Help me puzzle out the meaning behind this book! ”The Cruel Prince”

[Thea Frederick]

I just finished reading The Cruel Prince by Holly Black and I am having a hard time puzzling it out.
I found the depth of character and plot intriguing. There was a lot of confusion and hate going on, and a lot of uncertainty in the main character as to who she wants and/or needs to be/become.
She seemed split between living the life she wanted and what she felt needed to be done. But she was also confused as to what the life she wanted actually was. Did she want to live in faerie or the world? Did she want power, revenge, love, or something else entirely? And does what she want perhaps cross paths with what she feels needs to be done? Will her journey to finding her true desires, duties, and purpose destroy her morality?
It certainly seemed like she was walking on a razor's edge between good and evil, and she herself uncertain of which way she might fall or that she was even on the edge.
If you have read this book did you like it? What did you think about Jude and the role she plays in the story? What did you think about her relationship with Cardan? I personally felt like it was a relationship forged and fed on lust and intrigue, not love.
But this book has seriously intrigued me by it complexity of the characters and all of the numerously mixed motives.
I would love for anyone to help me puzzle out the meaning and
message behind the story!

[Carolyn1854]

I really enjoyed this book.
I think Jude is looking for acceptance. She always felt like she never belonged in their world. Other faeries always look down on humans. So she is trying to prove that she does indeed belong there. I think that is what making Jude do all the things she does.
About her and Carden, I thought it was really cute. He really likes her but cannot say it out loud because he never really felt like that before and doesn't know what to do with it. I felt like Jude doesn't really like Carden as mich as he like her.

[Thea Frederick]

I really enjoyed this book.
I think Jude is looking for acceptance. She always felt like she never belonged in their world. Other faeries always look down on humans. So she is trying to prove that she does indeed belong there. I think that is what making Jude do all the things she does.
About her and Carden, I thought it was really cute. He really likes her but cannot say it out loud because he never really felt like that before and doesn't know what to do with it. I felt like Jude doesn't really like Carden as mich as he like her.

Cardan was interesting because part of him liked Jude but the other part seemed to kind of hate her sometimes. Or, like he said, he hates the fact that he likes her. But there still seems to be an element of hate or dislike for her, and I definitely don’t think it is a true love YET. More of an attraction.
Also, I like what you said about the acceptance she is searching for. But I wonder what you think, did she perhaps take it a little too far? And were there some other motives in her actions?
For example, she seems to want to have this power that overlaps with her desire for acceptance but also has it’s own purpose. I think she feels insecure. She lives with a man who murdered her parents but she still kind of loves him...he betrays her trust and so does her sister so she doesn’t know were to go from that...she loves faery but she feels out of place...all of this gives her a desire to feel as if she is in control of the situation and I think that is part of the reason that she gets so intensely committed to getting power.
Would you agree or no?

[VISHWA129]

I'm actually in the middle of the third book in this series right now, and I'd definitely say to keep going! I know the motivations/desires of Jude are pretty unclear in the first book, but by the end of the sequel I really felt like I understood her as a character and what drives her to make the decisions she does. I completely agree that she's not all good or all bad, and she's more of the antihero of the series than anything. But her morally gray actions make the series so much more interesting to read about, and being inside her mind is actually really strange in a good way. In terms of her relationship with Cardan, I agree it's weird and not really "love" (at least in the first book) but the way the relationship is built up and the attraction between the two while they both simultaneously desire and despise each other is so much fun to read about, especially with Holly Black's writing smile. I was a little unsure when I started the Cruel Prince, and even when I finished the book, but this series is quickly becoming a favorite of mine as I keep reading.

[Thea Frederick]

I'm actually in the middle of the third book in this series right now, and I'd definitely say to keep going! I know the motivations/desires of Jude are pretty unclear in the first book, but by the end of the sequel I really felt like I understood her as a character and what drives her to make the decisions she does. I completely agree that she's not all good or all bad, and she's more of the antihero of the series than anything. But her morally gray actions make the series so much more interesting to read about, and being inside her mind is actually really strange in a good way. In terms of her relationship with Cardan, I agree it's weird and not really "love" (at least in the first book) but the way the relationship is built up and the attraction between the two while they both simultaneously desire and despise each other is so much fun to read about, especially with Holly Black's writing smile. I was a little unsure when I started the Cruel Prince, and even when I finished the book, but this series is quickly becoming a favorite of mine as I keep reading.

Hm, okay, thank you! I will have to get ahold of the next books!
I appreciate your input and I am glad to have this insight from someone who knows where the plot goes.

[Eunice Geres]

I loved everything about this book. Jude just wants acceptance and acknowledgment for all the work, sacrifices, and talent she contributes to Elfhame. Cardan, on the other hand, is just taught the wrong things, in my opinion. No one taught him how to love, and the only thing he knew is how to be cruel as a way of expressing himself.

[HanElizabeth397]

I've read the first book only, but I've added the next two to my list of books to buy. Personally I don't like the relationship or whatever it is between Jude and Cardan - it's just not for me because I think he's such a dislikeable character. But Jude also isn't perfect by any means and I think that's a key aspect of the book too.