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isbnopal's review
4.0
This book was a good retelling of Beauty and the Beast. When I initially read it I gave it three stars, however I decided to read it again this summer and decided it actually deserved 4. I sometimes feel like many of the retellings I read have flat characters-- almost as if the author is kind of relying on the foundation of the fairytale to support their book. Overall I felt like the two main characters had a pretty good amount of personality. I felt like the ending was a bit confusing, but overall I loved the book, it was well written with some great descriptions.
blurrypetals's review
5.0
What an utterly wonderful, charming, fun, and delightful breath of fresh air! Do you know what one of the quickest ways to kill my interest in a story is? It's, "This is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast!"
That isn't to say that retellings of Beauty and the Beast are bad, it's just to say that the story can often end up feeling predictable, overdone, and paint by numbers. There's a curse on a prince, there's a lady who's kidnapped, and they've got to fall in love to break the curse. That was precisely how it went in A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Curse So Dark and Lonely and while those books were not bad, they definitely lost a little something by sticking as close to the original fairytale.
Cruel Beauty magically manages to make a classic fairytale into something utterly breathtaking, new, and different while not betraying its inspiration. Unlike A Curse So Dark and Lonely, there is actual mystery and intrigue here. We may guess Nyx will fall in love, but is she going to fall in love with her evil husband who she's been promised to since before she even existed, or is she going to fall in love with Shade, his kinder, softer half?
This book charmed the pants straight off of me. I loved Rosamund Hodge's prose and the way she wove in Greek and Pagan mythologies so seamlessly into this wonderful beautiful thing that evolved from a European fairytale. I loved Elizabeth Knowelden's completely enchanting narration, her high English accent drawing me in, making me feel like I had found something intimate and special and new. I loved Nyx, Ignifex, and Shade, and I loved the soft magic within the story. I often find myself preferring soft magic systems because they often give me more of a chance to focus on the characters while still enhancing the story like this did.
Rosamund Hodge did just about everything right here. This was fresh, surprising, and it really transported me like I always want to be when I read. In a line of duds and disappointments in audiobooks and fantasy this past month, this was precisely what I needed. I absolutely adored it and can easily see myself reading it again soon just to be swept up in it all over again.
That isn't to say that retellings of Beauty and the Beast are bad, it's just to say that the story can often end up feeling predictable, overdone, and paint by numbers. There's a curse on a prince, there's a lady who's kidnapped, and they've got to fall in love to break the curse. That was precisely how it went in A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Curse So Dark and Lonely and while those books were not bad, they definitely lost a little something by sticking as close to the original fairytale.
Cruel Beauty magically manages to make a classic fairytale into something utterly breathtaking, new, and different while not betraying its inspiration. Unlike A Curse So Dark and Lonely, there is actual mystery and intrigue here. We may guess Nyx will fall in love, but is she going to fall in love with her evil husband who she's been promised to since before she even existed, or is she going to fall in love with Shade, his kinder, softer half?
Spoiler
Why not both?This book charmed the pants straight off of me. I loved Rosamund Hodge's prose and the way she wove in Greek and Pagan mythologies so seamlessly into this wonderful beautiful thing that evolved from a European fairytale. I loved Elizabeth Knowelden's completely enchanting narration, her high English accent drawing me in, making me feel like I had found something intimate and special and new. I loved Nyx, Ignifex, and Shade, and I loved the soft magic within the story. I often find myself preferring soft magic systems because they often give me more of a chance to focus on the characters while still enhancing the story like this did.
Rosamund Hodge did just about everything right here. This was fresh, surprising, and it really transported me like I always want to be when I read. In a line of duds and disappointments in audiobooks and fantasy this past month, this was precisely what I needed. I absolutely adored it and can easily see myself reading it again soon just to be swept up in it all over again.
beccaj2180's review
5.0
What an incredible book! And as soon as I read her acknowledgements I completely understood why it seemed slightly familiar: Til We Have Faces, only CS's best book of all time... Wow. Totally worth it. I am even appeased regarding Nyx's horrible personality and the wacky names. Don't know how they plan to make a sequel from it. Guess we'll find out. Also I think I had a better time reading this than other reviewers because I had a feeling the Beauty and the Beast retelling was going to be very, very loose. I sort of let this story be all its own. Definitely helped me not to have any expectations. I am a little disappointed with the lack of enthusiasm from the other readers, but what can you do?
belle2022's review
3.0
It wasn't the greatest thing that I've read . I found it not very exctiting and I'm not really sure. It never left me in the state that 'oh my life I need the next one or I can't function' so I don't think I'll be carrying on with the books.
ladaney's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
3.5
thetoastghost's review
2.0
An interesting take on the classic Beauty and the Beast story with elements of Greek mythology. I didn’t love the writing style and personally felt that the pacing was hot & cold. It was an okay read overall.
leahjd24's review
3.0
OK so this book was quite confusing. I never really got used to the magic system/word because it was always adding new things. (The cryptic clues did not help either.)Its hard because we only had 346 pages to learn 900 years of folklare. I was constantly trying to keep up and it was like a chore reading this book.
I did like the main characters Nyxe and Ignifex (shade not so much), and I really tried to enjoy this book, but the story was just too confusing. The ending was especially confusing and even a little sloppy. It felt like she wrote the book and then 2 months later she finished it but forgot what she wrote before. In conclusion, I think this book had some really good points but it was very intricate and needed more clarification.
I did like the main characters Nyxe and Ignifex (shade not so much), and I really tried to enjoy this book, but the story was just too confusing. The ending was especially confusing and even a little sloppy. It felt like she wrote the book and then 2 months later she finished it but forgot what she wrote before. In conclusion, I think this book had some really good points but it was very intricate and needed more clarification.
sprainedbrain's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0