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Writer's pictureIsabelle Reads

"Cruel Beauty" Book Review

Updated: Nov 13, 2021



Ratings:

Star Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

If This Book Was a Movie Rating: PG-13


Review:


WHAT WAS THAT ENDING


*CUE RANT BECAUSE ISABELLE NEEDS TO VENT*


first off, that ending was THE MOST COMPLETELY CONFUSING AND GENERALLY UNNECESSARY ending i have read in the ENTIRETY of my existence.

send help.


SO. the plot.

about two decades before the story, a magistrate and his wife lived in a tiny village within a kingdom ruled by the infamously cursed Dark Lord.

They were content to serve the Dark Lord, but they lacked the one thing they wanted more than anything in the world: a child. Desperate, the magistrate traveled to the Dark Lord and asked for a bargain.

The Dark Lord agreed. The magistrate and his wife would have their daughter, but on one condition: when that daughter turned seventeen, she would become the Dark Lord’s wife. Nine months later, twins Nyx and Astraia were born.

And Nyx, being born first, is chosen to be the Dark Lord’s bride.


at the beginning of the story, Nyx, now seventeen, is being prepared to take her wedding vows. Bitter and resentful towards her family and her fate, Nyx hates that she was the unlucky one. She hates her father for giving her a fate worse than death. She hates that her future was traded in a bargain she had no choice in.

However, Nyx has a pLaN.

Seduce the Dark Lord. Kill him.

Free her people.

Return home, free.


of course, things don’t go as planned.


what were you expecting.

common sense?

ha.

never heard of it.



now, I love Beauty and the Beast retellings. I have a massive shelf for Beauty and the Beast retellings. Some of my favorite books are Beauty and the Beast retellings.

point is, the retelling aspect of this book was just fine.


but the rest of this book was just SO BAD.


let’s take Nyx for .

NOTHING EXCUSE YOUR TIMIDITY AND A LACK OF PERSONALITY.

it is a personal annoyance of mine when heroines SAY they’re gonna be all kick-butt and get into knife fights, and then they really just DON’T.

DO NOT CHICKEN OUT AND BE CHEAP.

GIVE ME THE FIGHT SCENE.

I WANT A BATTLE.

and ANOTHER THING.

is your entire personality being mad at Ignifex?

cAuSE gURl wHErE is yOuR PeRsonALitY

the entire book, she’s just like, “I’m attracted to him” and then she’s mad at herself for being attracted to him and immediately tries to kill him with the most pathetic dagger I have ever seen to cure her attraction.


*gags aggressively*


Inej Ghafa would never.


Ignifex was fine, but I can’t talk about him without spoiling nearly all of the plot twists, so i’ll shut up. Suffice to say he was a fine dark brooding hero type.


the romance between Nyx and Ignifex had too many twists to be that enjoyable.

and cardboard Nyx didn’t help.


HOWEVER.

THAT WASN’T THE WORST PART. OH NO.

IT WAS THAT PLOT.

the plot. OOOO that plot. IT WAS SO CONFUSING. The world building was sparse and the history the ENTIRE conflict was based off of was BARELY explained.

people, I need it spelled out for me. I don’t have brain cells. I don’t understand anything unless you tell me in BLOODY ENGLISH THANK YOU VERY MUCH.


and that’s not even talking about that PATHETIC EXCUSE OF AN ENDING. The most confusing, time-warping, stupid ending I have ever read in my life. I’m trying to properly rant and stay spoiler-free so bear with me.

It was one of those endings that basically makes the ENTIRE BOOK IRRELEVANT.

IRRELEVANT.

I WASTED MY TIME WITH THAT BOOK FOR IT TO ALL NOT TO MATTER ANYWAY.


UGHHHHHHHHHHH




Friend me on Goodreads (yes, you, I wanna be your friend): https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/136268749-isabelle


Buy this book:


Recommendations That Are A Million Times Better Than This Book:

Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Beauty and the Beast by KM Shea

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