Reviews

Beleza Cruel by Rosamund Hodge

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kaulhilo's review against another edition

5.0

This turned out to be a book I’d been putting off for years to a book that quickly became one of my favorite books. (Not sure if that’s because the book is genuinely good, or because of the weird headspace I’m in right now.)
Either way, it’s such a wonderful book. I’d be hard pressed not to give it 6 stars, if there were such an option. The blurb itself was nothing out of the extraordinary- a girl set up to marry someone she’s raised to kill, a demon who she inevitably falls in love with. Beauty and the Beast minus the roses. Sort of.
What surprised me about this book was how I’d always assumed to it to be, well, a terrible book. And yet, it wasn’t. I’d heard about the main character being a bore and unrealistic- but Nyx was probably one of the best written female characters I’ve read about in a while. Poison in her heart, kindness in her heart.
””I love you more than any other creature, because you are cruel, and kind, and alive. Nyx Triskelion, will you be my wife?””

And Ignifex. It was refreshing to read about someone so normal and yet so evil, someone who caused pain and misery simply because it amused him. And I know that sounds ps*ch*tic, but how many times do we have characters that aren’t undeniably good and kind and wonderful, with perfect hair and always ready with 50 quips for every occasion; or characters that aren’t wholly bad and despicable and devious, with bad manners, no sense of personal hygiene and nothing to indulge themselves in besides evil after evil after evil?

Why not have both?
Ignifex. Kind and evil and wonderful and a literal demon, with messy hair and good hair and posh manners and his disability to take anything seriously. We have a character who’s undeniably bad, just because. It’s who he is. And he’s fun and he has a magical house and he sends people off to certain doom and then jokes about it afterwards. He’s terrible and cruel and he’d let himself be eaten alive by darkness to save his morally (somewhat) decent (enemy) wife.

I wished he wouldn’t have a character arc. Let him win. Let the world burn. But this is YA and we all know how that ends.

Still, I’m pretty happy with what happens. I’m terribly and unbelievably satiated and happy with the ending, and everything that took place for Nyx and Ignifex to reach that conclusion.
My only wish? This book should’ve been longer. Filled with lazy mornings in the gardens and Nyx hitting him with water jugs and more, more, more. And also, this book should’ve been NA. No other book, ever, could’ve been as perfect for New Adult as this book.

Shade. Hm. Now here’s a character I wasn’t mad for, and yet. He made me sympathize with him. And the secret about him and Ignifex — wasn’t really much of a secret. I mean, he IS his shadow, for crying out loud.

But I LOVE how this book was written and executed, every small thing and every paragraph, every dialogue. I wish it had been a series or a trilogy because I really would’ve loved having more time with these characters.

fridaloversera's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

kellyvanboom's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

queenoferebor's review against another edition

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4.0

I'm confused.

I really liked this book. I loved the relationship between Nyx and Ignifex. Give me two protagonists who want to kill each other any time. It also had this feel of Greek mythology mixed with Howl and his castle. Now, my confusion comes from the fact that I don't really understand the world-building. I mean, ok, we have Greek gods, pagan Gods, a sundered land...Maybe I read the story way too fast but the end left me confused and got the feeling that the resolution was too easy.

Either way, I really liked it, so I give it 4 full stars.

P.S: Bonus points because it reminds me of a fanfic I wrote ages ago. Oh, my dear Voldemort.

letsbebookfriends's review against another edition

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4.0

I really enjoyed this more than I thought I would. The writing is beautiful, and I loved the main character. She isn't the most beautiful, the nicest, or the "special" one. She is flawed and knows it. She falls for someone who is flawed and knows it. And I honestly enjoyed that.

The plot will keep you guessing, and the banter will keep you laughing (at least it kept me laughing). A fairly good beauty and the beast retelling.

magencorrie's review against another edition

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4.0

4 stars

My Thoughts:

Cruel Beauty was definitely not what I was expecting at all. And I absolutely loved that! The author took on quite a different version of Beauty and the Beast. I did have a picture as to how, maybe, the story would play out. Well, I did not expect the story to play out as it did. That, I believe, made the story so much fun; made it one I really did enjoy.

I think the world that the author created was by far the most unique thing. I loved how she wove bits and pieces of the original Beauty and the Beast story into her novel, yet turned everything else upside down! The world within this book is quite exceptional. Interwoven ancient myths, gods, and goddess also play an intricate part in this book, along with more magical elements. Each factor was interesting and pulled me in.

The characters, each one, I really loved meeting. Nyx was raised to be the one to slay the beast or in this world the Demon Lord. What I enjoyed so much about her character is her faults. She isn't a perfect character and that was a big thing in the book. It’s what made Nyx feel more connectable with, even though this story is such a fantasy read. But despite her faults, she’s a very determined character. And I love determined characters!

Oh, don’t even get me started on Ignifex. I guess I can say he is a bit of a complicated character. Like Beast from the original tale, he isn't what he seems. I think that’s what I enjoyed learning about Ignifex. The mystery woven around his character is deep and very fascinating. Plus, despite everything, he really was a good character. And he loved despite faults; that’s what made me enjoy him so much.

The mystery of the book was very intense and very intricate. And the twists and plot building left me a bit breathless. I wasn't sure where the story was heading, and I loved that. It’s very rare from me to not be able to guess most aspects, or turn of events, in a book. Though I did figure out some things, I enjoyed the story and the mystery. The world was just so odd and yet very creative. Rosamund did a unique job at making this world her very own.

Her writing, description, and style was something I enjoyed. It pulled me in and I was able to visually see the world she built, the characters, the mystery, the magical elements. And the story flowed at a nice pace. Though I did feel that some aspects of the book were a bit rushed, but it didn't take from the overall story.

Watching Nyx slowly uncover the world of Ignifex, and slowly fall in love with him, was intense. And I loved the challenges she faced, the conflicts she had to overcome. She was made to choose on how to save her world and I could feel how hard that was for her. It was pretty hard for me too, as the reader. And I loved watching her and Ignifew grow. Their character growth was slow, but there. At the end of the book I really liked who they were, faults and all.

This was definitely a unique, odd, take on Beauty and the Beast. I enjoyed that uniqueness, and the way the author told her story. It pulled me in right from the beginning and took me on one interesting adventure. I do recommend Cruel Beauty to those who loved Beauty and the Beast, but want a very different take on the story.