I honestly jumped the hype wagon with this series and purchased all 3 books at once and honestly if I knew what I was getting into I probably would have thought twice before buying them all.
The first half of the book was about Jude and her sister being tormented by Cardan (The Cruel Prince) and his group of friends while in the second part of the last 100 pages finally, something intriguing happened. Don’t get me wrong most book series always start slow and boring, however, this one is having just a few things missing from actually being an amazing book.
You’d do well to decide how much you care for goodness before you go too far down the road of spycraft.
Characters
Jude is ambitious, cunning, a liar and many more things she was probably surprised herself. The story is written from her view of point which made me feel a bit annoyed at times. She is very confusing and selfish up to the point of confusing the reader about what even her goal really is. I think the book should have been named “The Liar Mortal” or “The Cunning Queen” because that’s what she is.
Taryn is an absolute selfish child that only cares about status and it’s ready to betray her own family for it. She is literally Jude but more blunt and weak.
Cardan can be called the cruel prince for sure, however, at times I think Jude can be crueller than him. If anything he cannot lie and that is perfect for someone like Jude. He can be likeable because of his honesty.
Vivienne is a rebel and the most likeable character in the first book. She was written as a character that hates and wants to make Madoc’s life harder but at the end of the day she is the only person in the book that is trying to gain a normal life instead of a luxury. We have to appreciate that.
World
I am not sure if there is much to write here about. The book was really cutting us off from the scenery and the world they live in it just makes it harder to imagine how it actually looks. Maybe I am saltier about the world-building and the lack of an actual magic system and the fight scenes (Wait there were actual fight scenes?).
To conclude
I will most likely continue the series and see how far Jude and Cardan will go. As much as I did not enjoy it I am willing to give Black another chance with different series. It was my first experience with fae universe and it is far from terrible, just not satisfactory.
Instead of being afraid, I will become something to fear.