Cruel Beauty
If you’re excited about the upcoming Disney film Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson, don’t miss Cruel Beauty.
The romance of Beauty and the Beast meets the adventure of Graceling in this dazzling fantasy novel about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.
Perfect for fans of bestselling An Ember in the Ashes and A Court of Thorns and Roses, this gorgeously written debut infuses the classic fairy tale with glittering magic, a feisty heroine, and a romance sure to take your breath away.
Betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom, Nyx has always known that her fate was to marry him, kill him, and free her people from his tyranny. But on her seventeenth birthday when she moves into his castle high on the kingdom's mountaintop, nothing is what she expected—particularly her charming and beguiling new husband. Nyx knows she must save her homeland at all costs, yet she can't resist the pull of her sworn enemy—who's gotten in her way by stealing her heart.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Promised & Failed
I really liked the spin this book took on the original Beauty & The Beast fairytale. Instead of the woman being an innocent, virginal flower (like too many female MCs are >.>), Nyx had a bit of a dark side. And I loved it! I loved her dark side. I wanted her to embrace her dark side, but she struggled with it because (as society teaches us) the darkness is wrong. Cruelty is wrong. Aaaaand it honestly kind of bothered me how much that got in the way and altered how things occurred in the story.
Indecisive MC
Good God, Nyx. She may have been an interesting character and a diversion from the stereotypical âgood girl,â but all of that was overshadowed by her inability to pick which side she wanted to be on. One moment she is doing this thing. The next she is contradicting herself. Itâs so infuriating, especially because I didnât understand half of the reasons why she switched between the two sides.
Lacking Clarity
There were some parts of this book that I did not understand. Things would change abruptly or the characters would suddenly interact differently and it was like Iâd completely missed the transition period that led them to that point. It left me baffled, lost, and confused. More clarity and continuity of the characters actions would have seriously improved this story.
I really liked the spin this book took on the original Beauty & The Beast fairytale. Instead of the woman being an innocent, virginal flower (like too many female MCs are >.>), Nyx had a bit of a dark side. And I loved it! I loved her dark side. I wanted her to embrace her dark side, but she struggled with it because (as society teaches us) the darkness is wrong. Cruelty is wrong. Aaaaand it honestly kind of bothered me how much that got in the way and altered how things occurred in the story.
Indecisive MC
Good God, Nyx. She may have been an interesting character and a diversion from the stereotypical âgood girl,â but all of that was overshadowed by her inability to pick which side she wanted to be on. One moment she is doing this thing. The next she is contradicting herself. Itâs so infuriating, especially because I didnât understand half of the reasons why she switched between the two sides.
Lacking Clarity
There were some parts of this book that I did not understand. Things would change abruptly or the characters would suddenly interact differently and it was like Iâd completely missed the transition period that led them to that point. It left me baffled, lost, and confused. More clarity and continuity of the characters actions would have seriously improved this story.
http://bindedreads.wixsite.com/blog
It was okay. Could have been better.
The world the author created in this book was interesting. In Nyx's world, demons were real. Dangerous bargains and deals were real. The blue sky as we know it, the starry sky as we know it, were gone in her world. Peace became just a dream as they had been invaded by demons, and they knew not when they or their loved ones would be next to go crazy upon sighting one of them.
What I loved about this book is Ignifex's house full of doors. It's intriguing, and whatever Nyx managed to find allowed me a lot of room for imagination. The author managed to describe Nyx's determination to solve the mystery, and her sadness and anger regarding her father using her to kill Ignifex, wonderfully. All the characters were great. I liked it especially that Nyx came to terms with her family in the end.
But there were some parts of this book that left me confused, including the ending. How did Nyx and Ignifex get free from the demons? I have my own interpretation, and if what I think is correct, the ending is really too simple for my taste. They managed to outwit the demons because of it? So strange. Demons are powerful creatures. They just vanished without a trace, leaving everything as it was before demons even arrived into their world, all because of that. Then again, that's what's been most often used: the good things vs the bad, and though the good things may be small, they are powerful enough to conquer the bad eventually. I don't know... but it just left me a little disappointed. I guess I expected them to be able to defeat the demons, is all.
I also found some parts of Nyx's character a little annoying. Even though Shade and Ignifex were one and the same, I still couldn't shake off the feeling that it's a love triangle. I always found myself telling Nyx to make up her mind: Shade or Ignifex? Choose one, girl! Don't go yearning for one's touch and affection when you have lingering feelings for another!
Overall, a rather good read, but I felt it could have been better, although I cannot deny that Rosamund Hodge had indeed created a magnificent world of terror and love.
It was okay. Could have been better.
The world the author created in this book was interesting. In Nyx's world, demons were real. Dangerous bargains and deals were real. The blue sky as we know it, the starry sky as we know it, were gone in her world. Peace became just a dream as they had been invaded by demons, and they knew not when they or their loved ones would be next to go crazy upon sighting one of them.
What I loved about this book is Ignifex's house full of doors. It's intriguing, and whatever Nyx managed to find allowed me a lot of room for imagination. The author managed to describe Nyx's determination to solve the mystery, and her sadness and anger regarding her father using her to kill Ignifex, wonderfully. All the characters were great. I liked it especially that Nyx came to terms with her family in the end.
