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With this being one of the most anticipated releases of 2018 and both Leigh Bardugo and Victoria Aveyard loving and praising it, I had pretty high expectations and Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince really did live up to my expectations. 

Synopsis:

Jude and her two sisters see their parents murdered at a very young age. And nobody else than the coldblooded assassin takes them with him to the world of Faerie. Being mortal in the Faerie world, Jude must prove herself more often more intensely to be approved than any other faerie itself. She must be as dangerous, as dreaded and as smart as the Fey themselves to survive and to receive the thing she wants most: power.

She no longer wants to me mocked for being mortal, she no longer wants to threatened, she no longer wants to be belittled by the arrogant prince Cardan. But as she finds herself in the middle of the downfall of the world she so fiercely tries to prove herself to, she has to decide: her own desires or the future of her world.

My thoughts:

To be honest, the book startet a bit slow and I didn’t know what to think of Jude’s obsession with power, but it surprised me at the end. The end offers so much more than the cover text as the ladder only talks about Jude’s “stairway to power” other than political intrigues and the future of the world she grew up in.

I could really identify myself with Jude in most points, as she grows up to love her parents’ assassin but never quite forgives herself for the important role he plays in her life. And the struggle she goes through, her behaving more and more like a faerie and feeling like a faerie in her heart but never being treated equal.

I think talking more about the book’s development would give up too many secrets that one must unravel during reading, so I guess this is the end of the review! Although the book started slow, it turned out to be a fantastic plot with many turn points.

After what felt like forever and thousand great books in between, I finally finished Stephanie Garber’s Caraval. 

The two sisters, Scarlett and Tella, live alone with their father, the cruel govenour of Trisda, on the island, far far away of Caraval’s magic – a performance once a year, hosted by the master Legend, where the audience can participate in a show and win a price. Scarlett has always dreamed of visiting Caraval one day and finally gets the chance – only one week before marrying an anonymous count to once and for all save her and her sister from her father’s clutches. When Scarlett and her sister arrive at Caraval with the help of the mysterious sailer Julian, her sister disappears. Scarlett can no longer enjoy the show but must find her sister before the game is over or her sister disappears forever.

To be honest, when I read the plot, I didn’t expect a story this intense, as my introduction to the story is really only a very small part of the whole intrigue. Not only must she find Tella, Scarlett must also find out the truth about Legend and his intentions. This book offers so much more than just the search of a lost sister as it slowly reveals the dark secrets of Caraval, its master and  the role the sisters play in it.

I was truly surprised by the fantastic ending as so many turns await for you on the next page. The quote “Welcome for Caraval, where nothing is quite what it seems” therefore fits outrageously good to the whole book, as not one thing is quite what it seems.

I also loved the concept of the story, as often the boyfriends or men dissapear, but in this case, the sister disappears. Meaning, the book deals with sisterly love and the will to protect each other.

I also really enjoyed reading from Scarlett’s point of view as I could really empathize with her, willing to marry a stranger to protect her sister takes courage.

SPOILER ALERT. DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH IF YOU HAVE THE INTENTION OF READING THE BOOK!!!

At the end, I first had to deal with the fact that Julian was Legend’s brother and therefore was like 80 years old – despite the fact of looking 20. That kind of thew me off. And I first hat to bear the thought that Legend wasn’t actually a psycho maniac holding Tella captive and trying to kill the sisters. But I guess we’ll see about his intentions in the sequel Legendary.

SPOILER ALERT END

So, all in all, this book really surprised me positively, with its turns and twists, it really is the definition of a page turner!