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A review by renuked
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
4.0
This was a really weird book. It was a huge mess of Greek mythology, Beauty and the Beast, Rumplestiltskin ("guess me name"), and Bluebeard (the guy with the dead wives). So yeah. It's fair to say I was really confused, and I am absolutely positive that there are going to be plenty of negative reviews. So if you aren't a fan of swirly, lopsided, crazy books - don't read this. However, if you love lyrical language, strange new worlds, a gothic feel, characters that don't always make sense and a plot that could rival real life - this is the book for you.
It reminds me a bit of the Night Circus. It's a little bizarre but so beautifully written I couldn't really pull myself away. Their relationship is strange too. It's borderline abusive, but they fit together. Ignifex and Nyx. Two rather horrible people. You can't love them, but you can. Neither of them is very nice, or even relatable. They make awful decisions throughout the book, but their complex appeal is very real. I love me some layered characters.
The overall setting is...very unclear. I wasn't too sure about their world, but I think I loved it? I know I loved Ignifex's warped castle. It was eerie, abandoned, colorful, and twisty - it mirrored the novel itself. Yes, it was (again) very confusing. But - it was all about the writing. The lines that flowed off the page. The descriptions and the danger. Emotions and the supernatural spiraling off the page with a dark fairy tale approach. It was noir fantasy. This book makes it's own genre.
The romance is definitely not for everyone. Let me say one more time - they are not a pretty couple. Ignifex and Nyx do not "bring out the best" in each other. They bring out the real in each other. At some times, that even means the worst comes out. But they are one of the most honest pairs. It's raw and strange and consuming. I couldn't put the book down.
Overall, I was sucked in and couldn't get out until the last words were over. The ending was not my favorite ending, and the book was hugely flawed - but in just the right way. Cruel Beauty is the perfect title. It was complex, the characters were strange, and much was unclear - but I do know that people looking for something darker, and a little twisted will love it.
It reminds me a bit of the Night Circus. It's a little bizarre but so beautifully written I couldn't really pull myself away. Their relationship is strange too. It's borderline abusive, but they fit together. Ignifex and Nyx. Two rather horrible people. You can't love them, but you can. Neither of them is very nice, or even relatable. They make awful decisions throughout the book, but their complex appeal is very real. I love me some layered characters.
The overall setting is...very unclear. I wasn't too sure about their world, but I think I loved it? I know I loved Ignifex's warped castle. It was eerie, abandoned, colorful, and twisty - it mirrored the novel itself. Yes, it was (again) very confusing. But - it was all about the writing. The lines that flowed off the page. The descriptions and the danger. Emotions and the supernatural spiraling off the page with a dark fairy tale approach. It was noir fantasy. This book makes it's own genre.
The romance is definitely not for everyone. Let me say one more time - they are not a pretty couple. Ignifex and Nyx do not "bring out the best" in each other. They bring out the real in each other. At some times, that even means the worst comes out. But they are one of the most honest pairs. It's raw and strange and consuming. I couldn't put the book down.
Overall, I was sucked in and couldn't get out until the last words were over. The ending was not my favorite ending, and the book was hugely flawed - but in just the right way. Cruel Beauty is the perfect title. It was complex, the characters were strange, and much was unclear - but I do know that people looking for something darker, and a little twisted will love it.