Monday Reviews: Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Highly anticipated January release from a popular YA fantasy author.
I have to say despite desperately wanting this book for its cover alone, the story is even better! It is unlike any plot I could ever imagine.
It is that good!

Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Published January 2nd 2018 by Little, Brown Books
Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Fairies, Romance, Paranormal, Young Adult
Page: 384 pages
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review by: Tina



Synopsis

I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
 And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven years old 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 the odds and work at being better than all the fey.

Review

To start off, I wasn't prepared for how quickly the story transitioned from childhood to young adult. All the events that played in Jude's young life unraveled beautifully.

Stolen out of the human world to be raised by a Fae general, Jude is forced to adapt and find her place in the Fae world. Humans are lowly mistreated creatures and Jude will never be one of them but she can always best them, be better than them.

One after another, Jude's dreams are crushed but she continues to hold her head high. Somehow she finds herself playing in a game of political war. From her daily battles with her school bullies to outwitting her foster father, Jude never has a moment of peace. She must prevail, she must outsmart all; she must grow up fast. 

Thoughts

The fae world is indeed a land of misleads and betrayals. Loved the masterful way of blossoming this story into a complicated world of intrigue and mistrusts; oh the scheming. The last page has me gasping for more. And I combed through Holly Black's pages searching for signs of the next book. Sigh, I need more... 

  

Monday Reviews: Everless by Sara Holland

 

 

Good morning readers~ it's been a while since we've last posted.

How is everyone's New Years? Excited to get back into fantasy. I want to share a January release that caught our radar~ hope you will find it as thrilling as we do.

 

Everless by Sara Holland
Published January 2nd 2018 by HarperTeen 
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Page: 368 pages
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Review by: Tina


Synopsis

In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency—extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one’s own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries.

No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever.

Review

In a land where the commodity is blood, people work for, pay, and use blood mixed with iron as trade.

Jules is someone special and has been on the run since she was a small child. Her father warns her never to bleed and to stay away from the Queen at all cost. Despite her father's warning, she was desperate to find work and went back into the castle.  


She discovers her blood acts differently from those around her and uncovers a mystery her father has been hiding from her since birth, something bigger than the crown, the origin of blood iron and magic of time. 

Thoughts

Well thought out fantasy novel from debut author Sara Holland. I have high hopes for her to develop this into a complicated world of the rich vs the poor and Jules who seem to defy all odds, will unite the two worlds.