With everything going on in the world, I wanted to escape the world for a little bit. Luckily I found The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. The same woman who wrote The Spiderwick Chronicles back in 2002. The story follows Jude and her sisters as they are taken from there parents and taken to the world of faerie. This place where you have to wear your stockings inside our so you don't get led astray. Jude embraces the world she is in and wants to belong in this world even though humans are highly discriminated against. To stake her claim, she must fight back against a bully who happens to be one of the princes of the High King. He is malicious and wicked towards Jude and her sister Taryn. Jude navigates this world and she builds as a person and finds that she is stronger than she thought.
The setting of faerie is breathtaking, it is something that is built with small things and poems and simple rhymes you learned as a child. The people of faerie are detailed and unique. Everyone is so beautiful and the dresses and outfits are gorgeous. The characters are intricate. Cardan is the prince and he is despicable but you come to understand him and why he is the way he is. Jude is not afraid to stand up for herself and to take her destiny into her own hands. The writing is beautiful and flows. She has a way of being able to build the world while developing the characters at the same time. There is also a mystery in this story.
Overall this book is 5 stars in my books. It is a great way into the world of YA fantasy and a great way to escape the world right now. In a short span of 359 pages, you are completely invested in Jude and Cardan's story. It shows you that love finds you in times of great perils and never to give up on yourself. I am excited to read the next book and get back to you all soon!
