Reviews

Beleza Cruel by Rosamund Hodge

lyakimov's review against another edition

1.0

well this was total shit. sorry

eesh25's review against another edition

3.0

Initially, Cruel Beauty had many things going for it. It's a fairytale retelling (a Beauty and the Beast one at that), it's supposed to be a darker take with less-than-perfect protagonists, it's well-written, and it's got Greek mythology, which I'm obsessed with.

With all these elements, it was supposed to be perfect. Why wasn't it perfect? I'll get into that. First, a little bit of what the book is about.

The protagonist, Nxy, has been betrothed to marry a demonic lord who rules over her kingdom, since before she was born, due to a bargain that her father made with the lord. The plan is that she will marry him to infiltrate his castle and sacrifice herself to kill him, so that the kingdom can be saved. But the lord is charming and he accepts her for who she is, darkness and all, so can she really find the courage to fulfill her duty?

Not that it matters. The kingdom is full of dumbasses who don't know shit, and the "duty" might just be guess the people made somehow because it's not like the magic system was ever explained at all. In fact, it was so vague that I almost forgot to mention it in the review.

And that's just one of the not-perfect things in this novel. There was also the protagonist and the convoluted plot near the end. But mostly the protagonist.

Nxy had a strange personality. She hated her sister for not being chosen to marry Ignifex (the lord) but felt guilty about her hatred. I understood that. But she kept flip-flopping between hateful anger, guilt, sadness, resentment, relief, so many things. She fell in love with one guy (Ignifex's Peter-Pan-like shadow, Shade), then she fell for Ingnifex. One moment she was fine, then was miserable; one moment she hated everything and everyone, the next she was happy; one moment she was selfish, then she would go on and on about her duty. She was supposed to be smart, but was ridiculously easy to manipulate. And her motivation for most of her actions was flimsy, at best.

Some might argue that she's just a complex character. I think she needs psychological help. Especially for the "duty" thing. She did something in the name of duty that was very stupid and did nothing but over-complicate things and render any development that took place in the novel as obsolete. All the hints, the build-up, the research, it was all for nothing. And the "reveal" was very predictable.

On top of that, this is being sold as a Beauty and the Beast retelling (or at least based on the fairytale). But it isn't like that at all. Beauty and the Beast is about a girl who's peculiar, and wise beyond her years, falling in love with someone's inner self. It's about change and looking past a person's outward appearance, not giving in to your dark side. It's also not about lust or temptation. And the fact library was shoehorned in there but had no significance other than to fit the book into the mould of the fairytale a little better; I was very disappointed.

Overall, like I said, this is a well-written novel and I liked the main plot. I liked that it had some darkness in it and I loved the addition of Greek mythology. I enjoyed some parts even though it seemed like a lot of things got lost in exploring the castle. The ending was good but so many things didn't work. It was a bit of a mess, when I think about it. And I, personally, don't recommend it.

phoenix2's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Cruel Beauty is a beauty and the beast retelling which incorporates Greek mythology elements. The latter was not nicely blended to the story and it often felt like a foreign body to the story. It was mentioned that the kingdom that was taken under the spell was called Arcadia (if I'm not mistaken), but nothing connected the kingdom to Greece, as it felt more like a medieval central European country. Also, the characters just mentioned the Olympian gods, but it didn't feel organic, more like forced and an afterthought.

Other than that, the story was interesting, though the main character was inconsistent, especially when it came to whom she chose for her love interest. The ending was a bit crooked as well.

hbelle01's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

delgremmyaward's review against another edition

2.0

2.5

rynsramblings's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

jowithtwoiis's review against another edition

5.0

Slow start but worth wading through the opening for this wholly original take on Beauty and the Beast. The writing really had some moments of pure beauty got a Ya novel and there's a nice mix of mythology and fairy tale. Definitely recommend.

nerdalert219's review against another edition

5.0

Since this is a YA book, I will say there is sex in here but no sex scenes.

This book has elements of Beauty and the Beast as well as Hades and Persephone.

There are three main characters, Nyx, Ignifex, and Shade. Nyx is strong-willed and full of malice. Ignifex is full of laughter and games. Shade is gentle and trustworthy. Nyx does the best she can with what she is given to save her land from Ignifex’s rule.

The world building is “meh” at best. But honestly, the story and character development more than make up for it! The ending of this story was amazing!

illusie's review against another edition

2.0

This book was very strange. I don't think I understood everything and am not sure what to think of it. It was confusing and weird. I liked the main character Nyx. What I didn't like was the love triangle.

yodamom's review against another edition

1.0

Audiobook
Narration 4 stars
Book 1 star
Major negative for me: rehashing details over and over.
The MC has some seriously crazy personality disorder going on. I love him, no I hate him, no I love that one, no I hate that one, I will never betray him, oh I need to betray him, I love my sister, I hate my sister, hate/love flick flick flick flick the dark lord is my enemy, love, enemy , love.... Her failing poetic inner dialog ramblings rehashed over and over Omg save me from this woman ! AUGGHHHHHHH.......AGRUHHHHHHHHHHHHH ! (phew) That felt good. It's amazing what running down the street screaming at the top of your lungs will do will a soul. I know there are many who enjoyed this but this MC hit almost every one of my "oh hell no" buttons.
I didn't like it at all. I had hope early on but found too many of my pet peeves to find a happy place. This is not the author for me obviously.