Review – The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Leave a commentMarch 1, 2019 by ceresbooksworld
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Book one in The Folk of the Air series
Publisher : Little, Brown Books
Publication date : January 8th, 2019
Source : Hardcover
Rating : Evil Love
Synopsis
You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.
The first lesson is to make yourself strong.
After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.
When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.
Review
This book has been in my TBR since January last year when I received my fairy loot and I hesitated, not knowing this author. And finally I embarked on the adventure and I might as well tell you that I loved it. I continued with the novel The lost sisters and I finish The Wicked King today. This book is a real little gem, the story is exciting, the characters are all different but each one is interesting.
Taryn and Jude’s parents were murdered by a Fae, Vivi’s father who is also the twins’ half sister. All three of them will be raised by Madoc, Vivi’s father and the murderer too. I might as well tell you that life in Faerie when you are human is not so good.
Jude is the main character and she is the one who tells us the story. I really appreciate her, she has will, courage and even if she makes strange choices at times, she is very intelligent. It’s a little thanks to Madoc, because it was Madoc who taught him everything. I really like the relationship she has with Taryn, they are twins, they share everything but at some point you have to make choices and I side with Jude.
Taryn is weak and naive where her sister is strong and suspicious, she wants to live in Faerie and does allow herself to be treated in an abject manner without reacting.
Vivi, for her part, does not want to get drunk on Faerie, she does not accept that her father is killed her mother and that he sees no problem there. She is still there to protect her two little sisters.
Madoc is an ambiguous character, he is manipulative and extremely intelligent. I can’t say that he’s a character I love, but I have to admit that the story wouldn’t be the same without him.
And then there’s Prince Cardan, the handsome man who hates humans and has an unnamed hatred for Jude. My little heart is failing for him because deep down, I know there is good in him if I love his bad side.
Quick word: If you want to read a magical and exciting story, don’t hesitate and go for it.
Chronique
Ce livre est dans ma pile à lire depuis le mois de janvier l’année dernière ou j’ai reçu ma fairy loot et j’hésitais, ne connaissant pas cet auteur. Et finalement je me suis lancée dans l’aventure et autant vous dire que j’ai adoré. J’ai enchainé avec la nouvelle The lost sisters et je finis The Wicked King aujourd’hui. Ce livre est un vrai petit bijou, l’histoire est passionnante, les personnages sont tous différents mais chacun est intéressants.
Les parents de Taryn et Jude ont été assassinés par un Fae, le père de Vivi qui est aussi la demi sœur des jumelles. Toutes les trois elles vont être élévées par Madoc, le père de Vivi et l’assassin aussi. Autant vous dire que la vie en Faerie quand on est humains, ce n’est pas terrible.
Jude est le personnage principal et c’est elle qui nous raconte l’histoire. Je l’apprécie beaucoup, elle a de la volonté, du courage et même si elle fait des choix par moment étranges, elle est très intelligente. C’est un peu grâce à Madoc, car c’est ce dernier qui lui a tout appris. J’aime beaucoup la relation qu’elle entretient avec Taryn, elles sont jumelles, elles partagent tout mais à un moment il faut faire des choix et je me range du côté de Jude.
Taryn est faible et naïve là ou sa sœur est forte et méfiante, elle veut vivre en Faérie et se laisse traiter de manière abjecte sans réagir.
Vivi quant à elle, ne veut pas ivre en Faérie, elle n’accepte pas que son père est tuée sa mère et qu’il n’y voit aucun problème. Elle est malgré tout présente pour protéger ses deux petites sœurs.
Madoc est un personnage ambigu, il est manipulateur et extrêmement intelligent. Je ne peux pas dire que c’est un personnage que j’aime mais je dois reconnaitre que l’histoire n serait pas la même sans lui.
Et puis il y a le Prince Cardan, le beau gosse qui déteste les humains et qui voue une haine sans nom à Jude. Mon petit cœur flanche pour lui parce qu’au fond, je sais qu’il y a du bon en lui-même si j’aime son mauvais côté.
En bref : Si vous voulez lire une histoire féérique et palpitante, n’hésitez pas et foncez .
About the author
Holly Black is the author of bestselling contemporary fantasy books for kids and teens. Some of her titles include The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), The Modern Faerie Tale series, the Curse Workers series, Doll Bones, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the Magisterium series (with Cassandra Clare), The Darkest Part of the Forest, and her new series which begins with The Cruel Prince in January 2018.
She has been a a finalist for an Eisner Award, and the recipient of the Andre Norton Award, the Mythopoeic Award and a Newbery Honor. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret door.
Links
Goodreads : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26032887-the-wicked-king
Ceres Books World 