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Cruel Beauty

(Cruel Beauty Universe)

Rosamund Hodge (Goodreads Author)

3.69 · Rating details · 82,440 ratings · 10,306 reviews

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 everyt ...more

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Hardcover, 346 pages

Published January 28th 2014 by Balzer + Bray

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Community Reviews

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Average rating 3.69 ·

Rating details

· 82,440 ratings · 10,306 reviews

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Dec 20, 2013 Emily May rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2014, arc, fairy-tales, young-adult

Well, I thought this was wonderful.

What is Cruel Beauty?

• It's a gorgeously written blend of Beauty and the Beast retelling and Greek mythology.
• It's at once a powerful, wonderful, heart-breaking love story and so so much more than that.
• It's a dark tale that stabs you in the heart at every turn and constantly throws all new levels of craziness into the mix.
• And it's the latest addition to my favourite YA of all time shelf.

Cruel Beauty shouldn't work. But somehow it does. It managed to have m ...more

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Jun 15, 2015 Kat Kennedy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fun-fantasy, kat-s-book-reviews, leaves-awesomeness-behind, romance-romance-romance, to-ya-or-not-to-ya, favorites

I don’t know if Cruel Beauty truly deserved five stars on merit but goddamnit I’m awarding it all the points for enjoyability. All of them. I loved the hell out of this story. The passion. The intrigue. Ignifex. Nyx’s rage. Ignifex. All the kissing. Nyx.

This book kind of had it all for me. Plot, mystery, intrigue and a whole lot of making out. It’s almost like Hodge was trying to distract me from the crazy plotholes and loose story structure. It was fantastic! I haven’t been this entertained by ...more

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Jun 20, 2013 Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies rated it really liked it

Shelves: mythology, alternate-retelling, ya, romance, siblings, alternate-universe, twins-triplets-clones, fairy-tale

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

Actual rating: 3.5

Maybe it's just me, but I've rarely encountered a Beauty and the Beast retelling that I haven't loved. Ok, except Beastly. That abomination was just horrible all the way around. And let's not even mention the movie. Some people just have the kind of face that just begs for an encounter with my fist, and pretty boy Pettyfer is one of them. But I digress.

This was a very enjoyable read, though not ...more

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Oct 07, 2015 karen rated it it was ok

Shelves: books-everyone-loves-but-me, continuations-n-retellings, why-yes-i-ya

For one moment, I felt like a river running down to his ocean.

i feel like i need to drop a few lines here about what, precisely, i felt was lacking in this story. i so rarely throw down a fewer-than-three-stars rating on here, i figure an explanation may be helpful. i'm not going to go into too much plot-detail, since there are a bazillion reviews of this book already on here - i just want to have a record of my own reaction, for the day when some stranger asks me WHYYYYYYYYYYYY i didn't like th ...more

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Jun 05, 2020 jessica rated it it was ok

huh. im really quite shocked. this is the first ‘beauty and the beast’ retelling that i havent enjoyed. ive read and loved so many, so for me to not click with this is a major disappointment.

i appreciate the unique spin on a classic story, but i found the pacing to be slow, the writing to be dull and repetitious, the characters to be unlikable, and the world-building to be confusing and out of place. there really wasnt much that i liked about this, to be honest, and im super jealous of all the ...more

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Feb 27, 2014 Whitney Atkinson rated it it was ok

Shelves: unhauled, read-in-2015

I loved the first 100 pages of this book so much that i was 99% sure it'd be a 4 or 5 star book. I loved the writing and the main character's sass, and the "Dark Lord" or whatever his title is was REALLY interesting. But holy moly, this book does a 180. It starts out strong but turns into trash. HORRID instalove, obnoxious and confusing love triangle (??????), and I was completely baffled by the world/magic system. I'm not sure if it's because I listened to it on audio, but i am SO confused by e ...more

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Jul 22, 2019 Val ⚓️ Shameless Non-Snowflake ⚓️ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: clear-my-bookshelf-challenge, 3-stars, 0-in-my-library-read, fairies-elves, ya-fantasy, revenge-plots, witches-demons, low-or-no-steam, love-to-hate-and-hate-to-love, royals

3.25 - 3.5 Stars

Last night I got a bee up my ass and decided to count and see how many unread physical books I have on my home library shelves...and let’s just say the number was pretty shameful.

