Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over 30 fantasy novels for kids and teens. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. She grew up in New Jersey, but now currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library. If you're interested in more of my reviews of Holly Black's work, you can find them all here.
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.
Jude is yet another amazing fantasy heroine that gives this genre great credit. An orphan with a family, the general's daughter without a penchant for violence, Jude is a study in contrasts. After all, that's the kind of character most intriguing to readers. Jude is obsessed with power and belonging, two things many young girls are obsessed with. While her power and belonging relates to that of Faerieland, it doesn't take away from how relatable Jude is as readers begin their adventures with her. To cement her character in our minds, Jude repeats certain statements about herself. Those simple statements are some of the most powerful sentences in the whole book, reminding readers how similar they are to Jude, or how all plights in life are the same. These statements are also representative of how blunt she is as a character, and also how manipulative (yet another contrast). These simple, repetitive statements are great for her character, especially because they contrast so well with the darkly magical descriptions of the Folk and Faerieland. Black does a magnificent job honing Jude's character, and then painting the character of Jude for us. We know exactly who she is, and can yet still be wowed by (but not entirely surprised at) her choices.
I absolutely adore how Holly Black characterizes each of her characters. At first, I wondered how I would keep track of Locke, Valerian, Nicasia, and Cardan; sometimes, it's easy to loose track of so many different characters when so many are introduced at once. However, after a few pages, I knew that wouldn't be a problem so long as I paid attention. Black, through Jude, never lies about her characters. It is just how Jude sees the world, and how Jude views the people and faeries she's interacting with. When Jude sees something new, she readjusts, and so does readers' perceptions about characters. This makes for a fun game to see if readers can guess the true nature of each of these characters, or to predict what each of them will do or how they will react to specific events. And, when politics doesn't get in the way, Black makes sure to give specific actions to specific characters so that Jude can harken back to those moments, giving readers a gateway into remembering all the specifics of those characters. It is beautifully done, and makes the novel feel character-driven, along with the necessary world-building and plot elements.
Black is no stranger to Faerieland, that much is clear by the intimate way she writes about it in The Cruel Prince. No detail is left out, and Elfhame is just as immersive as any fantasy reader could have hoped it would be. This was something I came into The Cruel Prince expecting, but not because I've read any books by Holly Black before. I actually listened to a podcast 88 Cups of Tea where Holly Black was in conversation with Yin Chang, and Black referenced a lot about how she fell in love with fantasy and faeries. This podcast is amazing, especially for budding writers and fans of Holly, so I've linked it here. Black builds a sprawling yet intimate, magical yet dangerous, and beautiful yet grotesque faerie world that abuts our familiar mortal world (which, in ways, is just Elfhame's mirror). Like I mentioned before, Black creates this world with darkly magical descriptions, but those descriptions are built on a foundation of minute details. Such a strange blend of description and detail might seem like a strange way to build an entirely unfamiliar world, but Black does it in a way that works. When we look at the world, we do so through lenses that capture the big picture and the fascinating details, if you think about it. Black applies this philosophy beautifully to her world-building, which is why Elfhame feels so real and not so distant after all.
Writing within Faerieland has to be tricky, because faeries can't lie. Black never lies to the readers either, which makes ever twist of the plot shocking and -- at times -- physically heart-stopping. Every single sentence is purposeful and important -- you have to really read the book to not miss all the details, which makes reading such a magical experience. Black constantly gives us little details about the characters that make readers ask questions (like, how did Jude lose the tip of her finger?) so that we're never bored as we read. Reading is like a treasure hunt, where if we decide to join, we get to uncover all the answers. And yet, we can still be shocked at those answers, and where the journey takes us.
Jude somehow pulled off the craziest scheme without a hitch -- well, almost. I can't wait to see where her decisions take her, and if she'll be able to keep pulling it all off. Her journey continues in The Wicked King. Find my review of The Wicked King here!
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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