, so the actual court itself is much smaller in comparison to other courts, with most participants being wild fae who cycle through every couple of decades and stay for a few years and move back out to the wild.

and when the lord of this court shows up to the palace, he decides that as a rural prince, he’s missing out on the trends of all the other gentry. so: he requests that the king allow him the hand in marriage of the queen’s mortal sister. after all, if the king of elfhame has a mortal queen, shouldn’t all the other faerie lords ought to follow suit? imitation the sincerest form of flattery (and loyalty), of course.

[and this is where some actual plot that I haven’t thought of yet would have to kick into gear, mainly what the evergreen court’s lord is larger goal is, why he actually wants a mortal bride to show his loyalty to cardan, how the court of shadows picked up on something suspicious, etc]

a whole running thread I’d like to also tug at is whether or not the wild fae are actually more or less human than the gentry we’ve already been acquainted with—in their looks, in their seclusion, in their regard for mortals—so also a part of this is that the lord is subtly disregarding jude as queen and taryn as his bride, but going straight to cardan.

but. basically this boils down to the court of shadows agreeing to a plan that taryn puts forth. she will go to the court for a year and allow the lord to court her so she can gather information all the while. it’s decided the lord has a year and a day to woo her before he proposes to her.

jude does not want any of this to happen, but taryn—who has only recently been granted something like probation/liaison status with the court of shadows—is very desperate to prove herself not just to the court but to herself. she wants to prove that she can charm and play and manipulate the faerie better than locke did her.

now, the catch is, of course, the ghost is going with her as her “attendant”/bodyguard/contact. and the ghost is watching all of this from sidelines somewhere between disbelief and growing anger, because he saw snippets of how miserable taryn was with locke, and he cannot believe she seems to want to replay this entire drama again from the start.

leander’s there as really the only anchor and i want a huge part of this to be like. taryn trying to figure out what went wrong with her, with locke, with them together, to somehow come up with a satisfying explanation—she secretly wants to see if she can find locke’s father, though she’s terrified of what that would actually mean in consequence. basically taryn trying to stumble her way back through her own decision-making and looking for a future.

but more on the day-to-day side is her and the ghost essentially fending for themselves in hostile environment that is also nothing but revels, picnics, hunts—so they’re so very close to each others’ own decision-making it’s starting to get extremely personal. I really, really want the ghost’s mother to show up—maybe as the member of the court, maybe not even recognizing him—and idea that taryn and the ghost really are on the edge of the wild, the edge of mortality, the edge of a mask. something something how you’re both living in an elaborate masquerade with everybody but each other.

this was VERY rough im so sorry I don’t even know if this is making sense ahhh!!! but here are also a couple of fun points i wanted—

when the lord of the evergreen court comes to propose to “the queen’s sister” in front of the entire court he does NOT make it clear which one and vivi immediately hides

locke’s father shows up at some point and maybe tries to. i don’t know. kill taryn for killing locke 🤷‍♀️ we love family drama

the wild maybe grow to less human features the more time they spend in the wild? i’m wondering how this would affect the half-human ghost…

taryn and the ghost sleeping back-to-back to guard for intruders

the ghost gets brought along as part of taryn’s retinue and as leander’s “sword instructor” despite the fact leander definitely isn’t old enough to walk

anyway thank you for putting your amazing tarynworks out into the world 💖

[hyukascampfire]

hello ashlynn! i, 🌰, have very impressive procrastination skills and one of them involves finishing a 300-page book in record time. so it’s the wicked king time baby‼️ (SPOILER ALERT this time because too many things went down in this book.)