Thus, I decided it was time to cull the herd. So decided I would try the cliched booktube trend of reading first chapters of books that have been on my shelves awhile...unhauling anything that didn’t at least mildly capture my attention.

This book has been on my shelves the longest, so I grabbed it and ...more

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Jun 19, 2013 Steph Sinclair rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: fairy-tales, lots-of-fail-going-on-here, zzzzz, bound-to-inflict-a-migraine, dat-cover-yo, e-arc, heroines-i-want-to-shake, not-for-me, original-and-creative, harpercollins

I have to give the narrator, Elizabeth Knowelden, some credit here. She tried. She really, really tried to salvage this book by giving the main character tons of personality, but not even she could change the source material. The fact is that Cruel Beauty made absolutely no damn sense.

How does the magic work? I dunno.

Who are the real bad guys? I dunno.

Wait, what's the SECRET. Well, I dunno because Nyx learns it and then FORGETS it on the next page to conveniently keep the plot rolling. Awesome.

H ...more

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Jun 28, 2015 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, fantasy-all

*Reread...um, I was going to add something but I forgot! 🤨 The Audio is great though!

When I first started the book I was disappointed and thought I would not like it because it seemed to drag for me. It took a few chapters for me to get interested, pretty much when Nyx got to her wonderful husband's home, the evil Ignifex.

She is supposed to be killed by her husband at some point in time, how is that for a honeymoon! But, and there is always a but, Ignifex is not what he seems. Yes, he has the ...more

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Feb 14, 2017 Mohammed Arabey rated it really liked it

Recommended to Mohammed by: Julia Carlton

One of the Best, Angriest, Cruelest, Beautiful Retellings..

Not just a different retelling of a 'story as old of time',

But it also mixed with as many of ancient Greek Myths.

And by the end you'll feel that it's came so, Original.

الجميلة والوحش هي قصة قديمة كالزمن، لكن في أعادة الحكي القاسية، الغاضبة، الجميلة تلك الأمر مختلفا
فهي لم تكتفي بأعادة حكيها وإنما أيضا مزجتها بأساطير أغريقية عتيقة...وببناء عالم مختلف وسماء من ورق

وبمشاعر 'بشرية' أكثر واقعية، بقسوة
قصة تلاعبت بالزمن لتنتج بعض الجمال
Even if yo ...more

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May 20, 2014 Claudia Ramírez rated it liked it

Shelves: cover-love, 2014, i-ship-them

I'm not sure of what to think of this book... I really loved it... but at the same time I didn´t? Let me try to arrange my thoughts...

I was very excited about this book, so I was a little dissappointed because I wasn't really digging it and I was already at page 100... but after that it really became really really good! I started to like the characters and I kinda fell in love with the Gentle Lord, Ignifex <3.

I think that I wasn't liking it at the begining because Nyx is always changing her mi I'm not sure of what to think of this book... I really loved it... but at the same time I didn´t? Let me try to arrange my thoughts...

I was very excited about this book, so I was a little dissappointed because I wasn't really digging it and I was already at page 100... but after that it really became really really good! I started to like the characters and I kinda fell in love with the Gentle Lord, Ignifex <3.

I think that I wasn't liking it at the begining because Nyx is always changing her mind and I wanted to slap her sometimes, but also because the world in this book is really confusing! At first I didn't understand a thing about the "Hermetic" laws and the elemental hearts, then it became clearer, but we also had demons, gods, "kindly ones", shadows, mithology, fantasy, and so much more that I don't think I fully understood the world at the end of the book, but that doesn't mean I didn't like it, on the contrary, I found it very interesting!

I decided to give this book 4 stars because of the slow begining and because of what I said in the paragraph above, but those were the only things I didn't really like... I just loved Ignifex so much, the way he loved and trusted Nyx <3. Also, I thought his back story was amazing! A true mistery and at the end when we learn what really happened it blew my mind!

