Politics! Romance! More politics! More romance under the guise of unadulterated hatred! There’s so much going on in this book, and for the second installment in a series, I was much more entertained than I expected to be. The unexpected connections to the ocean realms of Faerie were welcomed, seeing as I try to consume as much sea-related literature as I can. I was definitely taking notes on how Black described things happening underwater. I’ll emphasize once again how political this book is. I admire how the plot juggles so many moving parts regarding the best efforts of a mortal girl to keep control of the throne through manipulating the High King. Like, home girl’s under a whole lot of stress. At times I really don’t like her, in all her brashness and emotional suppressing, and then other times I just want to give her a hug because she’s trying to do so much all on her own! I love the trope of her being the actual ruler of Elfhame, pulling puppet strings to make Cardan bend to her will. Every glimpse we get into the mortal world offers the otherwise fantastical landscape of this book a dose of normalcy that I think really sets it apart from other fantasy series. One second I’ll be all in the grotesque, inhuman landscape of the Fae, and the next I’m watching Heather, Vivi’s girlfriend, taking care of Oak in her apartment. The balance between the two is great. My one main gripe with the world building is how Heather kind of just jumps on board with being in Faerieland a little too easily. I wanted to see more of a freakout, which I think would’ve been more believable. I think it’s certainly believable to see her get glamoured later, and watch Jude grapple with the ethical (or not so ethical) consequences. What I was so here for, though, was the slow but steady progression of Jude and Cardan’s relationship. Jude’s unique narrative voice shines in her inability to see that the hatred she’s convinced motivates all of Cardan’s wrongs against her isn’t actually hatred. There’s still some hard feelings—she quite literally tricked him into a throne he doesn’t want—but the level of denial she manages to function with is crazy. The scene where they finally give in to their “hatred” for each other had me giggling and kicking my feet. I also thought (without revealing any spoilers) that the ending of this book exceeded my expectations. So much groundwork was laid for the culminating events to make sense and thoroughly shock me. Cardan’s a sneaky little guy! But I can’t help but love him for it and applaud him for figuring out a way to take back some of the power Jude’s been sitting on. He’s such an interesting, illusive character, given that we only get to perceive him through Jude’s eyes. And the work that’s done through the scene at Taryn and Locke’s wedding to establish how Faerie marriages and vows work was so cool to see click into place later. I can’t wait to see how the final book wraps things up and leads to more surprises, cause honestly at this point, I don’t know what could happen next. There are so many possibilities in a setting as vast and Wonderland-esque as this one!



Some of my favorite quotes from The Wicked King:

"Despite growing up among the Folk, I do not always understand the way they think or feel. They are more like mortals than they believe, but the moment I allow myself to forget they're not human, they will do something to remind me. For that reason alone, I would be stupid to think I knew Cardan's heart from his story. But I wonder at it.
I wonder what would have happened if I'd admitted he wasn't out of my system."

"The High King has made a bargain to get me back."

"He continues looking at me in this strange way, as though he's never seen me before or as though he thought he might never see me again."

"'Yes, my sweet villain, my darling god. I will be as sober as a stone carving, just as soon as I can.' And with that, he kisses me on the mouth."

"Sweet Jude. You are my dearest punishment."

"I imagine what it would be like to have my own crown, my own power. Maybe I wouldn't have to be afraid to love him. Maybe it would be okay."

I'm gonna do my best to write this is as a spoiler free review, so it might end up being on the shorter side, but oh well. When I first started to seriously peruse the fantasy genre, I remember reading this book's description and thinking, "Enemies to lovers? Sounds too dark." How funny it is to see the evolution of my taste over just a few years. Because I loved this book, and it strikes me as a true enemies to lovers, especially if compared to the fantastic Fourth Wing series' romance which I really think just isn't enemies to lovers. A series can still be fantastic without this trope, though, and my favorite parts of Fourth Wing don't all revolve around Xaden and Violet's relationship. Just as my favorite parts of this series' first book aren't all wrapped up in the complicated relationship between mortal Jude and immortal Cardan. I was informed by several friends and BookTok content creators that the plot leans more heavily into fantasy politics than fantasy romance. I expected to be less enthralled with a more political plot, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Maybe it's the subtle building-up of tension between Cardan and Jude that blossoms into an unlikely alliance, the ethereal and fascinating worldbuilding Jude describes for readers, or the complexity of Jude herself as not only the narrator, but a human girl living in the Faerie world and the reality that her parents were brutally murdered by the man she must now call father. So many aspects of Jude's trauma, life in a Faerie gentry household, and tenuous relationship with her twin sister, Taryn, combine to make her one of the most admirably complicated female heroines I've encountered in a while. Precisely because she has bloodthirsty moments and can admit  her hunger for power should be checked, I admire her even more. Her hyperfixation on ascending to a level of power that would rival even the most brutal of Fae and assure she can protect herself from hurt she's experienced in her past is just so well developed throughout the plot, informing her actions and motivations every step of the way. 
As I said, for the sake of leaving this spoiler free, I'll merely gloss over how many times the last 100 or so pages of this book had me sitting up to correct my posture and pick my jaw up off the floor. The twists and turns! Black's genius use of Jude being an unreliable narrator who doesn't reveal all of her secrets and schemes to the reader! Scaffolding of everything Jude learns in becoming a spy and growing up with a general father to execute her crafty plans! It's all so good and, I thought, came together so beautifully! I didn't see the cherry on top twist coming until it was actually happening, and that was such a delight. I posted on my socials as soon as I read the last page about rushing to the nearest bookstore for the rest of the series, but I wasn't really joking---I had them in my hands within the next hour. I've already started The Wicked King and am actually gonna go back to reading it right now. :)


Some of my favorite quotes from The Cruel Prince:

"Because you're like a story that hasn't happened yet. Because I want to see what you will do. I want to be part of the unfolding of the tale."

"He leans in and closes his eyes. 'Most of all, I hate you because I think of you. Often. It's disgusting, and I can't stop.'"

"I step out of my second life the same way I stepped out of my first, holding too few things and with great uncertainty about what will happen next."

"'Have I told you how hideous you look tonight?'...'No,' I say, glad to be annoyed back into the present. 'Tell me.'
'I cannot,' he says, then frowns."