My Review
Content/Trigger Warnings: Abuse, Sexual Assault, Murder, Death
I had looooved The Cruel Prince so much so it’s no surprise that I went into this confident that I was gonna love this one too.
What I did not expect was such a slow start! It wasn’t bad by any means just such a drastic change in pacing and that ‘slow start’ lasted until the first part of the book/book I ended.
Jude knew there were risks when she made the decisions that were in the ending of The Cruel Prince, what she probably did not expect was Cardan to be so thoroughly opposed to the job, I mean, we all know he’s stubborn, she is too, but he has found ways to work around her ‘deal’ and I adored that.
The politics were intriguing if not wholly engrossing and really the joy of this all was Cardan’s sass in this novel. It was at level 300 and I’m completely there for it.
Do I like Jude’s twin sister Taryn anymore in this book?
NOPE.
I used some very choice words in my notes that I won’t share with you all but just know, it was all well deserved.
So, slow start, intriguing politics, but what’s this? Book II/second part decides to shift into high gear. “HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS IT’S GONNA BE A BUMPY RIDE”
It goes 0-100 in like a page and does not slow down, this was so great.
Jude’s taste for power keeps her not full on paranoid but forever looking over her shoulder, constantly trying to restrain Cardan from trying to sabotage her and having to deal with seeing her twin and dealing also with the guilt from her ..stepmom, we’re just going to go with that term.
This court and its games could ruin Jude and she has a choice, to let it, or to fight. So, she does as she was taught, she fights.
Jude though doesn’t have all the nuances of Cardan down and needless to say he is distracting her in the worst/best ways.
Jude and Cardan, they are my OTP forever now haha.
Cardan really shines in this book, his sneakiness is up by miles and when Jude is forced to put some trust in him and work together it’s *chef’s kiss.*
Once more that ending left me with my jaw-dropping, holy hells this was a new level of intensity, I cannot believe that happened to Jude, I cannot believe Cardan did that, I cannot believe anything apparently as I sit here looking over my notes.
So, when I weigh in the slow start with the rest of the book, I give this 4/5 huge cups of coffee and rejoice in knowing that I didn’t have to wait for book 3 to come out as I got to read them all in a row basically. HUZZAH.
I’m off to go stare at my pretty books and make coffee, and pretend that I’m not putting off my to do list.
The Caffeinated Reader 