Witchy Reads!

Put on your conical hat, grab that broomstick and follow me into the world of witches, warlocks and all things magical!

All of this week's posts will be about all the spooktacular reads to welcome the festive season into the world! First off, we're going to start with our witch-reads. So get that cauldron bubbling and sit back for the top three  reads!

Courtesy of Walt Disney

1) A Discovery of Witches (All Souls #1), by Debora Harkness. 

Headline, 2011

When historian Diana Bishop opens an alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, it's an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordered life. Though Diana is a witch of impeccable lineage, the violent death of her parents while she was still a child convinced her that human fear is more potent than any witchcraft. Now Diana has unwittingly exposed herself to a world she's kept at bay for years; one of powerful witches, creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires. Sensing the significance of Diana's discovery, the creatures gather in Oxford, among them the enigmatic Matthew Clairmont, a vampire genticist. Diana is inexplicably drawn to Matthew and, in a shadowy world of half-truths and old enmities, ties herself to him without fully understanding the ancient line they are crossing. As they begin to unlock the secrets of the manuscript and their feelings for each other deepen, so the fragile balance of peace unravels...

This is actually one of my favourite supernatural/historical romance. Debora Harkness is a historian and she writes marvelously. The entire series is a work of art! Its like nothing I have ever read before and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it - and it was hard to wait for the entire series to come out, let me tell you. It was agony. However, now the entire trilogy is complete and you don't have to wait to devour it. So if you're into witches, cool magical aunts, a house with its own mind, and sexy vampires (that don't sparkle!) then this is a great and sophisticated read. Go on, you know you want to...

2) The Winter Witch, by Paula Brackston. 

St Martin's Griffin, 2013

In her small early nineteenth century Welsh town, there is no one quite like Morgana, who has not spoken since she was a young girl. Her silence is a mystery, as well as her magic. Concerned for her safety, her mother is anxious to see her married, and Cai Jenkins, a widower from the far hills, seems the best choice.

After her wedding, Morgana is heartbroken at leaving her mother, and wary of this man, whom she does not know, and who will take her away to begin a new life. But she soon falls in love with Cai’s farm and the wild mountains that surround it. Cai works to understand the beautiful, half-tamed creature he has chosen for a bride, and slowly, he begins to win Morgana’s affections. It’s not long, however, before her strangeness begins to be remarked upon in her new village. A dark force is at work there—a person who will stop at nothing to turn the townspeople against Morgana. Forced to defend her home, her man, and herself, Morgana must learn to harness her power, or she will lose everything.

I found this book from my love of A Discovery of Witches and if you happen to have read the previous, then you will definitely enjoy this. The history and the romance are impressive and so well written that it jumps out of the page at you. You feel part of the times that you can almost smell and hear the sounds of the Welsh towns. And of course, the main character Morgana is the perfect protagonist for this story! A must read! 

3) Witches of East End (The Beauchamp Family #1), by Melissa de la Cruz. 

Hachette Books, 2011 

 The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid--live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.

For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.

With a brand-new cast of characters, a fascinating and fresh world to discover, and a few surprise appearances from some of the Blue Blood fan favorites, this is a page-turning, deliciously fun, magical summer read fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, and an unforgettable battle between good and evil. 

If anyone is a fan of Melissa de la Cruz's addictive Blue Blood series then you'll definitely love this! This a mix of genres including family relationships, romance, supernatural and a whole lot more. It's a great beginning to the series. The characters themselves are extremely well done and funny at times. They all have their own individual characteristics and really stand out from the page when you read them. Fantastic read, go and try it!

So if you want a little magical in your life, try these stepping stone reads and delve into series that will entertain you, beguile you and shock you!! 

Magic out. 

Fishy Reads!

Fishy Reads! 

Okay, so I promised some mermaid tales this week! We have already reviewed some mermaid shenanigans, but here's a few more to flip your fins to!

These three books are a selection of different tastes. From mature content, teenage lurrrrve, and belly laughing fun, they've all be chosen to suit certain readers. For anyone looking for recommendations, just keep an open mind with these three. They're all different, but all about love, mermaids and of course, those damn amazing heroines! 

My Mermaid Reading List: 

Goddess of the Sea, by P.C Cast. 

