A review by decodethebooks
Of Thorns and Beauty: A Dark Fairy Tale Retelling by Robin D. Mahle, Elle Madison, Elle Madison

5.0

5 stars  

★★★★★

☞ Trigger warnings: **contains spoilers**

Spoiler

abuse, abusive relationship, alcohol consumption, arranged and forced marriage, avalanche (mentioned), beating, blackmail, blood & gore depictions, body horror, body modifications, burns, captivity & confinement, child abuse (mentioned), child sexual abuse & assault (mentioned), dead bodies & body parts, death of a child, death of a sibling, death of a parent, depression, dubious consent scenarios (mentioned), drugging, drowning, emotional abuse, exile, fire, grief & loss depictions, pedophilia (mentioned), hostage situation, indentured servitude, intrusive thoughts, imprisonment, intimate partner abuse & violence, knife violence, loss of autonomy, murder & attempted murder, nightmares & night terrors, parental abuse, physical abuse & assault, physical injuries & wounds, phobias, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), rape (mentioned), sexual assault, sexual harassment, sex trafficking (mentioned), slut-shaming, starvation (mentioned), scars, slavery, strangulation, suicide ideation, torture (mentioned), verbal abuse, war themes & military violence (mentioned)

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Twisted Pages reviews:
#1     [b:Of Thorns and Beauty|50454908|Of Thorns and Beauty (Twisted Pages #1)|Elle Madison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578992811l/50454908._SY75_.jpg|75424365]: ★★★★★
#2     [b:Of Beasts and Vengeance|55473310|Of Beasts and Vengeance (Twisted Pages, #2)|Elle Madison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1606629959l/55473310._SY75_.jpg|86513251]: ★★★★☆
#3     [b:Of Glass and Ashes|56861136|Of Glass and Ashes (Twisted Pages, #3)|Elle Madison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1611784006l/56861136._SY75_.jpg|88894482]: not interested in reading (at the moment)
#4     [b:Of Thieves and Shadows|58565026|Of Thieves and Shadows (Twisted Pages, #4)|Elle Madison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1627350486l/58565026._SX50_.jpg|92050448]: not interested in reading (at the moment)

RTC

The main character is Zaina, who has brown skin and has a background from a South-Asain or Arabic inspired country. Tell me why the cover is giving white girl in a ball gown. I don't think Zaina wears a single dress like this. She lives in an area inspired by Nordic people, with perpetual snow. She either wears South-Asian traditional clothes or furs. No ball gowns. The cover feels suspicious and pandering to white-people. White-washy.

Would I recommend this book? 
I would recommend this book if you like dark fantasy retellings.
It is similar to [b:Beauty and the Beast|50245118|Beauty and the Beast (Timeless Fairy Tales, #1)|K.M. Shea|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1577932365l/50245118._SY75_.jpg|27534886], [b:Stain|34842208|Stain|A.G. Howard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1518038216l/34842208._SX50_.jpg|56074713] and [b:An Enchantment Of Thorns|57221408|An Enchantment Of Thorns (A Court of Fairy Tales #1)|Helena Rookwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1614413639l/57221408._SY75_.jpg|89561975].

Will I continue reading this series? 
Will read the next book but I am unsure if I will continue with the next few books. They switch sisters and I am uninterested in Aika or Melodi's stories.

 Will I re-read this book? 
Maybe. I liked this book and the romance and might pick it up if I want a quick comfort re-read.

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