the cruel prince
Fantasy

Book Series Review:The Cruel Prince-Holly Black

I recently read the fifth book in The Cruel Prince, “The Stole Heir” and decided to review all books in this series with a rating for each. This is a very popular fantasy book series, one of the rare ones that actually deserve the hype. So let’s begin!

The cruel prince book ranking and order

Book 1: The Cruel Prince book review

Jude Duarte, a mortal girl, is taken to the High Court of Faerie along with her twin sister, Taryn, and her older sister, Vivi, after their parents are murdered by the faerie general Madoc. Raised in the treacherous world of Faerie, Jude struggles to find her place and gain power. She faces hostility from the faeries, particularly from Prince Cardan, the youngest and cruelest son of the High King. Jude’s determination to belong and her ambition lead her to become entangled in the court’s political intrigues and to make dangerous alliances.

The cruel prince is my fave book in this series. I like it better than the other books. Most people say they like the third book in this series but I have to disagree. It’s rare that the first book is the best but here it is.

The world building is fantastic & how the characters are introduced is even better. Jude and cardans relationship in this book is all enemies no lovers. It’s a perfect beginning to a slow burn. I wouldn’t say there’s any romance in this book though maybe 30% to none. Don’t go into this series looking for romance it’s not part of the fantasy romance genre.

Book rating :5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book 2: The Wicked king book review

Jude has successfully maneuvered herself into a position of power as the seneschal to High King Cardan, whom she controls through a secret oath. As Cardan grows into his role, their power struggle intensifies, complicated by their burgeoning feelings for each other. The political landscape becomes even more perilous with threats from rival factions and external forces. Jude must navigate betrayals, conspiracies, and the dangerous waters of Faerie politics to maintain her grip on power.

The wicked king is just as good as the cruel prince. We get to watch characters develop more. Especially Jude and cardans relationship. There’s more tension and romance between them which gives readers the slow burn enemies to lovers trope. Also in this book there’s more political world building.

Book rating: 4.7/5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book 3: The Queen Of Nothing book review

The queen of nothing was a cute little wrap up of Jude and Cardan’s relationship. This book is definitely more heartfelt then the previous ones. Moments between the characters relationship is revealed. And the final battle is both shocking and page turning.

Book rating :5/5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book 4: How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories book review

This book is a collection of stories that provide deeper insights into Cardan’s past and his perspective. Through various tales, readers learn about the formative events in Cardan’s life, his complicated relationship with his family, and how his feelings for Jude developed.

I haven’t read this book yet because I felt it was unnecessary to read. This book just gives information and stories about how Cardan grew up and his relationship with his family and how his feelings for Jude developed. When I do decide to read this book I’ll update and write my review.

Book 5: The Stolen Heir book review

Set after the main trilogy, this book follows Suren, also known as Wren, who is a former queen of the Court of Teeth. She is hiding in the human world but is drawn back into Faerie when Prince Oak, Jude’s younger brother, seeks her help. Together, they embark on a perilous journey to rescue Oak’s father and uncover dark secrets that threaten the stability of Faerie.

The stolen heir was not as good as the cruel prince. We get to revisit oak and see his side of some of the events that happened in the main trilogy and he’s all grown up. Takes us on his and wrens adventure to rescue his father. Readers are introduced to new characters and also hear about the old ones.

At some points the story seemed to drag it got boring in the middle. The end left on a cliffhanger which made me upset so I just wanna know, is there going to be a stolen heir book 2? There is (I looked it up just now) it’s called the prisoners throne. Once I read that book I’ll update this post.

Book rating:4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Character List and Relationships

– Jude Duarte: Protagonist, madoc’s adoptive daughter, cardan’s love interest, taryan’s twin sister, viví’s younger sister, oaks adopted sister,former lover of Locke who betrays her,the court of shadows (the bomb, the roach, the ghost) Allies


• Cardan Greenbriar: Relationship with Jude,Balekin Greenbriar- oldest brother,Madoc- political rival,Locke- friend that betrays him,Nicasia -former lover ,Dain Greenbriar-older brother,Eldred Greenbriar-father


• Madoc: Jude , viví and taryans adoptive dad, oaks father , cardans political rival


• Taryn: Jude’s twin sister, oaks adopted sister, vivi sister,Madocs adoptive daughter, Locke- husband


• Vivi Duarte: jude and taryns older sister, oaks adoptive sister,heathers girlfriend ,madocs adopted daughter,

This is just important characters relationships.

Most asked questions

Is the cruel prince spicy? No it’s not.

What are the tropes in the cruel prince? Enemies to Allies to lovers.

The cruel prince age rating? 13 & up

Happy reading!

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