first of all, your favourite character turned out to be a traitor ??? there probably are other things i could begin with, but i genuinely didn’t expect that. i have yet to understand why the ghost believes balekin could help him fulfill his duties towards dain better than cardan and jude when balekin not only threatened dain while he was alive but also quite literally murdered him 💀 also, justice for heather— i know that deep down vivi means well but holly black does a good job at portraying how different the faerie psyche differs from the mortal one, thus making a romantic relationship between the two extremely difficult. ultimately, it’s clear that one of the two has a greater price to pay and it’s often the mortal who does so. it’s like how madoc and eva’s relationship ended in tragedy and watching vivi and heather’s relationship evolve (and deteriorate) in real time makes jude realise that this could be her future if she allows herself to love cardan. oh and, speaking of cardan… i have seen what that tail can do. not exactly my thing but i do see the vision lol i’d kind of started warming up to him but what the fuck was that ending ?? all that for fucking BALEKIN whom everyone hates ??? and i swear everyone collectively hated valerian so much that no one batted an eyelash when he died at the hands of mortal jude although he literally was a regent kid of faerie. i won’t start questioning cardan’s whims because he’s technically a medieval king and medieval kings are just Like That™, but my guess is that he’s exiling jude not to punish her but because he believes it’s the best way to protect her…? especially now that there’s chaos with the undersea and lord roiben’s court of termites (or has that storyline been solved already?) also, the isle of ash he just casually created at the end? 💀 ok edge lord

either way, i love how the author shows that dain’s geas on jude is not only a boon but also a bane— it’s part of human nature to seek beautiful lies and escapism in the face of suffering, and the fey clearly know it’s something they can exploit. but i find that there’s a little more comfort in knowing what is being done to you rather than learning about it in retrospect. and taryn……. yeah. on one hand, i don’t want to be a hypocrite. jude manipulates and deceives for the sake of her own interests, so there’s no reason why taryn can’t indulge in those dangerous games as well. however, i am THE reader so ofc i’m rooting for the fmc !!! get out of the way taryn !! it’s so fascinating to see how jude comes to resemble madoc more and more as the story progresses. the mixture of pride and contempt one for the other. you’re so right about how interesting how their dynamics are. and the whole “you can be happy and successful but not happier and more successful than i am” thing madoc and taryn have with jude. it’s so real. you can love your family endlessly and still envy them for receiving the affection you never got and realising the dreams you never did.

wow, this might actually be the longest ask i’ve ever sent ( > < ) i totally understand if you need time to reply (it’s also ok if you type a short answer lol i won’t be mad about that!) i’m so glad you recommended this series, i’m loving it ♡ looking forward to reading the queen of nothing after i’ve turned in my last assignment of the year AAAAA

remember to take frequent breaks and to stay hydrated. keep warm! love u!

p.s. idk about the people but i sure as hell yearn for beomgyu.

IM SO EXCITED AHHH okay

yes my fav character is absolutely the ghost 😭😭 from day one. i was so hurt when this happened. yk who my least fav is tho?? BALEKIN. i hate that fugly rat. i annotated some of the first book and the first thing i wrote for him was ew cause i hate him. a lot.

and YES holly black was so amazing throughout out the whole series about highlighting the difference of the human mind and the faerie mind. as much as vivi wants to live and belong in the human world, she doesn’t get it all the way. and heather, poor heather (i love her) has to put up with it.

i have seen what that tail can do 💀💀 the ending of this book had me absolutely gobsmacked but OH MY GOD you’ve gotta see what it turns into in the next part. also cardan edge lord LMAOO he rlly is just like that™️

and taryn… she does scheme in her own way. as opposed to jude’s path to fitting into elfhame by burning her own path, taryn took one of the two beaten paths. i understand why she did. but also… she just annoys me with the way she speaks i think 😭 i have a sister so ofc i know it is so true to life, but like you said, man i just root for jude >.<

my favorite scene in the whole series comes up in the next book and just know that i am going to gush to you about it when you’ve read it 🫡 GOD i love that scene. so much. hehe

i’m wishing you so much good luck on your last assignment, and thank you so much for the big message, love!! i love talking to you about stuff 🙂‍↕️

thank you and i absolutely will ♡

(i also yearn for beomgyu still it seems that the people yearn for taehyun hehe)

[badnovels]

im reading cruel prince rn and my god its so gooooddddddddd!!! i love vivi so much so far!!! uggghhh!!

SUCH A GOOD BOOK. Of course I’m probably dropping a curse on us right now since it’s a series and we have no idea how it will end up, but so far it’s just the right amount of edginess with an awesome heroine and enemies-to-lovers things happening and interesting family dynamics. But yes I love Vivi too! But omg I can’t stand Taryn. -_-

Anyway let me know when you finish and we can discuss.