I have mixed feelings over this book, really. Some parts were epic and I flew through those chapters whilst others... got a bit confusing and the uncertainty certainly slowed down the book for me. I would describe this book as Beauty and the Beast, Rumpelstiltskin and Greek Mythology all rolled up into one.
It follows Nyx- a girl destined to marry a Demon Lord because of a poor bargain her father made. All her life she plans to kill him and.... well, you know how that goes (it is a Beauty and the Beast retelling). Things get complicated, really. And a lot of drama goes down.
nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read and I'd recommend for people who love fairytales and greek mythology.
This book really reminded me of Iniquity by Melody Winter (Book Talk), so if you liked that, I'd suggest giving this a try and vice versa. The two books simply have the same vibes- destined to marry a demon lord, wants to kill/destroy him, actually falls in love etc. However, I will say that Iniquity is a lot steamier than Cruel Beauty so keep that in mind.
SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
From the very beginning, I liked Nyx. I adore the fact that she's so different to other heroines that are in YA literature nowadays; they're usually so selfless and determined whereas Nyx was actually quite cruel and bitter as well as the strong, heroic, etc. Normally, protagonists are all kind and perfect because the author wants the reader to like them but, with Nyx, she did have some bad personality traits that made her feel more human.
I never really trusted Shade. She kissed him the first time she met him! What was that about? I always preferred Ignifex because he's sassy, funny and let's face it, it's clear he's telling the truth- he's not trying to paint a pretty picture of himself like Shade is.
Shade, to me had always been...Shady (I truly apologize for adding that pun in- I'm cringing now as I'm writing it). From the very beginning, I liked Nyx. I adore the fact that she's so different to other heroines that are in YA literature nowadays; they're usually so selfless and determined whereas Nyx was actually quite cruel and bitter as well as the strong, heroic, etc. Normally, protagonists are all kind and perfect because the author wants the reader to like them but, with Nyx, she did have some bad personality traits that made her feel more human.
I never really trusted Shade. She kissed him the first time she met him! What was that about? I always preferred Ignifex because he's sassy, funny and let's face it, it's clear he's telling the truth- he's not trying to paint a pretty picture of himself like Shade is.
I love Ignifex- as I love every evil demon lord. To me, he reminded me a bit of Will Herondale and his charm just swept me off my feet. Knowing he was going to be the inevitable love interest was helpful too...
I liked their bantering relationship- she didn't even hiding the fact that she was trying to kill him and it simply amused him! Trying to get the keys off him turned into a game and it's so entertaining.
This is an issue I had with it; I'd been waiting so long for them to get together- to declare their love and have some long-awaited steamy time but.... nothing. My copy was obviously missing a whole chapter or something because this scene was brushed over so damn quickly! We really needed Sarah J. Maas up in here to sort that scene out.
I hated that Astraia had become all 'bad-ass' and guilt-tripped Nyx into swearing to kill Ignifex. I hated it even more when Nyx agreed. Astraia had no right to put that pressure and guilt-trip on Nyx- stupid bitch (I really didn't like her).
My other issue was the ending; it was all too vague for me. I got a bit confused as to what really happened (though, I was skim-reading at that point). Time went back and everyone forgot... but Nyx then remembered and freed Ignifex who also remembered... I think that's the general gist and that's what I'm going with. They now live happily ever after, I assume?
Overall, it was a decent book but the ending really knocked down that star rating for me.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment your thoughts! Stay amazing!
Chloe
No comments:
Post a Comment