But there were some parts of this book that left me confused, including the ending. How did Nyx and Ignifex get free from the demons? I have my own interpretation, and if what I think is correct, the ending is really too simple for my taste. They managed to outwit the demons because of it? So strange. Demons are powerful creatures. They just vanished without a trace, leaving everything as it was before demons even arrived into their world, all because of that. Then again, that's what's been most often used: the good things vs the bad, and though the good things may be small, they are powerful enough to conquer the bad eventually. I don't know... but it just left me a little disappointed. I guess I expected them to be able to defeat the demons, is all.
I also found some parts of Nyx's character a little annoying. Even though Shade and Ignifex were one and the same, I still couldn't shake off the feeling that it's a love triangle. I always found myself telling Nyx to make up her mind: Shade or Ignifex? Choose one, girl! Don't go yearning for one's touch and affection when you have lingering feelings for another!
Overall, a rather good read, but I felt it could have been better, although I cannot deny that Rosamund Hodge had indeed created a magnificent world of terror and love.
We all have those books that blow us away. That render us speechless, leaving us amazed by its sheer beauty and wondering how you will EVER be able to give it justice. I myself, have had quite a few over this past year. My reviews were flails and feels. My coherence was non-existent. And….This is where I am right now with Cruel Beauty.
Cruel Beauty is an original, fascinating retelling of Beauty of the Beast, mixed with a lot of fantasy and mythology elements. Retellings are always a hit or miss, as I am sure most of you can agree. Someone can take an original story and really make it their own, while others, completely botch it. Cruel Beauty was a hit. It is an imaginative, beautiful and is in no way, lacking in originality, that’s for sure. I honestly haven’t read a book like this. Ever. It’s dark. Mysterious. Fascinating and so, so good you guys.
I love Rosamund’s style. Although there were times I felt like I was sinking in info dump, because the terminology was hard to follow, especially in the beginning. It’s very detailed and overwhelming and takes a little bit of time to get into the groove of things, but once you do.. You will be blow away.
My favorite characters are the ones that are flawed. That have more issues and really make you feel. Whether it be FOR them or just in general, overall. And friends, Nyx is just that. She is such a strong-willed, frustrating yet loving character. She is angry, bitter and holds a lot of hate in her heart. (But hell, who wouldn’t?) Being raised as the one that would destroy the Gentle Lord, she knew her duty and knew what was at stake should she fail. Yet.. Yet, she has underlining defiance regarding that as well. She makes (several) mistakes but she owns up to them. She was just so real and honestly, one of the most genuine protagonist I have read in a long time. There were times I wanted to just scream at her in frustration though. AHH.
This brings us to Ignifex. He was such compelling and complex character. He honestly was hard for me to get a FULL read on, that’s how confused I was about this guy. I never really HATED him but there were times I seriously wanted to punch him in the face. I was taking his side and then switching as often, if not more, than Nyx herself. He has a very interesting back story and learning about what he does and why he does it, was one of my favorite aspects of the novel.
I won’t go into too many details about the romance. I loved it and want to GUSH about it. The banter, the wit and just.. AH. But there are things that you just need to read, on your own, without knowing much or ANYTHING about it. So there. :P
My Peeve- Aside from the few info dumps, I can’t find anything else that irritated me about this book.
Overall- I am wholeheartedly in love with this book. Seriously. Cruel Beauty will fascinate you with its beauty, uniqueness and compelling and complex characters that are so utterly believable and real. Rosamund Hodge is an author to watch and I will definitely be on the watch for more. I highly recommend this and I will definitely be buying this for my shelf.
Cruel Beauty is an original, fascinating retelling of Beauty of the Beast, mixed with a lot of fantasy and mythology elements. Retellings are always a hit or miss, as I am sure most of you can agree. Someone can take an original story and really make it their own, while others, completely botch it. Cruel Beauty was a hit. It is an imaginative, beautiful and is in no way, lacking in originality, that’s for sure. I honestly haven’t read a book like this. Ever. It’s dark. Mysterious. Fascinating and so, so good you guys.
I love Rosamund’s style. Although there were times I felt like I was sinking in info dump, because the terminology was hard to follow, especially in the beginning. It’s very detailed and overwhelming and takes a little bit of time to get into the groove of things, but once you do.. You will be blow away.
My favorite characters are the ones that are flawed. That have more issues and really make you feel. Whether it be FOR them or just in general, overall. And friends, Nyx is just that. She is such a strong-willed, frustrating yet loving character. She is angry, bitter and holds a lot of hate in her heart. (But hell, who wouldn’t?) Being raised as the one that would destroy the Gentle Lord, she knew her duty and knew what was at stake should she fail. Yet.. Yet, she has underlining defiance regarding that as well. She makes (several) mistakes but she owns up to them. She was just so real and honestly, one of the most genuine protagonist I have read in a long time. There were times I wanted to just scream at her in frustration though. AHH.