Really, I devoured the second half of this book! And I nearly cried because of the destiny of Nyx and Ignifex :(. It was so unfair! UGH. About the ending... I'm kinda torn. I didn't expected it and I like that, also, I think it was sweet and overall, a good ending, but I don't know, I feel like I didn't fully understood what happened (again, because the world and the demons and the gods were so confusing)...

I'm satisfied with it, that's for sure, and I got a little book hangover! That was also unexpected! When I finished the book I couldn't stop thinking about Nyx and Ignifex and the magical world of Arcadia.

OH, and I can't go without saying that one of the things I loved the most of this book was THE CASTLE. I LOVED IT COMPLETELY. ...more

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Jul 12, 2013 B rated it it was amazing

Shelves: loved-it, 2013-reads, love-triangle, i-ship-it, freaking-brilliant, mind-blowing-ending, swoooon, awesome-world-building, clever-plot-twists, exceeded-my-expectations

Let me say it now: Cruel Beauty is one fantastic, gorgeously written, spectacularly dark debut. Many of its aspects may not appeal to some readers, and I understand that; although I really loved how the romance in Cruel Beauty and the "love triangle" (note the quotation marks--don't run off) played out, I do understand why some other readers, a handful of my friends amongst them, take issue with much of this novel.

But honestly, it's been over a week since I've finished Cruel Beauty, and I have Let me say it now: Cruel Beauty is one fantastic, gorgeously written, spectacularly dark debut. Many of its aspects may not appeal to some readers, and I understand that; although I really loved how the romance in Cruel Beauty and the "love triangle" (note the quotation marks--don't run off) played out, I do understand why some other readers, a handful of my friends amongst them, take issue with much of this novel.

But honestly, it's been over a week since I've finished Cruel Beauty, and I have truly nothing negative to say about it, other than the fact that the world-building and terminology may be a bit overwhelming at first. However, when I got accustomed to the world in Cruel Beauty, and got a grasp on where Hodge was going with the story around fifty pages in, I was absolute putty in this book's hand.

Cruel Beauty is a very ambitious novel, and it's one that will likely throw some readers off in how odd it is; it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling, with some Greek mythology thrown in, a whole lot of fantasy, a maybe even a hint of dystopian aspects, and trust me when I say it's all handled really, really well. What could have easily been a convoluted and silly novel instead incorporated each and every one of those aforementioned plot points seamlessly.

Nyx is a strong willed character, and is at times a bit frustrating, but she is also one of the most realistic characters I've read about this year. After all the things she goes through in the novel, she's understandably angry and fickle regarding whom she truly loves, and why. In reality, I think anyone would react similar to how Nyx reacted if they were placed in the same situation as her. As well as being an authentic character, she does eventually grow past the anger that was so evidently boiling up inside her in the beginning of the novel, but she never truly gets past it, much like anyone wouldn't. And that's why I love her character arc and development: you may be just as frustrated as Nyx is with her anger and fickleness, but you can't deny that her emotions are real, and you'd react the same. In any other novel, with any other character, Nyx's actions may just have annoyed me. I'm aware of this; but in Cruel Beauty, Rosamund Hodge creates a character in Nyx that is, while not always likable, wholly relatable, and that is a great feat in my eyes.

And then there's Ignifex, who is one charming little bastard, and I'll leave it at that. There are much more things for me to touch upon in regards to the romance in this novel, all of which are spoilers. So I'm just going to let the readers of this unravel the mysteries of this romance on their own. (And trust me, it's something you'll want to discover on your own. The romance is something you'll either love or hate (see below), but it is definitely intriguing and original.) But yes, Ignifex--awesome, complex character, with a unique and surprising backstory...yes. Yes, yes, yes. Lovers of Cole from the Everneath series by Brodi Ashton, this guy's for you.

I think Cruel Beauty is a novel that will have some pretty contrasting opinions once it's published. Although some think its romance is insta-love (which I disagree with since it was said that five months passed before any 'love' thoughts occurred, but I digress) with an unnecessary love triangle (which I also respectfully disagree with because of reasons, but you all know how I feel about love triangles), I found Cruel Beauty to be a truly beautiful and stunningly original debut. With it, Rosamund Hodge has taken some aspects from Beauty and the Beast that manage to make the novel stand out as an adaptation, but she also introduces so many new concepts of her own to make the ageless tale as old as time we all love even lovelier. ...more

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Mar 19, 2018 Kaylin (The Re-Read Queen) rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, finished-but-wish-i-hadn-t, new-adult

2 Stars

Mini-review since it's been like a month since I read this whoops.

