• I’m not too familiar with Beauty and the Beast. In fact, I only know the Disney version. And as much as I adore that version, I’m sure the story is a bit darker than that. Cruel Beauty is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, a haunting tale of duty falling in love with the dark.
• The writing is absolutely gorgeous. It simply flows right off the tongue. The writing reminded me a lot of A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston. Both works had a dutiful character resigned to their fate. Within the writing held breathtaking prose that is sure to grip you.
• The world building was beyond beautiful. Great writing helps the world become believable and majestic. It is both pretty and visual, the descriptions seeming to take your imagination to the limits.
• A lot of the story takes place within the Dark Lord’s castle. The building itself was a whole world on its own and every time Nyx explores, I want to continue looking through doorways at all the different rooms which the place held. Every room became a surprise.
• I noticed bits of Greek mythology thrown in there as well which I wasn’t expecting. It was incredibly interesting to the story. The layers of depth to the characters, delving into their backstory and beliefs, made me curious to learn about each and every one of them.
• Ignifex, the male protagonist, is a demon Rumpelstiltskin. In that way, I found there to be many snippets of different retellings in Cruel Beauty. However, Beauty and the Beast seemed to be the most prominent of all. 

• Nyx, the main character, is terribly brave and dutiful. It was very easy to fall in step with her. She was flawed but relatable. Her narrative, much like the gorgeous writing, is haunting. She is a character, knowing her destiny from the start—one that she may not return from—and continuing on anyway to save the world.
• The clever banter between Nyx and Ignifex was incredibly entertaining. It was such a strange predicament to be in: a marriage without ever meeting before the ceremony was over. It was amusing to see them hit it off so well, even if most of the dialogue is witty and filled with sarcasm. 
• Ignifex is such a tortured soul and I wish Hodge had shown a little more of his character to us. I loved every scene with him, hoping to see deeper into his character. All of his dialogue was always comforting and significant to the plot.
• Shade was entirely too easy to trust. Right in the beginning, this is the character that opens up to us in the first few chapters and shows us things Ignifex probably never would. Shade seems so much like an open book, despite his dark past and many secrets. He is a man born of shadows, a slave to the castle. I was so drawn to him from the start because both Nyx and he share that in common, no matter how much they want to leave the castle, they are stuck.

Surprises Galore

• As a Beauty and the Beast retelling, romance is inevitable. It is a pleasant surprise, seeing how Hodge lets the beautiful romance simply unfold into a gentle hope that maybe not all is lost in Nyx’s world.
• Cruel Beauty was a fast read. It was hard to put down and definitely the type of read you can finish in one setting.
• The ending seemed so fast, yet not rushed. By the time the book closed, I was gasping for air. I just couldn’t get enough of the Cruel Beauty world.