“Then let me be the Queen of Monsters.”

I bow down to 1 monarchy.

Jude and Cardan’s dynamic just gets me every time. I feel every confusion, every hope that Jude feels and I .... *screams out my window*



You know…. the moment when the title + the broken crown + the serpent all clicked in my pea brain MY HEART TURNED INTO A COMPLETE MESS ALL OVER AGAIN

— overall thoughts: 4.5 —
*All of my reviews are as spoiler-free as possible unless stated otherwise*

I find it so rare for a series to consistently get better per book but surprisingly this series does. I don't know when I started liking Cardan this much since I hated him at first. He literally turns into a cinnamon roll whenever Jude is around now.

I know Fae’s are such an overused concept at this point but the writing is just so entrancing and addicting. For a fantasy revolving around magic it always goes back to how magic is never always the answer.

I WILL KEEP SCREAMING ABOUT JUDE AND CARDAN EVEN UNTIL THIS FAE HYPE DIES DOWN.

There’s this (not so) little thing called ~character development~ that I think was executed so well throughout series but most especially in this last installment since we get to see the product of all the blood, sweat, and plot twists. What’s so great about the characters in general is that they are all flawed and it’s actively shown just how flawed they are. It’s stated plain and simple in the titles themselves: “The Cruel Prince” but it makes for a very effective tool to get the readers intrigued and makes for layers that Holly Black was peeling off at all the right moments.

“A king is not his crown.”

Cardan is much less the toxic prince that I could not stand in the first and much more like the King that he’s supposed to be. And hello? Cardan asking about the mortal world? Who is this man and what happened to “the wicked king”? I’m kidding I love the version of Cardan that has grown into power so much more. He makes a great king and we love him for it.

Like his dynamic with Jude makes me cheer them on every second of every page. We love a badass heroine and it’s my favorite thing about Jude but how Cardan deals with it and accepts that about her… I don’t know there’s just something about it. I love a well written unlikeable character but sometimes I just need to read about someone who obviously strives for good, no matter how many obstacles come their way.

And can we talk about that slow burn? It’s there and we are living so much for it. And I have to say that this might be one of my favorite slow burn romances in fantasy. The angst, pacing, anticipation, the little moments here and there…

“I think of his riddle. How do people like us take off our armor?
One piece at a time.”

It reminded me of the Katniss x Peeta heartbreak I went through when Peeta went kinda nuts.

Most of our characters are noble at heart but even though they make mistakes I never think “that was stupid” it was more “that makes sense” because of the flow of the plot. The reason for the conflict is not because the main characters were making stupid decisions but actually because we live in an imperfect world and people sometimes think about themselves a little too much.

That was so vague and but what I mean is: it didn’t feel like the author was making conflict just for the sake of conflict.

The character development doesn’t even stop at Jude and Cardan because all of the characters have so much depth to them even though I’m only now being aware of how short these books are. They are all layered and even though there are times when they do get trope-y, I never feel like their personalities are confined to the expectations that we have of that certain trope. Even to the most minor of characters.

If they are named. They have depth.

“I told you once that I am what you made me. But I am not only that. You raised me to be uncompromising, yet I learned mercy.”

I definitely pegged Taryn as that quiet and humble character, and Cardan as the broody bad guy but he’s actually a good guy type of characters, but I never expected them to do what they did.

This series is just so addicting from it’s characters to a plot that just makes sense and will keep you guessing. I also feel that it is more urban fantasy than high fantasy compared to most fae stories.

The series wrapped up so nicely but more Cardan wouldn't hurt...

If you still haven't read this book this is a sign to go do it. If you didn't like the first book... there's a 99.9% chance that you might like the second and third book more if you are into adventure, urban fantasy, and well-written casts.



// Buddy Read with Bopeep
because who else do I buddy read series with

PLOT: ★★★★☆
WRITING STYLE: ★★★★★
WORLD BUILDING: ★★★★☆
CHARACTERS: ★★★★★
THEMES: ★★★★★
PACING: ★★★★★
PAGE TURNER: ★★★★★

---------------
PRE READ:

I did not get the title of this book until I finished TWK AND MY HEART IS A MESS ALL OVER AGAIN.



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