Cruel Beauty (Cruel Beauty)

by Rosamund Hodge

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

For as much as I enjoy Rosamund Hodge's writing, Cruel Beauty was a struggle for me simply because I wasn't the story's ideal audience. As a Beauty and the Beast retelling, Cruel Beauty is strong on romance. I knew that going in, I expected it, but I still struggled. For me, this is a real example of forcing myself through a book because of the hype, and because I like the author.

As a dark fairytale, Cruel Beauty is fascinating. Nyx has been sold into marriage to the Gentle Lord - a demon king - because her father made a foolish choice and because he hopes she will find a way to end his reign. Of course, Nyx falls in love, but there's so much more than that to the story. The elements required to end the reign and the dark edge of old mythologies woven into this make me SO HAPPY as a reader. But as far as plot goes, 70% was spent on romance and romance-related plot points, and 30% was spent on other plot points. That's where I, as a reader, lost interest... but other readers, especially those who really enjoy romance, will LOVE this book.

The pacing is a bit slow, but that's made up for in how rich the world is and how complicated the characters are. I would have liked to see a little more depth in the minor characters, but that is more from a lack of screen-time than a lack of development.

All in all a good book, ESPECIALLY for the ideal audience. If you enjoy S. Jae-Jones or Holly Black or Melissa Albert, you'll most likely love this one. And if you're a fan of romance, dark fantasy, Beauty and the Beast, or retellings... even better.