The Treachery Of Beautiful Things

by Ruth Frances Long

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This is like a fairy tale. And there are so few books that are original stories that are like classic fairy tales in form and language and feel. But from the opening pages this has the weight and lyricism and beauty and darkness of a fairy tale.

I can't say I loved Jenny as a heroine. But I liked her stubbornness and I really liked that she wasn't naive or foolish; or when she was it served her. Jack is a great tragic hero and he's easy to like. The romance was a little thin but once they came together the way the fought for each other was great. Their being in love was better written than falling in love.

In some places I really wanted more depth. It was like [a:Robin McKinley|5339|Robin McKinley|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1314406026p2/5339.jpg] light. She's talking about things like Jenny fooling herself for a moment about Jack or Jack's crossing allegiances and all sorts of really fascinating and tangled ideas. But they're just mentioned without being explored. Of course, I really liked how she included the darker and more sordid elements of a fairy tale in a tasteful way.

The story is rooted in old mythologies which is fantastic. It was actually all very good. It just wasn't quite deep enough or rich enough for me. It's the line between four stars and five stars.