SuitabookThe Cruel Prince
Holly Black
- Reading
- If scenes of humiliation or violence may be difficult, agree that your reader can pause and check in with you. You could also read the opening together, which establishes the family loss.
- Themes
- Belonging and power: Jude is mortal in a court where many faeries despise humans; she seeks a place there through defiance and ambition. Her effort to gain power makes the story a study of how an outsider navigates a hostile hierarchy.
- Cruelty and romance: Cardan and his friends humiliate Jude; the book also includes romantic tension and kissing. The connection between hostility and romantic tension may be worth noticing, particularly how Jude’s treatment is represented.
- Worth knowing
- The story includes the murder of Jude’s parents, sustained humiliation and bullying, fantasy violence, and coercion through enchantment. Faerie revels involve intoxicating fruit; romantic content includes kissing.