Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge eArc Review!

   

Title : Cruel Beauty
Author : Rosamund Hodge
Pages : 336
Published : January 28th 2014 by Balzer + Bray
Source : Edelweiss

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

My Thoughts :

Before Nyx was born her father made a deal with a demon, he promised up one of his daughters to be a bride. Nyx has always known what is to become of her but her father has also prepared her to try to kill the lord demon. 

The day has finally come for Nyxs wedding and she is prepared both mentally and physically to try to kill the dreaded demon. She makes her vows and goes to the demons castle. As she gets to know Ignifex though will she be able to do what needs to be done? 

Its been a while since I've read a book that had me feeling so many different things. Initially when I finished Cruel Beauty I was like "What"!!! Its a confusing but captivating story. 

Nyx is a very complex character. To everyone she is the dutiful daughter and does what shes told but underneath she has a dark and dangerous side. She fights an internal battle when it comes to her family. One on hand she loves her dad and sister but on the other hand she hates them for what they have done. To her its like her father hates her because she was the one he choose. Her sister looks like their dead mother and her father dotes on her. All this together makes her feel resentful towards both of them. 

Its hard at first to like Nyx but you do feel sorry for her. She is basically being sent to her death because every other wife the demon has taken has been killed. I felt for her with her internal struggle. She is a very intriguing character that will invoke either a love/hate relationship with the reader. She is strong, fierce and determined but also a little mean, uncertain and ruthless. She is definitely a character that will stay with you one way or another. 

Ignifex is the Demon Lord. He is made out to be a beast and a monster but is he everything they say? He is the demon of deals. Every deal he makes is barbed. He is mean and cruel but also charming. At the start you feel like he is the villain but as his story unfolds you see that not all is as it seems. His story is fascinating and heart wrenching. 

Overall I have to say that Cruel Beauty is one heck of a story. Its beautifully written and wonderfully unique but its also confusing and slow at times. The world the author created is one that's vivid, complex and unique. She has created a magical place with a castle that's constantly changing and is packed with mystery. Its a world I wont forget easily.  The author has a way of writing that will grab you and make you apart of the world your reading about. She captivated me with her writing and I will definitely read more by her.