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bookdust's review against another edition
5.0
Here's my rushed and disorganized review! Weeee!!
This book was really amusing. I loved Ignifex. He's the reason that this is a five star rating instead of a four. He was a clever bastard and absolutely hilarious. In the beginning I laughed every time he spoke, and I looked forward to seeing him pop up. But anyways, I truly enjoyed this take on Beauty and Beast. I thought the mythology was tied in well, and I loved how the characters discussing the mythology obliviously mirrored the stories. Kindly Ones were also very very cool.v I loved their bargains, and I loved how they worked. The entire concept of the palace was stellar. Absolutely stellar. I loved loved loved her inspiration that she took from Alice in Wonderland, seeing that that is my all time favorite story. The lesson learned at the end was also really refreshing.
*spoilers kind of*
Character wise, Nyx was absolutely batshit. She was an absolutely horrible person. I hated Shade. I thought he was a little bastard even when Nyx had first went googly eyed over him. She and Ignifex were so well suited, but after seeing the result of who Ignifex's actually was, the attraction she had for both and how they made her act made sense. Nyx's family was all annoying as hell though. I wanted them all to go away. So when Nyx returned home, I set the book down for the rest of the day because I REALLY didn't want to read about them!
My only complaint was, and let me say first that I don't know which was thought up or created first, but Ignifex was SO much like Rumpelstiltskin from Once Upon a Time that it made me wrinkle my nose a bit. They were both catty, clever, and hilarious, slightly insane, both made sneaky bargains. Perfectly down to the, "Do you want to guess my name bit." But, like I said, which came first I'm not sure, and I won't make a snot about it because I still really loved Ignifex anyways.
Great story. I'd recommend this to anyone.
This book was really amusing. I loved Ignifex. He's the reason that this is a five star rating instead of a four. He was a clever bastard and absolutely hilarious. In the beginning I laughed every time he spoke, and I looked forward to seeing him pop up. But anyways, I truly enjoyed this take on Beauty and Beast. I thought the mythology was tied in well, and I loved how the characters discussing the mythology obliviously mirrored the stories. Kindly Ones were also very very cool.v I loved their bargains, and I loved how they worked. The entire concept of the palace was stellar. Absolutely stellar. I loved loved loved her inspiration that she took from Alice in Wonderland, seeing that that is my all time favorite story. The lesson learned at the end was also really refreshing.
*spoilers kind of*
Character wise, Nyx was absolutely batshit. She was an absolutely horrible person. I hated Shade. I thought he was a little bastard even when Nyx had first went googly eyed over him. She and Ignifex were so well suited, but after seeing the result of who Ignifex's actually was, the attraction she had for both and how they made her act made sense. Nyx's family was all annoying as hell though. I wanted them all to go away. So when Nyx returned home, I set the book down for the rest of the day because I REALLY didn't want to read about them!
My only complaint was, and let me say first that I don't know which was thought up or created first, but Ignifex was SO much like Rumpelstiltskin from Once Upon a Time that it made me wrinkle my nose a bit. They were both catty, clever, and hilarious, slightly insane, both made sneaky bargains. Perfectly down to the, "Do you want to guess my name bit." But, like I said, which came first I'm not sure, and I won't make a snot about it because I still really loved Ignifex anyways.
Great story. I'd recommend this to anyone.
ollieoxnfree's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars. So close to epic. She had all the right concepts but I feel there should have been more epic fantasy scenes. All that power he has, and you don't see much of it....
klaireparavel's review against another edition
4.0
I devoured this book in three sittings. I started on Thursday night, read into early Friday morning, slept, read a little more before work and finished it Friday night. Clearly I enjoyed it as I raced to find out how it all ended. I perhaps read it too quickly to form a rational opinion. It will require a re-read, but overall Nyx and Ignifex were fantastic characters. That much I do know.
isbnopal's review against another edition
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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.