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A review by bloomingsouls
Of Thorns and Beauty by Robin D. Mahle, Elle Madison
4.0
4.5 stars
This book was truly a gem and I'm so happy I stumbled upon it! I love fairytale retellings and Beauty and the Beast remains one of my favourites. Sadly, though, it's very hard to find any good retellings with just the right amount of classic fairytale-feeling mixed with an original storyline. In that regard, this story really served! I don't want to spoil too much. All you need to know is that Zaina is our protagonist, and she is sent to marry Einar, the king of the ice kingdom. Known to be very reclusive and shut off from the outside world, there isn't much Zaina knows about the people and their king. The only thing she does know is that the kingdom is reputed to be filled with ruthless warriors - including the king. She acquiesces to the marriage only to save her sisters. While that is an element from the classic story, the entire context surrounding her decision to marry the king in order to save her sisters is completely different.
I must say this story really surprised me, in particular with all the elements that were decidedly not at all similar to the Beauty and the Beast we all know. Just know that this story features:
- A fierce heroine who knows what she wants and is very emotionally intelligent
- A dragon
- A huge cat (at first very tiny) silver cat with metallic canines
- Two very emotional backstories
- A slow burn (though the story is pretty fast-paced)
While I loved this story, though, I couldn't give it the five stars I wish it deserved, because I honestly wanted it to be longer. I felt like an extra 100 pages would have allowed the reader to be immersed more into the world - not necessarily the plot because that was amazing. I felt that we didn't get to know enough about the respective lands/nations Zaina and Einar are from. The only thing that is clear is that Zaina hails from the Eastern Lands, which appears to be a bit Indian (or Persian) inspired. Einar is from Jokith, a kingdom that is inspired by Icelandic/Viking heritage. I wished the authors would have delved a bit more into this and did so a bit earlier in the story. While I hate info dumps, this book could've done with a bit more worldbuilding. Nevertheless, this book is a great work by indie authors and I honestly wish it garnered more readers!
This book was truly a gem and I'm so happy I stumbled upon it! I love fairytale retellings and Beauty and the Beast remains one of my favourites. Sadly, though, it's very hard to find any good retellings with just the right amount of classic fairytale-feeling mixed with an original storyline. In that regard, this story really served! I don't want to spoil too much. All you need to know is that Zaina is our protagonist, and she is sent to marry Einar, the king of the ice kingdom. Known to be very reclusive and shut off from the outside world, there isn't much Zaina knows about the people and their king. The only thing she does know is that the kingdom is reputed to be filled with ruthless warriors - including the king. She acquiesces to the marriage only to save her sisters. While that is an element from the classic story, the entire context surrounding her decision to marry the king in order to save her sisters is completely different.
I must say this story really surprised me, in particular with all the elements that were decidedly not at all similar to the Beauty and the Beast we all know. Just know that this story features:
- A fierce heroine who knows what she wants and is very emotionally intelligent
- A dragon
- A huge cat (at first very tiny) silver cat with metallic canines
- Two very emotional backstories
- A slow burn (though the story is pretty fast-paced)
While I loved this story, though, I couldn't give it the five stars I wish it deserved, because I honestly wanted it to be longer. I felt like an extra 100 pages would have allowed the reader to be immersed more into the world - not necessarily the plot because that was amazing. I felt that we didn't get to know enough about the respective lands/nations Zaina and Einar are from. The only thing that is clear is that Zaina hails from the Eastern Lands, which appears to be a bit Indian (or Persian) inspired. Einar is from Jokith, a kingdom that is inspired by Icelandic/Viking heritage. I wished the authors would have delved a bit more into this and did so a bit earlier in the story. While I hate info dumps, this book could've done with a bit more worldbuilding. Nevertheless, this book is a great work by indie authors and I honestly wish it garnered more readers!