Cruel Beauty

What I Loved: I was initially drawn to the fact that Cruel Beauty is supposed to be a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I don’t think I’ve read any of those so it was nice to see how this author would tackle it. I really loved Hodge’s writing. It was very elegant, vivid, and imaginary. I liked the world she created and the magic and mystery behind it all. I also enjoyed the dialogue. Nyx, although not a particularly positive protagonist, has her “Quick wit” moments and I actually enjoyed her interactions with Ignifex. I don’t want to give anything away, but just know that it was rather amusing seeing them together.

Left Me Wanting More: I’ll admit, it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting and the “retelling” part was a bit out there. Things didn’t really come together until a little after halfway through and that’s when I started to see more bits and pieces that resembled the B&B storyline. I also wasn’t too fond of the romance. While I did like their interactions, I didn’t believe their love. Things were a big rushed in the emotion department and I honestly preferred them as friends and cohorts rather than lovers.

Final Verdict: I think if people go into this with an open mind and maybe even, not knowing it’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling, maybe they might enjoy it more. This is definitely one of those “slow burn” reads that you have to really be invested in. There were parts I really enjoyed and parts that were a bit confusing, but overall, it was a decent read. I’d say read this more for the uniquely magical world as opposed to the romance.

What I Loved:

CRUEL BEAUTY, a re-imagined Beauty and the Beast with a foundation in Greek mythology and ancient folk fairy tales, is a complex, surreal story that may take readers some time to digest. The world of Arcadia appears to be tied to the old Grecian-Roman empire (and its mythology) but with an alternate history in place. The author blends elements of Greek tragedies, old gods and customs, and nods to more traditional fairy tales in a complicated tapestry that takes some effort to understand but that also seamlessly swallows the reader into a world that is nothing like our own. Discerning readers will delight in the scattered references to historical texts and poems. The world may be complicated, the rules sometimes seeming to shift, but it all comes together to create a story that is as compelling as it is unique.

The characters stand out in CRUEL BEAUTY for their flaws, their obsessions, and their authenticity. There are no easy characters, no stock portraits. Every choice is bound up in the culture of the world, in the pathos of family and national tragedies, and in the reality that Arcadia is haunted by demons and every character is either afraid, resigned, or angry over that fact. The relationships are strained--the conflict between loving someone and resenting them or fearing them or longing for them to be somehow different than they are--is beautifully and subtly executed. The romance blooms slowly with plenty of thorns, none of which are the usual roadblocks to a fulfilling relationship.

My favorite is Nyx, the heroine, who stands out because she is dutiful on the outside (and on the inside as well, though in a twisted, resentful, self-destructive sort of way) and so angry and hurt inside that bitterness and hatred grow within her. She's incredibly self-aware of her own short-comings and does not apologize for them, nor does she take pride in them. She is simply Nyx, the product of a country long under the cruel reign of a demon prince, the daughter of a father willing to sacrifice his daughter to pay for his sins while calling his actions noble, the sister of a girl who received all the love sharp-tongued Nyx could never find, and the betrothed of a creature who is destined to destroy her, even if she destroys him first. Watching her character arc, seeing the small steps she takes toward a better Nyx without losing her flaws or her self-awareness, was truly enjoyable.

The plot twists combined with the incredibly high stakes in the story will keep readers turning pages long past their bedtimes. While most readers will see one plot twist coming from early on, the HOW of it will be shocking. As will the choices Nyx and others make to resolve the continuously escalating problems. As with the world building, there are no easy fixes, and there are no hard choices removed from the characters.

What Left Me Wanting More:

The beginning, while intriguing, is slow compared to the rest of the book because of the incredible amount of world building Ms. Hodge must accomplish. The first 75 pages are rather exposition-heavy, and while readers who love complexity or have an affinity for Greek mythology will find it fascinating, readers who are used to a faster pace and world that takes less effort to understand might struggle a bit. The effort is definitely worth it.