Pros

- engrossing writing style
- Audiobook narrator with the voice of a goddess
- A fun combination of Greek mythology and Beauty and the Beast retelling
- Main character who's allowed flaws and to be complex

Cons:

- In the quest to make the MC complex they made her indecisive and fickle. (she seriously couldn't make up her mind about anything for more than two pages)
- None of the characters have a real conversation ever. They ...more

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Jun 03, 2017 sunny rated it really liked it

Shelves: shawty-so-bad, dark, fantasy, bf, young-adult, romance, sick-of-this-bitch

3.9ish stars

This was so so so good and I loved it way more than I was expecting to. I did have some small issues which is why I didn't give it full five stars.

Rtc after my exams,

Buddy read with Inej dominating Kaz ~~who i ditched lmao~~ ...more

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Jan 09, 2014 Tatiana rated it really liked it

Recommended to Tatiana by: Emily May

Shelves: romancelandia, fairy-tales-myths, 2014, ya

3.5 stars

This book, I would have preferred to read written for adults. It is mostly a romance, with a lot of talk of virginity, ravishing, tearing off dresses, etc. But because it's YA, despite being quite sensuous, it doesn't go further than kissing. Too bad really, I don't come across many good adult romances, and setup of "Cruel Beauty" is perfect for creating all kinds of convenient excuses to facilitate sexy times.

I enjoyed mythology/fairy tale mix as well, although I got lost a little in ...more

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Jun 20, 2013 Samantha rated it liked it

3.5 stars. Everyone was telling me I would hate this book, and I did not! While it did have its faults, I enjoyed what it was trying to do and the general theme, even if the execution failed at times. It is a Beauty and the Beast/Hades & Persephone hybrid with some folklore mixed in. I cannot hate it.

A review to come when I've fully collected my thoughts! ...more

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Jul 06, 2017 ♛ may rated it did not like it

Shelves: 300-pgs, binged, fantasy, in-the-trash-you-go, bye, clichéd-to-death, love-triangle-ugh, duology, why-is-this-a-book, n-o-p-e

I don’t get what the point of this book is?

It’s supposed to be a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but we got one hell of a desnse-uninteresting-FRIVOLOUS-beauty and one hell of a not-so-beastly-beast.

- description

(s)

Not to mention, the insta-love, the love triangle, the my-determined-will-is-broken-by-a-single-kiss, the exhausting amount of lust, it’s all M E S S.

So, this girl, Nxy, is supposed to save her kingdom by being wedded to the Gentle Lord. She and her father devised a plan to kill him to free ...more

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Feb 19, 2014 Regan rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-owned-read

This book really surprised me.

When I was first reading this book I was not really digging it, I thought I had a handle on where the story was going, and therefore I thought it was too predictable. However, this story did not follow the stereotypical path that I thought it would. I still guessed the ending halfway in, but I enjoyed the ride nonetheless. The amount of predictability that may or may not be present in this book is not the important part, no, the important part is the story. The sto ...more

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Jul 14, 2019 Cardan Greenbriar rated it really liked it

Shelves: my-cup-of-tea

me: so this is a serious version of Jude and Cardan
brain: hehe yes, i guess a version of it

me: *high fives brain*

me: *injures brain*

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May 21, 2013 Katie rated it really liked it

Shelves: harper-collins, mythology, kindle-books, fantasy

I realize that this book doesn't come out for quite a while, but as soon as it downloaded on my Kindle, I started reading it right away, and once I'd finished it, there was no holding back the feels.

This book is amazering.

It's half:

And another half:

And considering Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney movies/fairy tales and the Cupid and Psyche myth is probably my favorite in the entire Greek mythology canon...

This book has some of the coolest worldbuilding I've seen in a YA novel. O ...more

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Jul 08, 2016 Simona B rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantastic-lit-and-co, in-english, 2000

3.5

"Why wasn’t my hatred simple anymore?"

