(3.5 / 5)
Firstly, what a BEAUTIFUL cover. Just gorgeous!! I’m actually not a big flower fan, but I love this cover. I’m kind of glad I couldn’t access it on the kindle in Australia and had to buy the actual book from book depository!!
However, I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked it, but I didn’t absolutely love it…
It was SO HYPED UP! Unbelievably so! I was seeing reviews for it everywhere!
“Beautiful“, “amazing“, “stunning“, “so different“… Written as a beauty and the beast retelling, I was excited to give it a go.
Perhaps the incredible hype it got – was the reason why I didn’t love it. However, I probably wouldn’t have read it without the hype… Oh irony…
The story: Due to a deal her father made before she was even conceived, Nyx has grown up knowing that she was betrothed to the dark lord. A mysterious evil creature who lives in the dark tower, and who is quite possibly a demon. She has also been preparing since birth, to defeat him and save her city from the demons that hide in the shadows.. Literally, they hide in shadows… So when she turns 17, she makes her way to the castle to meet her new husband. But he is not what she was expecting… And how can she destroy him if she is falling for him… Cue the “AHHHHHH”
The characters were good. I liked Nyx and Ignifex and their witty conversations. Their relationship blossoming was very sweet, but not in an overly corny way. And Shade, the shadow, was a great character too. But WHAT THE HELL was with that love triangle??? SERIOUSLY!?? Does there have to be a love triangle in every YA novel!?? I wasn’t feeling the love triangle at all, that is until the end when everything is revealed… But it made the book less enjoyable for me in the meantime.
I feel I have to say something about the castle here. The tower with its changing rooms, hidden doors and magical properties, is pretty much a character in this book. It reminded me a lot of Hogwarts… Almost like it had a personality off its own. I really like that. And I enjoyed the fantasy aspect of the city and (without spoiling anything) why the city didn’t see the sun. It mixed mythology with fantasy and romance and I have to give it points for pulling it off.
It was a very quick read, however it took me a good few days to get through because I just wasn’t that interested. Thankfully though it really picked up at the end and I was anxious to know what happened and really enjoyed the ending.
It was very well written. The story was easy to get into. I think I’m beginning to realise the thing I don’t really like about YA books… How can these characters all have had so much life experience before they are even 18!!! I know it’s only a story and a lot of the time it is written by people closer to my own age, but I still can’t help thinking that no 17 year old I have ever met is that adult and mature! I know I sure wasn’t at 17 (although at the time I thought I was!!). I’m glad my life wasn’t this eventful at 17!!
I think I read this book a little too close to Uprooted. They have similar concepts and similar feels to them. They even both incorporated a place into almost a character in itself… The castle in Cruel Beauty and the woods in Uprooted… I enjoyed them both a lot, but couldn’t help but compare the two and unfortunately this book did not come out on top. Uprooted is a step above in both story and atmosphere.
Still, overall an enjoyable read. 3.5 stars
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