Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge ♥

Cruel Beauty (Book #1)
Rosamund Hodge

 

• Publisher: Balzer + Bray (January 28, 2014)
• ISBN-13: 978-0062224736
• Genre: Fantasy, Mythology, Young Adult
• Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Nobles
• Source: Personal Purchase
• Synopsis: Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart. Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny. Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him. With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people. But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her. As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

Meet Beauty - Nyx

Meet The Beast - Ignifex,

& together they create Cruel Beauty.

•  This is easily my most favorite debut of 2014 and the latest addition to my all time favorite shelves. The first thing I noticed about Cruel Beauty was the amazing cover, I didn't even realize it had a staircase, I mainly noticed the rose and the girl running. Cruel Beauty is an amazing fairytale retelling of Beauty & The Beast. I find that concept beautiful, and it has always been one of my favorite fairy tales. Although, in this novel the protagonist Nyx is not kidnapped by the Beast, she is betrothed to him, his name is Ignifex. I honestly loved this book, it was just that fantastic.

• The beast, Ignifex actually does not look like a beast, he's a demon. He looks mostly like a gorgeous human, except his eyes are scary. I could not put this book down, I haven't read that much fantasy lately, but I'm going to start reading a lot more now after this.  Nyx is an exceptional heroine, she's strong, brave, and witty. I liked that she had her flaws as well; she's also fierce and angry. Her father had made a bargain with the Gentle Lord because his wife could not conceive, in return, her father made the bargain of marrying one of his daughter to "The Gentle Lord," who is Ignifex. Nyx is the ultimate sacrifice, the weapon her people want to use against The Gentle Lord. He's considered evil, because he has apparently done wrong to them, and he associates himself with the "shadows." I loved Nyx's personality, she was courageous and never backed down from Ignifex, even though he could kill her right away. I liked his character the most, he had a fantastic sense of humor - I loved reading about the character development of these two characters. Their chemistry was great!

•  Mythology also is an element of Cruel Beauty that plays a role in it, I'm not sure if I understood it correctly though, but that's besides the point. The love triangle wasn't necessary but it was not that bad at all though. Although, I was rooting for Ignifex the whole way! Cruel Beauty is a beautiful fairytale retelling with a hint of mythology as well. It did the original fairytale justice, I cannot wait for the sequel to come out soon! Cruel Beauty has a beautiful cover, amazing premise, great characters, beautiful story with a raw and honest tone to it. The characters are flawed, yet believable. Nyx and Ignifex both have a darkness to them, will their love survive? Let's see in the sequel! I would recommend checking out this novel, it's confusing at times, but I still find it to be perfect. I would not rate it any less than 5 butterflies, it is just that amazing.

Shukran for reading this! Leave your blog links in the comments & I'll be sure to check them out & follow :) Happy Holidays everyone & may you all have an safe and healthy New Years! Stay in tuned pretty creatures..

“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” —J.K. Rowling 

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