Once again I found every character to be unlikable, including Jude. The whole of Elfhame is full of selfish, cruel characters, who want only to partake in debauchery and revelries. That is maybe the reason I cannot really get into these stories fully, there is no one I am really rooting for. Don't get me wrong, I love a good villain, but I cannot get behind the volatile, abusive relationship Jude and Cardan are trapped inside. Their back and forth and her trying to justify his cruelty makes me gag. I am a fan of a good hate to love relationship, but never an abusive/cruel/deadly one. I wish there was more of Oriana, I loved her character in The Cruel Prince, she was one of my favourites (surprisingly) and showed herself to be one of the least selfish of the fairies. Cardan is one of the characters that develops the most in both novels. His growth makes me like him a little more than Jude, who only seems to be able to do one thing, survive. We see more of his family life, more of his viciousness, but we are also introduced to his cunning and his ability to fool those around him to his advantage. He truly has taken to the role of King, much to the distress of Jude. I also think some of his thinking is going to prove to be for the benefit of Jude and those he seems to care about, even if it seems to be the complete opposite. I especially have a dislike for Taryn and Locke, both of whom Jude put heavy trust in, only to have them stab her in the back time and time again. Taryn is more deadly and conniving than her twin in this book, where as in the first book she was a simpering mess. Locke is a loose cannon who has no regard for anything but his own amusement. These two characters deserve the heck out of each other. Even with the issues in this book, the story has a pull, a need for me to keep reading. I need to see how this could possibly end. How can Jude ever live safely in Elfhame? How can she ever trust anyone, especially Cardan? I also liked that Heather point blank asked all the questions that burned within me: why doesn't Jude leave and live in the human world? Why did she stay with her parent's killer, and why does she consider him her father? Very much a stockholm syndrome situation the Duarte sisters live within. I guessed a bit of what would happen, regarding double crossing, but there were other moments when my jaw dropped. Great word play, fantastic world building, and terrifying stakes. There was quite a bit of repetition from Jude, when self reflecting, which became grating. Although, some of it was important and emotional groundwork for what is to come. I liked this book and can only hope that the characters grow on me or change for the better. I am excited to read the final chapters of Jude and Cardan's twisted romance. Whether or not I am fighting for them to be together, or for them to fall completely apart, I am not so sure.
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