A review by miss_merna
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

5.0

“Is he scared of the dark?”
“Like all monsters. Because it reminds him of what he truly is.”

I still recall the last mythology book I read. I prefer not to. I mean who would not want to erase the boring journey of Hades searching for his right wife? (If you have not guessed, I’m talking about [b:The Goddess Test|9681214|The Goddess Test (Goddess Test, #1)|Aimee Carter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387217173s/9681214.jpg|14569146])

Cruel Beauty was able to substantiate to me that (Greek) mythology can be interesting in YA fiction if handled correctly.

It composed of everything I pursue for in a book: unpredictable Mystery, imperfect heroine, fascinating setting plus backstory, and a story partly based on BEAUTY & THE BEAST. One of my favourite fairy-tales.

Quick summary of Cruel Beauty:

Nyx Triskelion never feels as if she belongs. Maybe, it’s because she’s motherless or that her father pays more attention to her twin sister. Or perhaps, it could simply be the fact that her father betrothed her to an evil ruler of the kingdom for a bargain. Nyx begins to train as young as nine to defeat Ignifex in order to free herself and release her kingdom from Ignifex‘s curse, which has entrapped and left them isolated from the rest of the world for nine-hundred years. As she puts her plan to action, she realizes not everything is as black and white as it seems, and killing Ignifex proves to be more difficult than she imagined.

When I read the synopsis, I had conjectured the book would lack a deep plot. I could not have been more mistaken. There are piles of backstories, explanations, and clues thrown at you to demonstrate why everything is the way it is. The characters would occasionally tell short tales which added more spice to the book; making it just as attention-grabbing. I also thought Ignifex would probably be an irksome YA male interest (Dark, mysteriously and dangerously Blah). I had unsurprisingly predicted wrong again. Ignifex character was depicted as pure evil. He deceived people when they made a bargain with him. He exhibited no concern for the consequences his bargain tricks had on the people. Nxy’s mother was unfortunately one of the people who were fooled into his bargains. However, as you read deeper into the story, not everything is as straightforward as it appears.

“Everyone who ever bargains with me is convinced that he is righteous. Even the ones who come sad-eyed and guilty-they weep to the gods that they are sinners, but in their hearts they believe their need is so special that it justifies any sin, that they are heroes for losing all their righteousness and paying with their souls.”

Nyx's constant change of mind about everything left some readers exasperated. She would hate her sister than love her and back and forth. Or she would hate Ignifex, but afterwords consider he was not all so bad. I, on the other hand, thought the way her character was portrayed is honest. She felt despondent that she was left to face everything alone, and unwanted since her father had hastily selected her as an alternative, and not her twin sister, for the dangerous task of killing Ignifex. Overall, she was witty, intelligent, and bold.

The setting of the book was somewhere in Ancient Greece in a kingdom called Arcadia, which has been secluded from rest of the world after a curse. As the book progresses, the setting becomes an important aspect. Rosamund Hodge builds a world so wonderfully detailed, and it has to be one of my favourite elements of the entire book. Overall, I just love everything about this book.