REVIEW: The Cruel Prince - Holly Black

Title: The Cruel Prince 

Author: Holly Black

Publisher: Little Brown Books

Date Published: 2nd January 2018

Pages: 370

Format: Audiobook 

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

Okay. I have no idea where to start with this review. I'll be honest and say that I really only picked this book up because of the HYPE that it was getting all over the bookish community. I'm glad I read it, but I'm also a little disappointed. I've heard countless amounts of people rave and rave about how amazing and incredible this is and honestly, it was good... but it wasn't amazing. It kind of fell a little flat for me. Let's dig a little deeper and I'll tell you my thoughts.

The book was good. It was entertaining, the plot was interesting (if a little confused) and generally it kept my interest. I can't rave about how amazing this book was because it... wasn't. It was just ok. It was forgettable. 

I kept comparing this to A Court of Thorns and Roses and honestly, this book was much better than that one but it was still very same-same. There was nothing really unique about this, it had everything I was expecting. It was predictable and just a very typical YA fae story. 

I think a lot of the side characters fell flat and were a little bit comical. They were just mean for the sake of being mean. I wanted more of a backstory on why it was so difficult for human people to be brought up in a fae world. We didn't get that. We were just told it was hard. I wanted to see more of the hardships, but it really just fell flat. 

I'm intrigued to see where the story goes, I did enjoy the plot but I can't say that this is the best book of all time. 

Eh I wasn't impressed with this, but I'm still interested in the sequel. What were your thoughts?!