I loved that Holly Black doesn’t spare her characters and that she makes them suffer and go through heartache – because that’s the tone she initially set for these books. Susan Dennard spoke about this in one of her tweets, but I felt like the characters in this book still went through a lot and had to get over real, threatening obstacles and I never felt like the tension wasn’t real.
I was legitimately scared for these characters and it never felt like the ending of the novel or the overall plot did not match the tone. I felt like it shifted more between the two of them, with one having the upper hand at one moment and the other at another, so it really worked. I also felt like their imbalance was somewhat better, although it’s still there.
Anyways, there was a shift in their dynamic, one that I really enjoyed and appreciated. Also side note: don’t me with the “CRUEL is in the title” because I wanted him to be cruel to everyone EXCEPT Jude, okay? Let me be. And I don’t feel like that was the case in the first novel and that was what I expected. The hate-to-love dynamic I enjoy is one without the huge power imbalance, and one where the main characters aren’t abusive towards one another. I have said this in my review for The Cruel Prince, but I wasn’t sold on the Jude/Cardan dynamic in the first book. Even when she goes through HELL, she takes it and moves on and she is just amazing, I love her. She isn’t afraid to do what she needs to do and she is a freaking badass. I love how smart and resilient she is and I love that she gets. I am still obsessed with Jude and she has now solidified her place among my favorite characters ever. There will be no spoilers for The Wicked King, but since this is the second book in the series, there might be some spoilers for The Cruel Prince.
So I was naturally beyond excited for the sequel and to see how The Wicked King compared to my experience with The Cruel Prince. It was on my end of the year favorites, despite my 4-star rating and somewhat complicated relationship with it (more on that HERE). I read The Cruel Prince last year and really loved it. “Kiss me until I am sick of it.”ĭid anyone doubt I was gonna use that quote? No one did. “Kiss me again,” he says, drunk and foolish.
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