Review Wednesday: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

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+

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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.

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:

http://www.rosamundhodge.net/

Other Recommendations:

Splintered by A.G. Howard
Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

Review Wednesday: Immaculate by Katelyn Detweiler

Title: Immaculate

Author: Katelyn Detweiler

1st Date of Publication: May 26, 2015

ISBN: 0451469623

# of Pages: 464

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Age Rating: 15+ (Language, Violence)

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Book Description: Mina is top of her class, girlfriend to the most ambitious guy in school, able to reason and study her way through anything. But when she finds herself pregnant—despite having never had sex—her orderly world collapses. Almost nobody believes Mina’s claims of virginity. Her father assumes that her boyfriend is responsible; her boyfriend thinks she must have cheated on him. As news of Mina’s story spreads, there are those who brand her a liar. There are those who brand her a heretic. And there are those who believe that miracles are possible—and that Mina’s unborn child could be the greatest miracle of all.

Setting: Green Hill, Pennsylvania

Point of View: 1st Person- Mina

Goodreads Rating: 3.65

My Rating: 3.75

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Both title and cover

View on the Cover: The cover is really cool interesting because it is a beautiful girl laying down with desperation.

View on the Title: The word "immaculate" I've only heard one time and that was when the Virgin Mary so I thought that it would be interesting.

Pros:

• Jesse's character, in my opinion, is pretty awesome. He is so faithful to Mina, even though he just met her, through the whole situation.
• Mina's strength is amazing through the situation. Hardly anyone believes her that she is a virgin yet pregnant. I don't think I would have the amount of strength to go to high school (again) and be in her situation.
• I thought the concept was really neat and it was very captivating for me.
• It was interesting that the book was broken up into 3 parts to represent the 3 trimesters. I think that it helps keep track of the time and progress of Mina's pregnancy.

Cons:

• The bullying through both verbally and internet was ridiculous. It truly represents the problem of bullying and how judgmental people can be when something so life changing whether it was accidental, purposeful, or by chance.
• It dragged on a bit and could have been at least 100 pages shorter, but if anything  it allows the reader to understand Mina's character along with some of the other important characters.

Critics' Reviews:

"Detweiler's smart writing moves quickly and entertains, particularly with Mina's appealingly bright voice. Even as the story probes its mystical underpinnings, the focus remains firmly on Mina right through to the end. Detweiler's ambitious debut takes an intriguing premise and executes it well." -Kirkus Reviews

"Immaculate is a bewitching and thought-provoking story about the strength and faith required to face a contemporary miracle. This one begs for a sequel." -National Book Award Finalist Deb Caletti
"Katelyn Detweiler’s Immaculate is a vividly-imagined story about magic, faith, and family. Her heroine’s wildly unlikely teenage pregnancy leads to more than just a brutal break-up and national scandal; it allows for an exploration of essential questions about sex, identity, and what belief means to human beings. In a lovely and uplifting twist, Immaculate gives us girls who believe in themselves and each other, girls who move forward—in spite of extremely difficult circumstances—to create joy, love, and new life." -Rachel DeWoskin (author of Blind and Big Girl Small)

"[The] message is more about faith in general than a specific set of beliefs. A unique page-turner mixing humor and heart, this is a thought-provoking take on miracles and motherhood." -School Library Journal

"It's a sincere, romantic, and secular story of birth, young motherhood, and new love." -Publisher's Weekly

Katelyn Detweiler's Website:

http://www.katelyndetweiler.com/

Other Recommendations:

Eve by Anna Carey
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams