Title: Cruel Beauty
Author: Rosamund Hodge
1st Date of Publication: January 28, 2014
ISBN: 9780062224743
# of Pages: 346
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Age Rating: 13+
Book Description: Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.
Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.
Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.
With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.
But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle—a shifting maze of magical rooms—enthralls her.
As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.
Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.
Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.
With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.
But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle—a shifting maze of magical rooms—enthralls her.
As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.
Setting: Arcadia (Fictional)
Point of View: 1st Person- Nyx Triskelion
Goodreads Rating: 3.78
My Rating: 3.5
Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Cover
View on the Cover: At first glance, it is just a staircase with red cloth around it. But I love how the cover looks like a rose if you take a a more bird's eye view.
View on the Title: The title is interesting because it connects Beauty and the Beast with the word "Beauty" but you wouldn't realize that it is a different telling of it until you actually read it.
Pros:
- It's takes an interesting twist on the Beauty and the Beast story with mythology. It has a magic sort of element, but the whole idea is surrounded by spirits and demons.
- Unlike Belle, Nyx is not afraid to push the Gentle Lord, Ignifex, when he treats her poorly.
- The banter between Nyx and Ignifex is pretty adorable in a violent way. (You have to read the book to understand what I mean.)
- Nyx's character is so strong. She is forced with a destiny that she is told to fight.
- The shadows, such as Shade, is really cool aspect.
Cons:
- I felt that this book had a little more potential with combining both a fairy tale many love and mythology that has shaped several cultures.
- I wish there was more involved with the library, which was one of my favorite parts about Belle's character.
Critics' Reviews:
"Will have readers clutching the book and flying through the pages." -VOYA"Debut novelist Hodge has created a rich, complete world in this twist on Beauty and the Beast." -Publisher Weekly
"A dazzling and clever retelling, Cruel Beauty is delightfully dark, lushly romantic, and utterly spellbinding. I adored it and can't wait to read Hodge's next novel!" -Sarah J. Maas (New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series)
Rosamund Hodge's Website:
Other Recommendations:
Splintered by A.G. Howard
Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
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