First off, I want to share that I love retellings, any retellings. I don't remember how I stumbled upon this book but I knew it is a Beauty and the Beast fairytale retelling and the cover is gorgeous. I knew I had to read it. As if someone heard my wish, I won this book in a Tumblr bookblog giveaway. YAY.
Goodreads synopsis: 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.
The starting of the book was quite messy and some parts were confusing. Many infos were shoved in and I had a hard time trying to figure out what's going on. I wish the author could slow down with her writings and just let the readers digest the informations. Until now I still didn't grasp what's the point of the four Hearts. I felt t
However I do enjoy the relationship between Nyx and Ignifex. I like how their relationship slowly buds and Nyx was torn in between the forbidden love and her mission. It was both heart breaking and sweet at the same time. (Something about forbidden love which attracts my attention...)
It was an enjoyable read but somehow it doesn't pull me into speed-reading it which I thought I would. The mysterious and dark effects of the book really stand out with the author's writings. Somehow I don't feel like it's a retelling but more to a standalone paranormal fiction, maybe because I'm just familiar with the Disney's version of Beauty and the Beast.
I absolutely adore the ending plot twist. (It's hard to not share that part because this has to be spoiler-free but it's amazing.) At the end, I didn't know what's going on and suddenly I was pulled back to the story. The feeling is amazing. I love it when a book does that effect on me. Not to mention, the beautiful quotes and poems which the author wrote, they were stunning.
Overall it was enjoyable but many parts confused me thus I gave it a 3-stars. I still recommend this book because the plot was very well thought out and the plot twist was effective (is that the correct description?).
Summer
a beauty and the beast fan?: Cruel Beauty / paperback version to pre-order
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