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A review by bookish_blanche
Spellbound Lies by Catherine Downen
5.0
A great YA fantasy book!
-I would like to thank Netgalley for the eARC-
When Jessamyn loses an important family heirloom in the palace, she decides to sneak back at night to find it. Only, she is found by the Prince, or rather a version of him that no one knows about. He is cursed, turning into a dark and twisted and dangerous version of himself at night. Now that she knows the secret, Jessamyn is locked in the castle until the curse can be broken. Who is good and who is bad? Jessamyn will have to fight her instincts and everyone to uncover the truth about the Prince.
This book was full of surprises. I was expecting a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but it turned out to be way more than that. The story was compelling from the beginning, the author pushing us to look further, deeper, to uncover the truth about the curse and all it entails. I really enjoyed the touch of magic and how it was exploited by the author. It was quite unique and very interesting to discover. I liked Jessamyn from the beginning. She was determined, devoted and very smart. Her relationship with the prince was perfectly paced and everything unraveled logically. But it was a real roller-coaster that I did not expect. I LOVED the twists and turns that I did not see coming and how everything started making sense the more I read. It was fascinating and written with elegance that made it addictive and very true. Some scenes and sentences were simply beautiful and made me smile while reading. I even shed a few tears at the end, not gonna lie. All in all, it was a very good book that really transported me into another world.
I highly recommend if you like stories that will surprise you with romance in them!
"You have been the only light I've seen in the last two years."
TW: death, violence, fire, blood, kidnapping, assault, abuse
-I would like to thank Netgalley for the eARC-
When Jessamyn loses an important family heirloom in the palace, she decides to sneak back at night to find it. Only, she is found by the Prince, or rather a version of him that no one knows about. He is cursed, turning into a dark and twisted and dangerous version of himself at night. Now that she knows the secret, Jessamyn is locked in the castle until the curse can be broken. Who is good and who is bad? Jessamyn will have to fight her instincts and everyone to uncover the truth about the Prince.
This book was full of surprises. I was expecting a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but it turned out to be way more than that. The story was compelling from the beginning, the author pushing us to look further, deeper, to uncover the truth about the curse and all it entails. I really enjoyed the touch of magic and how it was exploited by the author. It was quite unique and very interesting to discover. I liked Jessamyn from the beginning. She was determined, devoted and very smart. Her relationship with the prince was perfectly paced and everything unraveled logically. But it was a real roller-coaster that I did not expect. I LOVED the twists and turns that I did not see coming and how everything started making sense the more I read. It was fascinating and written with elegance that made it addictive and very true. Some scenes and sentences were simply beautiful and made me smile while reading. I even shed a few tears at the end, not gonna lie. All in all, it was a very good book that really transported me into another world.
I highly recommend if you like stories that will surprise you with romance in them!
"You have been the only light I've seen in the last two years."
TW: death, violence, fire, blood, kidnapping, assault, abuse