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Oct 01, 2014artemishi rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Cruel Beauty is a fairytale retelling...kind of. There are elements of Beauty and the Beast (as you'd expect), but also Bluebeard, Tam Lin, Cupid & Psyche, and many more. As you would expect, I loved it. But I didn't just love it because of the clever weaving of known faerie tales in a unique way, but because the main character, Nyx, is awesome. And when I say awesome, I mean believable. She's wicked. Not heart-of-gold-but-fear-gives-her-a-sharp-tongue kind of faux-wicked; she's got hate and bitterness in her heart and she can't change that part of her nature. How often do we get protagonists who can be hateful (in thought and word, at least)?! I love having a female protagonist who is complex- heroic, flawed, and who doesn't have to be moral, or obeisant, or romantic to be the hero. All the characters in this book, actually, are very fleshed-out, real, and complex. Not a single one of them is a throwaway character, or a vehicle. And the feels! I had a lump in my throat for several chapters (no spoilers, I promise), but I couldn't stop listening. Also, there were passages that had me shuddering (and turning on lights). I can't wait to read whatever Rosamund Hodge writes next! I highly recommend this for fans of well-written faerie tale retellings, Greek mythology, realistic characters, clean romance, and twisty, dark tales.