- By Holly Black
I’m pretty sure anyone who has googled fantasy books or been on bookstagram in past has come across this series or its first book, ‘The Cruel Prince’. I would see ‘Cardan and Jude’, ‘Jude and Cardan’ ALL the time in reels or posts and I couldn’t wait to be a part of this fandom.
This is why I started the books with really really high expectations and to be frank, it was worth it. I finished it in two days.
This compelling trilogy by ‘Holly Black’ revolves around Jude Duarte, a mortal girl living amongst cunning and dangerous faeries in Efhame with her sisters. Although the story follows her journey to power, her entanglement with royal affairs slowly gets out of hand, leading to shocking betrayals and jaw dropping revelations. Simultaneously, the books also focus on her hate-love relationship with Cardan Greenbriar, a faerie prince.
Black flawlessly encompasses all aspects of love, hatred, action and suspense in this series and even though I felt that the start of the first book could have been a LOT better, the second book makes up for everything. The character development is also astounding, especially Cardan’s, since my initial dislike for him thawed completely after book one itself. However, Jude will always be my favourite in this trilogy. She’s such a badass and makes an amazing fantasy protagonist and role model (not me wishing I could be trained in sword fighting as well).
Moreover, it’s a known fact that a lot of fantasy book worlds take a while to grasp but with the clear-cut narrative and the simplicity of Black’s writing, it was really easy to slip into Efhame and get lost in Jude and Cardan’s entrancing story.
In conclusion, although these books may be a tad bit overhyped(okay a lot), it’s an amazing starter for fantasy readers or for anyone looking for a quick really fun read like I did.
If you’ve read these books or want to, let me know your thoughts in the comments :)
I'll just leave you with my favourite quote from ‘The Cruel Prince’-
“What could I become if I stopped worrying about death, about pain, about anything? If I stopped trying to belong? Instead of being afraid, I could become something to fear.”
And of course the most relatable quote from ‘The Wicked King’-
“Revenge is sweet, but ice cream is sweeter.”
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