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amy_in_the_city's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
What a delightful Beauty and the Beast retelling! This had one of my favorite tropes. I'm not sure of the official name for it, but I'll call it "love is blind." It's where a character falls in love with someone without ever seeing them first. The sexual tension in this book was off the charts, and I was here for these two touch-starved MMCs falling for each other.
I loved how much focus there was on consent in this book. They both checked in to see if it was OK before they did anything, and I liked that Amarrah respected Njal's boundaries regarding not looking at him or visiting the forbidden wing of the keep.
I did feel like they fell in love too quickly and I would have liked to see them get to know each other better before they declared their love. It kind of felt like their love was mostly based on shared loneliness, pity (on Amarrah's part), and gratitude (on Njal's part). Some of the dialogue felt clunky too.
I still really enjoyed this book though and was rooting for the main characters. I really liked Amarrah as a main character and how she took initiative to figure out how to save Njal.
I loved how much focus there was on consent in this book. They both checked in to see if it was OK before they did anything, and I liked that Amarrah respected Njal's boundaries regarding not looking at him or visiting the forbidden wing of the keep.
I did feel like they fell in love too quickly and I would have liked to see them get to know each other better before they declared their love. It kind of felt like their love was mostly based on shared loneliness, pity (on Amarrah's part), and gratitude (on Njal's part). Some of the dialogue felt clunky too.
I still really enjoyed this book though and was rooting for the main characters. I really liked Amarrah as a main character and how she took initiative to figure out how to save Njal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Alcohol, Animal death, Physical abuse, Body horror, Confinement, Murder, and Sexual content
Moderate: Torture, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Abandonment, Child abuse, Death, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Self harm
Minor: Pregnancy, Pedophilia, and Death of parent
greymalkin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I'm a big fan of fairytale retellings and I really enjoyed this take on Beauty and the Beast. Though it is one of my favorite stories, I appreciated the changes that Ann Aguirre made to the basics of the story. And while the overall romance is a bit rushed, I believed the chemistry.
I was surprised but delighted that this book was more explicitly erotic than expected. The sex scenes are detailed and nicely done. Sexual acts are done consensually and are used to illustrate character growth and changes, not just for titillation's sake.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse and Child death
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