I'm going to start this review doing a thing I usually find useless and infuriating, but which I am nonetheless sure every reader does, at least from time to time: a comparison. And a random enough comparison at that.
Not that many days ago I finished another ya novel that all of you probably know, and that is Angelfall by Susan Ee. You see, I thought I needed to mention it because of this curious question that popped up in my mind as soon as I turned ...more

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Nov 04, 2014 destini rated it really liked it

I found a rose garden under a glass dome; the roses formed a labyrinth in which I always got lost . . .

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 k ...more

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Feb 02, 2018 Helena of Eretz ✰ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites, faery-tales, rtc, best-of-2014, hardback, young-adult

THIS IS MY FAVOURITE.

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May 04, 2017 Nicole rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, 2017, fantasy, romance

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

4.5 stars

I honestly expected to hate Cruel Beauty. I don't read many books with an average rating of under 4 on GR because so far, I only ended up liking 3 or so. So you can only imagine my surprise when I found myself enjoying this book. I heard many negative things about Cruel Beauty and I was waiting for something terrible. I decided to read it because I was in this fairy tale retelling mood and I'm glad I

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

4.5 stars

I liked how Nyx was a gray character. She's flawed. And she knew it and embraced it. She hated her family and it's normal to not like them considering how she was raised. I understand her controversy because it's still her family she can't help loving them but a the same time hating them for giving her sister everything and sealing her own fate to death.

While I wasn't a big fan of the love-triangle, I kinda got it. That's all I can say without saying any spoiler.

I loved Ignifex. A lot. I loved his sarcasm and how he grew to care about her. I loved their relationship because both have their dark side and they made a very cute couple. While Nyx was attracted to him, it didn't let this stop her from accomplishing her mission. She kissed him and stole what she wants. So I couldn't help but root for them.

This book is not exactly light. I had some problems with the world-building which I felt it lacking and underdeveloped. I wish we had more books in the series (not about Nyx and Ignifex but maybe another story set in the SAME world) since the world seemed to be very vast and interesting, especially since it has more than a Greek mythology touch. Many times while reading though I found myself completely lost. (view spoiler) This book made me want to read more fairy tales not just of the beauty and the beast but everything. so it kinda became special. I never read many because I don't know, I thought they'd be silly or something.

While I understand why many might not like it, I'd still recommend it if you're looking for an enjoyable retelling loosely based on the Beauty and the Beast. But then again, I'm no expert in this genre since I'm a newbie and all yet, I know that I loved it.

I saw these 2 pictures and found so relatable to Nyx and Ignifex

...more

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Feb 04, 2020 Yun rated it it was ok

In Cruel Beauty, Nyx has been trained since birth to be an assassin so that she can fulfill her father's bargain to marry the demon lord, with the ultimately goal of killing him and bringing about the end of a 900-year-old curse that he had unleashed upon her town. Sounds promising, right? I love a good fairy tale retelling as much as the next person. But unfortunately, this story left me mostly confused.

When a girl is advertised to be an assassin, I expect a badass slaying demons left and right In Cruel Beauty, Nyx has been trained since birth to be an assassin so that she can fulfill her father's bargain to marry the demon lord, with the ultimately goal of killing him and bringing about the end of a 900-year-old curse that he had unleashed upon her town. Sounds promising, right? I love a good fairy tale retelling as much as the next person. But unfortunately, this story left me mostly confused.

When a girl is advertised to be an assassin, I expect a badass slaying demons left and right with swords and words. But Nyx is only trained to be a glorified diagram tracer, and that doesn't even play a part in the final battles. Her words also don't slay so much as annoy. She keeps saying how she's cruel, but really she's whiny and complains constantly. But "Whiny Beauty" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

There's a really weird love triangle in here. Our heroine insta-loves not just one guy, but two simultaneously. With guy #1, Nyx kisses him within a few minutes of meeting him. With guy #2, Nyx cycles between fearing him, slapping him, shouting at him, and kissing him. Any time he says something she doesn't like, she slaps him. That seems to be her preferred way of handling disagreements.