This brings us to Ignifex. He was such compelling and complex character. He honestly was hard for me to get a FULL read on, that’s how confused I was about this guy. I never really HATED him but there were times I seriously wanted to punch him in the face. I was taking his side and then switching as often, if not more, than Nyx herself. He has a very interesting back story and learning about what he does and why he does it, was one of my favorite aspects of the novel.
I won’t go into too many details about the romance. I loved it and want to GUSH about it. The banter, the wit and just.. AH. But there are things that you just need to read, on your own, without knowing much or ANYTHING about it. So there. :P
My Peeve- Aside from the few info dumps, I can’t find anything else that irritated me about this book.
Overall- I am wholeheartedly in love with this book. Seriously. Cruel Beauty will fascinate you with its beauty, uniqueness and compelling and complex characters that are so utterly believable and real. Rosamund Hodge is an author to watch and I will definitely be on the watch for more. I highly recommend this and I will definitely be buying this for my shelf.
I don't often read fairytale retellings. I have nothing against them. I'm just not really up to date on what is out there. *shrug*
In this Beauty and the Beast (one of my favorite tales) retelling, Nyx has been raised to marry the Gentle Lord, who despite having such a lovely title is actually a prince of demons, and to kill him to avenge the death of her mother. She doesn't know exactly how to kill him, mind you, but she's set up to sacrifice herself trying. Don't worry if you miss them saying something about all this the first time because these tidbits of information will be shoved down your throat again and again and again and again. I had serious concerns that this was going to be a book full of repetition, but it turns out that this agony does (for the most part) end.
So Nyx goes to this creepy castle with shifting hallways and rooms and meets a shadow called Shade and her demon hubby, Ignifex. She is on a mission to kill Ignifex and figure out where all this stuff is that could help destroy him and avenge her mother (and save Arcadia - I forgot to mention that is also part of the goal because the city is basically stuck under a faux skyed dome). This would have been great if her mission didn't get horribly sidetracked because of...well...BOYS. Apparently Nyx's hormones are a bit outta control and she keeps thinking about boys when she should be thinking about murder. It happens to the best of us. In between thinking about boys, she does briefly continue to search the castle for special rooms she believes she needs to defeat Ignifex. She also ponders the mystery/riddle that could free her. Sometimes. She also learns the answer to everything in a vision but CONVENIENTLY cannot remember it.
Believe it or not, I didn't hate this! Despite it sounding a bit out there, it was actually pretty well done. There was a handful of "things and/or people aren't always what they appear to be" going on. There were a few twists to keep me on my toes. None of these twists were gasp worthy, but the story wasn't completely straight and predictable. AND I liked the romance! I even teared up towards the end despite my best efforts not to. I really liked the intertwining of the Beauty and the Beast retelling with mythology. It got a little confusing at times, but I think I sorted most of it out. It's also a great way to get out of explaining everything. "Hmm dunno... Wait! Because the gods said so."
This held my interest even though I was hesitant to continue a few chapters in, thinking that YA was not what I was feeling at the moment. This ended up exceeding my expectations. I think I may even read the next one!
3.5 Stars
In this Beauty and the Beast (one of my favorite tales) retelling, Nyx has been raised to marry the Gentle Lord, who despite having such a lovely title is actually a prince of demons, and to kill him to avenge the death of her mother. She doesn't know exactly how to kill him, mind you, but she's set up to sacrifice herself trying. Don't worry if you miss them saying something about all this the first time because these tidbits of information will be shoved down your throat again and again and again and again. I had serious concerns that this was going to be a book full of repetition, but it turns out that this agony does (for the most part) end.
So Nyx goes to this creepy castle with shifting hallways and rooms and meets a shadow called Shade and her demon hubby, Ignifex. She is on a mission to kill Ignifex and figure out where all this stuff is that could help destroy him and avenge her mother (and save Arcadia - I forgot to mention that is also part of the goal because the city is basically stuck under a faux skyed dome). This would have been great if her mission didn't get horribly sidetracked because of...well...BOYS. Apparently Nyx's hormones are a bit outta control and she keeps thinking about boys when she should be thinking about murder. It happens to the best of us. In between thinking about boys, she does briefly continue to search the castle for special rooms she believes she needs to defeat Ignifex. She also ponders the mystery/riddle that could free her. Sometimes. She also learns the answer to everything in a vision but CONVENIENTLY cannot remember it.
Believe it or not, I didn't hate this! Despite it sounding a bit out there, it was actually pretty well done. There was a handful of "things and/or people aren't always what they appear to be" going on. There were a few twists to keep me on my toes. None of these twists were gasp worthy, but the story wasn't completely straight and predictable. AND I liked the romance! I even teared up towards the end despite my best efforts not to. I really liked the intertwining of the Beauty and the Beast retelling with mythology. It got a little confusing at times, but I think I sorted most of it out. It's also a great way to get out of explaining everything. "Hmm dunno... Wait! Because the gods said so."
This held my interest even though I was hesitant to continue a few chapters in, thinking that YA was not what I was feeling at the moment. This ended up exceeding my expectations. I think I may even read the next one!
3.5 Stars
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.