Manners and Monsters (Manners and Monsters, #1)

by Tilly Wallace

There was comfort in being on the periphery of society. She could enjoy events as an observer without having the eyes of everyone upon her.

Hannah pushed into the room she loved the most. Could there be anything more marvellous in the world than a library? Other women might prefer a ballroom, or a millinery shop, but Hannah swooned over books.

“Why did they fear us so?” “Because they cannot control us. Only weak men fear strong women.

There are many women like me, plain creatures who will never bask in the light of adoration. But we still yearn to know, if only fleetingly, what it feels like to think ourselves beautiful. When you spend your entire life on the edge of the shadows, all you can think of is one glorious moment to feel the warm caress of the sun.”

Silly to want something so far out of reach. But wasn’t that the way of life? People always coveted what they lacked.

“Beauty is not found in a pretty dress, but in the reflection in the eyes of those who love you.”

True beauty is in how others see you, not in a garment you wear.”