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The Cruel Prince was a great novel. It centers around a young girl named Jude whose

entire life was flipped upside down when she was just seven years old. Forcefully

taken from her home, Jude was made to live in the mystical world of the Fey in the

house of a powerful fairy general. She and her twin sister are some of the only

humans in the fey world, and, because of that, are treated as inferiors and are actively

harassed.

Ever since Jude was brought into the fey world, she has wanted to be powerful like

the fairy people. Each fey has some sort of magical ability and unnatural strength

that, as a human, she cannot compare to. She decides that the only way for her to

finally become their equal, she must become a knight, a protector of the court.

She faces many obstacles in the way including a very cruel prince (hence the book’s

name) as well as schemes and plots that shatter her world yet again. Jude must figure

out who she is and who she wants to become as her life is once again uprooted. Will

Jude finally become the source of power she so desperately wishes to be? Or will she

be forced into submission by the dominant fey people.

I would definitely recommend reading this book. Jude is unlike any other female lead

that I have read before. She is strong and extremely hardworking when it comes to

getting what she wants. She is a fighter and, as her character develops throughout the

story, readers can see that her fighting spirit actually becomes a force to be reckoned

with. She is not special or powerful like the fey she grew up around and is constantly

told how her mortal life is totally insignificant. Despite these setbacks, she continues

to work and fight for power. Her determination and intelligence is also admirable.

Because she started her life at such a disadvantage, she knows how to manipulate her

opponents and use their strengths to her advantage. She is a very fascinating and

diverse lead who confidently kicks down doors and takes what she wants.

Not only is Jude such an interesting character, but the book is also filled with insane

twists. Just as I thought the story was going one way, the entire plot shifted. It

definitely kept me on my toes and wanting to read more. The relationship between

the prince and Jude was also intriguing, though it is not the typical romance

relationship. Like all the relations in this book, theirs is complicated and messy, but

definitely worth reading about.

I also liked how Jude’s twin was so different from her. The two had grown up in the

same home, been raised in the same way, and harassed the by the same fey people,

yet the two kids could not be more different. Jude’s twin, Taryn, is a passive and quiet

character who sits down and does exactly of what is expected of a human girl in a fey

court. On the other hand, Jude is a fighter who will knock down any barriers that get

in her way. Taryn’s life almost serves as a way to show how much Jude differs from

everyone in Fairyland and how her life and actions are completely out of the

ordinary. She is the underdog. She knows that for her life to be anything like how

she wants it to be, she has to claw her way up from below the starting line and never

let her guard down. And she does it. She works harder than anything to get what she

wants, which I find incredibly admirable. Read this book!

Checkout The Cruel Prince from the Newport Beach Public Library.