Cruel Beauty
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4.0 • 23 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
If you’re excited about the upcoming Disney film Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson, don’t miss Cruel Beauty.
The romance of Beauty and the Beast meets the adventure of Graceling in this dazzling fantasy novel about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.
Perfect for fans of bestselling An Ember in the Ashes and A Court of Thorns and Roses, this gorgeously written debut infuses the classic fairy tale with glittering magic, a feisty heroine, and a romance sure to take your breath away.
Betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom, Nyx has always known that her fate was to marry him, kill him, and free her people from his tyranny. But on her seventeenth birthday when she moves into his castle high on the kingdom's mountaintop, nothing is what she expected—particularly her charming and beguiling new husband. Nyx knows she must save her homeland at all costs, yet she can't resist the pull of her sworn enemy—who's gotten in her way by stealing her heart.
A Beauty and the Beast Retelling: Nyx was raised to be a weapon against a monster, but the man in the castle is dangerously charming, and this story is far darker than any fairy tale she knows.Forced Proximity: Trapped in his shifting, magical halls, Nyx must live with the man she is sworn to kill. The line between captor and captive blurs with every stolen glance.Morally Grey Hero: Is the Gentle Lord a tyrant or a victim? Nyx can’t resist the pull of her beguiling husband, even as she plots his demise.Gothic Fantasy Atmosphere: With a parchment sky, a kingdom shrouded in secrets, and a castle full of magical traps, this is a world of glittering darkness and dangerous beauty.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Fiery 17-year-old Nyx has always known she is destined to marry the prince of demons her father bargained her away before she was born. Even so, she has been trained in the Hermetic principles, and she hopes to use her skills to thwart Ingnifex's power and save her homeland from his control. When she arrives at the ruins of his ancient castle, nothing is at it seems: the rooms constantly change location, and she finds both beautiful magic and chilling horrors behind the countless doors. Also, Nyx cannot deny her attraction to Ingnifex, who is not exactly the monster she dreaded to meet. Debut novelist Hodge has created a rich, complete world in this twist on "Beauty and the Beast"; it can be slow-going (though not unrewarding) to wade through details about the demon's many rooms and the complicated, tragic mythology that brought him there. However, the banter between these well-matched foils is lively and sharp, and the pace picks up toward the end as Nyx first sacrifices for duty, and then for her own heart. Ages 13 up.
