Book written by Holly Black, published January 2018.
Jude and her sisters, Taryn and Vivienne, have been kidnapped from the mortal realm into the Faerie Kingdom by the High King’s general, Madoc. According to Fae laws, this is perfectly legal. Vivienne is Madoc’s daughter, and though Taryn and Jude are the illegitimate daughters of his wife, they are under his authority and protection. Growing up as mortal girls surrounded by Fae has not been easy. Both have to wear protective charms and keep their heads down just to survive. Nevertheless, both Taryn and Jude want to belong in this world, to make it home. Taryn believes her ticket will be a marriage to a younger member of the royal court. But Jude, tired of being careful and running with her tail between her legs (not a real tail, mind you), has her sights set on becoming a knight in the High King’s court. As Jude works hard to climb through the ranks, her perceptions of the world around her are tested and shattered. It turns out that even though Fae are incapable of lying, nothing in Faerie is what it seems.
I was engaged with this one, but I’m not particularly racing to get the second book from the library, let alone buy this one outright. To be honest, this one just didn't resonate with me, mostly because I really didn’t like Jude. Jude is a power-hungry mortal that uses an impressive amount of anger to cover up how terrified she truly is. And while I understand her motivations and can respect where she’s coming from, I just didn’t relate to her at all. Since Jude is the narrator of the story, this meant I experienced a disjointed feeling between me and the plot.
I do feel kind of bad about that because everything I’ve heard about this series just has everyone gushing about how great it is. Then again, I’m not a huge fan of Sarah J. Maas, and her books get everyone nuts except for me, so there you go. I strongly recommend this one. Try it for yourself, and once you have, read the rest of this review and join the discussion below!
This book contains some mild language and violence including self-harm and attempted/successful murder.
Let's get into it! Discussion and spoilers follow!
One thing I absolutely cannot argue: This book is written really well. It has that satisfaction of a story where everything falls into place—including the plot twists. Everything about the plot and the character development was thought out and well-structured, which is perfect for writing about a mythical kingdom where the creatures have to be crafty and methodical since they can’t lie.
Even the pacing and the action were decent, though things felt like they were slow or going too fast in some places. There were moments when I would read something, and I would be lost because something was revealed and I just didn’t catch what it was. However, that’s not necessarily a fault of the writing; I’m a naturally really fast reader, and so there is every possibility that I just completely read words without actually absorbing their meaning. On the other hand, I don’t have this issue with books that I really like.
As a side note, since I know he was a big part of the story too, I can get behind Cardan. I think he's a great character, and I would want to read more about him, but, again, Jude. It feels like Jude and Cardan are headed into something like a drama-filled relationship, and I don't feel invested enough to put myself through that. And that's all I'll say about that.
HOWEVER, I want to be open-minded about this series, so here is my challenge to you, fellow bookworms that have read this book or the entire series: Without giving me any major spoilers (because I won’t want to bother going on if I know what happens), tell me what you guys liked about this one. What made you guys keep reading until the bitter end? What made you feel that this series was worthwhile? Why should I keep going? Or, for any of you that feel the same as I do, why should I not? I'm excited to hear your thoughts!
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