The dialog between characters feels so odd and stilted to me. Often when two people are talking, what each is saying individually makes sense, but not in the context of what the other is saying. It's like the author wrote one person's lines independent of the other, and then wove them together without making any edits. The odd dialog makes certain parts of this story really hard to follow, and I walk away from this not really sure I understood the crucial plot points.

I thought this would be a book of action, but it's actually a book of inaction. Nyx spends the majority of time thinking about what she needs to do and her feelings of hate and inadequacy, but almost no time actually doing anything relevant to achieve her goals. The majority of the book is spent with her walking down hallways, opening doors, and entering different rooms, while ruminating about kissing guys and how much she loves/hates her sister.

So many people wrote raving reviews about this book, so no one's sadder than me that it turned out to be a disappointment. In the end, no matter how hard I tried, it was just too hard to like a story that I couldn't quite follow and where I was often left befuddled by what the heroine was doing and thinking. ...more

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Jan 30, 2017 Michelle rated it really liked it

I love twisted fairy tale retellings, and “Cruel Beauty” definitely hits the mark for me. This is more than a retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” though. It is a story on its own, with hints of a familiar tale yet completely new.

Nyx has been trained from an early age to marry Ignifex, aka the Gentle Lord, then kill him and free her kingdom. He is beautiful, wicked, seductive, and with a really ugly side. When her wedding day comes and she is suddenly married and trapped in his beguiling house - I love twisted fairy tale retellings, and “Cruel Beauty” definitely hits the mark for me. This is more than a retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” though. It is a story on its own, with hints of a familiar tale yet completely new.

Nyx has been trained from an early age to marry Ignifex, aka the Gentle Lord, then kill him and free her kingdom. He is beautiful, wicked, seductive, and with a really ugly side. When her wedding day comes and she is suddenly married and trapped in his beguiling house -- she discovers that nothing, including her husband, is what she expected.

The setting is fascinating. Based on Greek mythology, this world is in many ways a creation all its own. Almost every fantasy element has some place in mythology, so they might not all make sense to those going in with no knowledge of them. But those who do may enjoy catching the references. I know I missed some but I enjoyed the ones I caught because it gave the story added layers. The island of Arcadia resides within what, from the inside, looks like a parchment paper dome, protected from the outside world but also separate from it. No one knows exactly what happened 900 years ago when the Sundering began, but Nyx's father believes that she can break it when she destroys the Gentle Lord. Of course as is the case in all stories, nothing is as simple as it seems, and that's when the wonder of this book unfolds.

I find the main characters interesting, and I liked that their interactions were fiery and vivid. I love how Rosamund Hodge played with the original tale, especially in the complexity of the main characters. There is much less of a focus on Ignifex's physical appearance, and more on the evil and darkness that surrounds his character. Whether or not the perceptions about him are true, no one would presume to call him a good guy. Nyx is also not an innocent beauty. She is driven, starved of love, and recognizes the darkness that lives in her own heart. I think some people may find the main characters too dark and self-centered to enjoy their story, and at times it was edging on a little too much for me. There is some terrible violence and pain in the story, and the characters didn’t always respond the way I wanted them to (though I usually understood why they did). Anyway, I didn’t mind this too much because they interested me, and I did come to like them.

Both Nyx and Ignifex have been forced to live lives not of their own choosing and both have become bitter and resentful. Though they are enemies and their role is to destroy one another, their flawed, lonely lives are fulfilled by one another. They are not the lovely, perfect, and incredibly-kind-despite-it-all couple but they matched each other in anger and passion. The romance develops slowly and is lovely to watch, and it would have been perfect if not for the forced love triangle.(view spoiler) The good news is that in the second half of the book, the love triangle becomes a non-issue.

The book was moving. It is beautifully written, and it was so easy to get lost in. Even the use of my all time least favorite plot device in the last part turned into a favorable climactic ending. Without spoilers, it's hard to be specific, but when that portion of the story started I almost stopped reading because of how much I hate stories that end the way it was seeming to go. Yet I was so enthralled that I had to finish, crossing my fingers (without much hope) that I wasn't going to be let down in the last pages of an incredible story. And to my surprise, it was fabulous!

