The Cruel Prince

Jude, a human teenager growing up in cutthroat Faerieland, lives in a household where vying for power is simply what one does. Madoc, her father, is the general for High King Eldred and, when it becomes clear Eldred’s rule is coming to an end, Madoc positions himself to inherit the throne by taking advantage of his relationship with Oak, a young child he has raised as his son. Jude, who considers herself…

Cruelty is a quality that many of the faeries in Jude’s life possess and it makes growing up among them incredibly difficult. For much of the book, Cardan is Jude’s chief tormentor. He physically and psychologically tortures her in an attempt to convince her that she does not belong among the faeries. As such, it seems that the novel’s title, The Cruel Prince, refers to him. However, the second half of the story…

Love is a complicated matter in The Cruel Prince and means something different to each character. For instance, Madoc claims that he loved Jude’s mother, even though he killed her. Similarly, Cardan is secretly enamored with Jude, but he treats her cruelly for the majority of the novel. Both Madoc and Cardan associate romantic love with violence, control, and cruelty, suggesting a distinctly predatory view of what love is and should be. Though…