Final Verdict:

Beautiful prose, surreal imagery, terrifying stakes, and a complex world make CRUEL BEAUTY a must-read for fans of fantasy, fairy tales, and mythology and establish Ms. Hodge as an author to watch.

Where should I even start with Cruel Beauty? I have so many thoughts, all scattered about my brainbox. First off, I guess I should say that a lot of readers are probably going to struggle with Cruel Beauty. The writing’s ornate, the pace fairly slow, and the plot exceedingly complex and intricate. YA, in general, tends to go down easy, but Cruel Beauty requires reflection and discussion to suss out the finer points. I already know that this is a book I will be rereading, because there’s so much I missed the first go-round. Cruel Beauty is an acquired taste for sure, a beautiful child borne of fairy tales and Greek mythology, a union I never knew I so desperately wanted until Rosamund Hodge served it up to me.

The Slow Start That Almost Left Me Wanting More:
Let me warn you, dear reader, that Cruel Beauty starts slowly. Hodge starts out with world building in a big way. For about a hundred pages, Cruel Beauty infodumps world building on your head. Were it not for Hodge’s incredibly gorgeous prose, I might have considered DNFing. As it was, the Greek mythology, fairy tale elements and the writing didn’t make that possible, but I was still concerned. However, once the sheer information overload ceases, Cruel Beauty becomes incredibly impressive.

What I Loved Unreservedly:
Though I remain fuzzy on some of the elements of the world building, I’m certainly fascinated by it. Hodge seems to have developed an alternate history spinning off of Ancient Greece, one in which the gods and goddesses are all real. Within this scope, a demon has subjugated the land of Arcadia, where the heroine lives. The Gentle Lord encased Arcadia within a parchment dome and occasionally sics his demons on the populace. Characters hearken back to Greek mythology or to Greek dramas.

Hodge gets the tone of Cruel Beauty perfect. This book has the darkness of original fairy tales and the brightness too, the fickleness and unreliability of the Greek pantheon, and the family drama of the Greek classics. Everything is confusing and mired in shadow. As you read, you’ll find yourself constantly questioning what is real and what is illusion. References to Greek mythology and fairy tales are littered throughout the pages of Cruel Beauty for the discerning eye to admire. From a technical standpoint, I marvel at the complexities, even if I can’t appreciate them all on the first read through.

Two elements made Cruel Beauty a success with me on an emotional level. First, the heroine. Nyx endears herself to me by reason of her not being especially likable. With Cruel Beauty being in some measure a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, you might be expecting someone like the Belle of the Disney movie. In fact, Nyx is the “wicked sister,” the one who, in a classic tale, would not get the love of a prince, but would end unhappily destroyed by her own evil. Nyx has poison in her heart and on her tongue. She struggles to tamp down the hate inside her, desperate for someone to care but also constantly pushing them away. She’s angry and mean and entirely herself.

The other aspect I love wholeheartedly is the romance. The love triangle between Nyx, Ignifex, and Shade is one of the few that really works. The romance with Ignifex really makes me feel all the feels. For one thing, there’s again this darkness to the main characters of this fairy tale. They may be living in a fairy tale, but they’re full of the tragic flaws of Greek tragedies. The reason that I so entirely love this romance is that the love comes slowly, and that, for all that Nyx and Ignifex are messed up creatures, it’s so healthy. They fall in love with each other as they truly are, not with idealized versions of one another. He loves the poison in her heart, just as she comes to love his bad aspects. It’s not love in spite of the negative parts of their personalities, but because of everything that makes them who they are. SO MUCH YES TO THIS.

The Final Verdict:
Rosamund Hodge’s Cruel Beauty is a complex, magical, ornate story which will charm the patient reader. It’s a work that bears more than one exploration, and which will no doubt improve upon further inspection. If you enjoy Greek mythology, tragedies or the original, bloody fairy tales, do not miss Cruel Beauty.