The Cruel Prince

Jude, in her need to safely navigate the treacherous world of Faerie, finds herself catching a tiger by the tail.

I’m not the target audience for this, and that’s fine. The writing is fine, as is the world-building, and the characters. They are on par with what I’d expect from this genre, and it’s fine. A bit tropey at times, but, again, that’s to be expected. I'd have liked more political intrigue, and perhaps more layers to both story and characters, but that's not the point of this book. Still, I’ll probably read the rest of the series just to have done it.

NO SPOILERS // 3.5 // What a ride

ACOTAR meets Assassin's Apprentice

I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes:
- Fast paced books
- Morally grey protagonists
- Political intrigue
- Female-led fantasy where romance is barely present

I overall enjoyed my time with this book, especially around the halfway mark and onwards where things really started to pick up. None of the characters are likeable, but that's kind of the point. Horrible people doing horrible things to each other in an entertaining fashion.

The biggest let down was that the stakes and my level interest were so low for roughly the first half of the book. First instalments usually need time to introduce stuff, but that wasn't my problem. It was more that what the characters were dealing with just wasn't interesting, especially when you contrast it to the second half of the book. I definitely think the first half could have been a little more compact with he middle section a bit more expanded and the book would have been better for it. The only other thing that stopped me from rating it higher was that I found the world-building a little lacklustre. I don't think it was suuuper important for this story, but it would have helped in making the world feel more real and immersive.

Overall it was a fun quick read that I had trouble putting down so I'd definitely recommend it.