Despite some flaws, I definitely enjoyed “Cruel Beauty”. I think this is a great gothic fantasy! The characters have dark personalities that you have to accept. It was refreshing to see true humanity, and in ways inhumanity, in the protagonists. In the end I was sad it was over yet there was nothing left to ask for. It is so incredibly and beautifully written, that it left me feeling wholly satisfied. ...more

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Apr 03, 2015 Joelle (Throne of books) rated it really liked it

Why did no one make me read this earlier? it was so good. The writing was just astounding. From the very first sentence I was captivated. I haven't the slightest clue as to how to review this properly so just know I loved this. It was beautiful. Nyx was the best main character ever honestly. So savage. Straight up throwing things and hitting Ignifex every 3 seconds and later on telling him she still might kill him after admitting she 'might' love him too. If that isn't me I don't know what is. I ...more

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Dec 19, 2015 Eliza rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, original-idea, young-adult, reviewed, painful-withdrawals, fairytale, fantasy, 5-stars, owned, romance

5 STARS

I HATE finishing a book that I absolutely adored reading - it makes me walk around in a depressed state as I come to realization that I might not hear from the characters again, that I might not find such a wonderful book again ... This is how I feel right now: Torn. Thrilled. Depressed. Jovial.

Putting aside my momentary depression, I read Crimson Bound first and loved Hodge's world building and writing - so naturally, I picked this book up and was not disappointed. If anything, I loved ...more

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Feb 27, 2017 Aj the Ravenous Reader rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: physically-owned-books, fantasy, not-for-me

Maybe 2.5 stars?

The first 100 pages are really enjoyable and very intriguing. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough because of the promising plot-Nyx marrying with the intention of assassinating Ignifex, a demon/monster to save the land of Arcadia. But soon she learns that her husband isn’t what people thought he’d be. Her first few attempts at killing him were just so hilarious and I was really convinced I’m going to love the book.

But then a few chapters later, things just got weirder and wei ...more

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Nov 14, 2016 Pang ((♥ Book Paradise ♥)) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: EVERYONE

Shelves: larger-than-life-hero, love-hate-relationship, self-sacrificing-guy-i-die-for, tortured-soul-broken-boy, enemies-to-lovers, f-a-v-o-r-i-t-e-romance, f-a-v-o-r-i-t-e-storyline, i-wish-this-happen-real-to-me, my-book-best-friend, royalty-fairy-tale

Precious This book is just so precious and so dear to my heart. I think the plot is interesting! with the references of myth like.. Tatarus even Pandora adapt in this retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

description

Strong characters with hatred in their hearts.. alas how I love anti-hero so much. I enjoy and love Nyx and Ignifex my heart giddy giddy you guys might not understand till reading it. LOL!

The romance is so captivating and beautiful Seriouly the best aspect of this book. It's wickedly romantic, ...more

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To the people who have read this or are going too, what are your opinons on it?	1	3	Jan 26, 2021 12:07PM
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YA Buddy Readers'...: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge - Restarting December 7th 2020	205	414	Dec 10, 2020 08:14AM
Forgotten YA Gems: Cruel Beauty: General Discussion	17	31	Jan 19, 2020 08:40AM
The Procrastinato...: Cruel Beauty (October 2019) Group Read Discussion	1	15	Sep 29, 2019 07:16PM
The Procrastinato...: Cruel Beauty (July 2019) - Faith and Nana	6	15	Jul 28, 2019 04:21PM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Paranormal Romance. Heroine is "sacrificed" to powerful vampire to protect their land from him. Cover: a rose or woman in red walking down a spiral staircase? [s]	6	188	Jul 07, 2019 08:45AM

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About Rosamund Hodge

Rosamund Hodge

4,557 followers

Catholic. Writer. Lay Dominican. I write books about gods & death & girls with knives. Latest: ENDLESS WATER, STARLESS SKY.

Goodreads policies: I do read messages. I seldom friend people. I never comment on reviews of my own work.

Books by Rosamund Hodge

Bright Smoke, Cold Fire (Bright Smoke, Cold Fire, #1)

Endless Water, Starless Sky (Bright Smoke, Cold Fire, #2)

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Quotes from Cruel Beauty

“Where you go, I shall go; where you die, I shall die, and there will I be buried.” — 479 likes

“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.” — 338 likes

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