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Okay, I need to talk about These Vile Hearts by Melody Robinette, because I finished it and immediately thought: this is giving The Cruel Prince. A mortal girl with a knife and a plan, a fae prince you shouldn’t trust, and two people lying to each other’s faces the whole time. I gave it 5 stars.

These Vile Hearts at a glance

These Vile Hearts Review (Spoiler-Free)

What it’s about

Maddox Sinclair is out of options. She has no job, so no insurance, and she’s a type 1 diabetic, so that’s a death sentence. She makes a deal with a dryad queen: kill the Redwood King and she’ll be cured. Meanwhile Prince Castor is cursed (anyone who loves him dies), and he’s made his own deal. If he can make a mortal fall in love with him by the solstice, he’s free. Then Maddox mistakes Castor for the king she’s supposed to kill, and he does not correct her. Chef’s kiss.

The cover is just gorgeous. Here’s the official reveal from the author, @melodyrobinette. Cover art by @aeadraws, cover design by Christopher Lin.

View this post on Instagram from @melodyrobinette

Why it gave me Cruel Prince vibes

If you loved Jude and Cardan, you’ll get it right away. Both of them are scheming, and both are hiding the truth. The fae world is gorgeous but rotten underneath, and the heroine refuses to be the weak little mortal. For me it clicked once the forest court descriptions started. That’s when it really started feeling like The Cruel Prince.

What I loved

Maddox and Castor gave me major Nesta and Cassian vibes (personality only, not the world). If you love that push-and-pull between those two, you’ll eat this up. And the balance here is so good: the world-building and the character-building are both incredible.

Content warnings

Depression. Castor struggled with depression for a long time because he believed something was wrong with him. Here’s how I handle content warnings without spoilers.

The verdict

5 stars. This is definitely a must-read book, and an incredible world-building and character-building book, and it has the perfect mix of those two. Grab These Vile Hearts here.

⚠️ Spoiler zone: the ending twist

SPOILERS: click only if you’ve finished the book

That ending! At the very end, Maddox gets turned into a dryad, all because of the Myrtle Queen’s bargain. Seeing Castor longing for Maddox at the end, and his shock when he saw her transformation, made the ending so sad for me. But it also left me really excited for the next book!

Books Like These Vile Hearts (If You Want More Cruel Prince Energy)

Fae courts, morally gray princes, scheming and enemies to lovers: if These Vile Hearts gave you Cruel Prince vibes, read these next.

1. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The blueprint. Jude is a mortal raised in Faerie, and Cardan is the cruelest prince at court. It’s backstabbing, power plays and enemies to lovers at its finest. I’ve already read it, and this is your sign for a reread. Get The Cruel Prince

2. An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Isobel is a mortal painter, and the fae autumn prince she paints sweeps her into a fae court that is beautiful and deadly. It’s sharp, fast and standalone. Get An Enchantment of Ravens

3. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Meghan crosses into the Nevernever and gets hunted by Ash, the cold, gorgeous Winter prince. Rival fae courts and an enemy prince make it peak old-school fae. Get The Iron King

4. Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

Cécile is kidnapped and bonded to Tristan, a troll prince who seems arrogant and awful. Then there’s a hidden kingdom full of court politics and rebellion. Get Stolen Songbird

5. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Aislinn can see faeries, and the Summer King has decided she’s his. It’s dangerous faerie courts in our world, with a heroine who fights back. Get Wicked Lovely

6. The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

Not fae, but pure Jude energy. Alessandra plans to seduce the Shadow King, marry him and kill him. It’s a scheming, ruthless heroine and a dangerous king in a court full of enemies. Get The Shadows Between Us

7. The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

Back to Elfhame! Wren is a feral runaway queen, and Prince Oak is charming in a way you absolutely should not trust. There are court schemes, a quest, and two people lying to each other. Get The Stolen Heir

8. The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson

Bristol goes to the fae realm of Elphame to find her missing father and makes a dangerous bargain with Tyghan, the fae king. He’s the one who drove her parents into hiding. There’s fae court intrigue, lies everywhere, and enemies to lovers. Fair warning: the romance is a slower build than the others here, but the fae politics carry it. Get The Courting of Bristol Keats

More to read on the blog

• Enemies-to-lovers books for adults that pay off
• Sarah J. Maas books in order
• Most anticipated 2026 romance releases
• Dual POV romances

These Vile Hearts FAQ

Is These Vile Hearts like The Cruel Prince?

Yes! The blurbs even pitch it to Cruel Prince fans. It has a mortal heroine, a morally gray fae prince, deception on both sides, and enemies to lovers.

Is These Vile Hearts a series?

Yes! It’s the first book in a duology from Putnam. The sequel’s title and release date haven’t been announced yet, and it ends on a cliffhanger, so I’m counting down.

Cover background photo: Ingemar Johnsson / Unsplash

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