Cruel Beauty

Reviewed by: Mariah Machado - Davis Memorial Library, Limington, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 10, 2014

Review

Her future was traded for her existence. The demon prince had bargained with her father - twin girls would be born, but one would be his bride. Nyx has spent her entire life being trained to defeat her future husband, kill him, and release her kingdom from his rule. Rosamund Hodge's delicious take on Beauty and the Beast twines the old French fair tale together with mythological gods and creatures, and replaces the standard selfless and kind heroine with one that is bitter, angry, and relatable. Being familiar with the original fairy tale will give the reader some sense of where the story is going, but that will in no way stop them from reveling in Hodge's twists and turns. Cruel Beauty had a heady, romantic pull. This book is for those of you that wish that sometimes the bad boy was the right guy. Recommended for readers who like dark, tortured heroes, lush, yet creepy, romantic settings, and epic fairytale romance.

Overall Book Score: excellent