Cruel Beauty
ROSAMUND HODGE
(Book 1 in the Cruel Beauty universe, two standalone books)
Synopsis:
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.
Content:
Language: Not present
Violence: There isn't much violence, but bargains that often result in death are a large part of the world. There are mentions of demon attacks that kill or drive the victims mad, brief descriptions of dead bodies, and similar.
Sex: There are several allusions to sex, a few kisses without much description, one scene where the main character is mentioned to take off her clothes in a fade-to-black scene, mention of being a virgin/being "ruined"/losing virginity.
LGBTQ: Not present
My Review: I was really enjoying this book right up until a certain point. I was angry for a few pages, then just confused. I'm still not quite sure what exactly happened at the end, and I felt it ended rather abruptly. I wished the story had gone in a different direction at the end, but I did really enjoy the story leading up to that. Nyx was also a well-crafted complex character, though the part that made me angry was a result of something I considered out of character for Nyx. So, to say the least, I am very conflicted and would like to have some words with Rosamund Hodge.