Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge - book review

Here comes another book review! And if you are in search for a good fantasy young adult novel, with a good dose of romance (February is on the horizon...!) and some magic, and some fairy tale, some mythology... well this is what you've been looking for!!!

This book is one of the most rare occasions that I got hooked from the very first sentence....

"I was raised to marry a monster."

Mind blown....!!!

Unfortunately I had the kindle version (I 100% prefer the physical copy), but I also was able to read this book literally everywhere! EVERYWHERE!!!! On my way to work, while working (!!!), on my way home (don't worry, I wasn't driving!), while eating... It only took me two days and a half to read it, just because I also had to socialize too...!Well, you got the point! After some really disappointing reads it was what it really got me back on track and got me really obsessed!!!

Source

This book is a retelling of "The Beauty and The Beast", with some really interesting twists! First of all, the Beast is not at all looking like a monster! Well Ignifex may be one, a demon to be exact, but he is quite good-looking!! 

Nyx's father (Nyx is our Beauty), made a deal with Ignifex in the past and in return his daughter had to marry him on her 17th birthday. Nyx is literally raised to kill him and save her homeland. She never received the affection her sister got from her father and she believes that by saving them from the evil ruler will get her father to love her as much as her sister.

However, when Nyx arrives at the castle, things are not as she had imagined. And that's where the really interesting things happen... I won't say more because it way more fun to discover the rest of the characters on your own and make your own assumptions as well! 
Would you choose duty over love? 

I was totally drawn to the plot! Like OMG what just happened?😵 I had the same dilemmas with Nyx... I wanted to hate Ignifex... he was a DEMON! But his charm.... his grin... his sassy character!  I totally get it!😍

The world was really extraordinary too! As a greek reader, I really liked that it had pieces from greek mythology here and there!😎

Rosamund Hodge is an author I 'discovered' last year by reading this novel. I then read that this was her debut novel!!! If her first book was THAT good I can't wait to read the rest of the books she published! I have already also read "Gilded Ashes" (review coming soon) but there are more! 




As you may have guessed... I rated this book with 5 stars, or 5 hearts!!

Some of my favorite quotes are the following:

“If one of us had to die, it ought to be the one with poison in her heart.”

“Where you go, I shall go; where you die, I shall die, and there will I be buried.”

“Water is born from the death of air, earth from the death of water, fire from the death of earth, air from the death of fire.” In their eternal dance, the elements overpower and arise from one another in this order, and every Hermetic working must follow it.

“Don’t look at the shadows too long or a demon might look back.” 

“They said that love was terrifying and tender, wild and sweet, and none of it made any sense.
But now I knew that every mad word was true.” 

A hundred times I wished I could ask him, Why did you kiss my lips? Why don’t you kiss me again? But the words always stuck in my throat: they were too needy, too selfish, too foolish—and how could I ask for more, when he had already given me so much?

If you desired someone, if he comforted you, if you thought he might leech the poison out of your heart, was that love? Or only desperation?

I should have been disgusted, but just like the last time, I couldn’t help myself any more than water could stop itself running downhill.

 “I wasn’t born to be saved.”

He opened his eyes and stared up at me as if I were the door out of Arcadia and back to the true sky. “That’s what makes you my favorite.” He reached up and wiped a tear off my cheek with his thumb. “Every wicked bit of you.”

“Knowing the truth is not always a kindness.” 

I could literally write down at least half the book but that would ruin your chance to read it!

I totally recommend it to everyone who is looking for love or love fairy tales!

That's all for now!
Have you read this or any other fairy tale retellings? I would love some recommendations! 
xoxo Joan!

source