While I adore The Wicked King and once again devoured it in two days, I slightly preferred The Cruel Prince. This is partially due to boredom and frustration with the scenes involving Taryn and Locke. This may be a symptom of my personal feelings for these characters; I hate them. Especially Locke—he’s the actual worst, though Taryn is certainly not far behind him. Of course, my visceral feelings speak to Black’s masterful characterization, so this isn’t a glaring issue. But because several chapters are devoted to Taryn and Locke’s wedding (gag), I found myself pushing through just so those scenes would end.

What a start! Black establishes her faeries and the world of Faerie as brutal and vicious. Magic is used for manipulation and deceit, pain and selfishness. Faerieland is a beautiful trap requiring constant vigilance. Jude and Taryn suffer the wrath of the Faerie gentry, who resent that the mortal twins are raised and educated alongside royal Faerie peers. And none hate Jude more than her schoolmate Prince Cardan and his merry band of bullies.