Paitkus Cover

On the night of her twenty-fifth birthday, alone in her apartment, Air Force Sergeant Christine Canady wished for one thing: a little magic in her life. After drinking way too much champagne, she performed, of all crazy things, a goddess-summoning ritual, hoping that it would somehow make her life a little less ordinary...but she never believed the spell would actually work.

When her military plane crashes into the ocean, CC's mission overseas takes an unexpected turn. She awakens to find herself in a legendary time and place where magic rules the land—occupying the body of the mythic mermaid Undine. But there is danger in the waters and the goddess Gaea turns this modern, military gal into a beautiful damsel so that she can seek shelter on land.

CC is soon rescued (literally) by a knight in shining armor. She should be falling in love with this dream-come-true, but instead she aches for the sea and Dylan, the sexy merman who has stolen her heart.

Rating: Mature for content, whole lotta flapping around in the water, annoying knights, sly monks. 

                                                                       

Of Poseidon, (The Syrena Legacy #1) by Anna Banks.

Square Fish, 2013

Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen—literally, ouch!—both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma's gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom...

Told from both Emma and Galen's points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.     

Rating: T for Tweeny love, cute mer-boys, fun and engaging characters, no-fuss reading!

Sleeping with the Fishes, (Fred the Mermaid, #1), by Mary Janice Davidson. 

Paitkus Books, 2011. 

Fred is not your ordinary mermaid. She's not blonde. She's not buxom. And she's definitely not perky. In fact, Fred can be downright cranky. And it doesn't help matters that her hair is blue. While volunteering at the New England Aquarium, Fred learns that there are weird levels of toxins in the local seawater. A gorgeous marine biologist wants her help investigating. So does her merperson ruler, the High Prince of the Black Sea. You'd think it would be easy for a mermaid to get to the bottom of things. Think again. 

Rating: M for language, chic-lit, Witty and lovable characters, chortling belly laugh read, all about da mermaids, love triangle (but actually a good one!) 

Mer Out! 

Mermaid Week!

This week is Mermaid Week on the Confessions site! 

"A Race with Mermaids and Tritons" - Collier Smithers, 1895

I mean, who doesn't like mermaids? Seriously, if some sea-witch (who may or may not have been part of a Disney franchise) came up to you and said, "I'll make you a mermaid for day... if you give me your voice!" would you not immediately accept? I sure as hell would. And then I would also star in my own animation and sing with all the little sea creatures and....okay, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Let's think of the perks of being a mermaid or mer-person:

1) You can breathe under water!

2) Your fingers will not go soggy after being in the bath for ten minutes.

3) You can probably communicate with sea creatures and possibly get a job as a private, underwater detective and help out finding lost clownfish. 

4) You can chill on land if you want to. You might have to make a pact with some dastardly, sassy villain but, hey, you might just stumble across a charming human who may or may not live in a castle. 

5) Imagine the money you would save on transport! Those fins can take you anywhere you wanna go - the world is your oyster!

6) You'll obviously get a kick ass education - singing, life lessons and probably some self-defense thrown in there when a rowdy shark has snacked on one to many seals... 

7) You won't need to worry about snacking on that kale too much! Mer-people by nature don't wear any trousers... so no worrying about that damn pesky top button nonsense. Let those fins all hang out!

8) One word. Hair. Unrealistic hair expectations are a thing of the past. As a mermaid you're biologically programmed to have amazing hair. Science. 

9) Bras are a thing of the past. No one cares under the sea if you let those girls roam free or if you collect that coupon and get a free clam bra! The possibilities are endless. 

10) As a supernatural being, you have special abilities. One notable power - luring men to their deaths. Set the scene: you're just chilling in the ocean, waiting for the boyfriend to show up. You get a text on your clam phone - "Sorry bae, can't make it. Just bought the new FIFA." A simple hum of the tune and he's in the water by your side, it's up to you what happens next! Guess he didn't get the memo about your dark side! Oops. 

So this week, I'm dedicating this blog to all you beautiful sirens, selkies and of course, mers out there! If you have any specific book you want me to blog about, give me a heads up in the comments and I'll do my best! If not, I'm gonna be flagging up some of my favourite mermaid stories so please keep tuning in :)

"The Fisherman and the Siren" - Lord Frederick Leighton, 1858

Mer out! 

Mermaids, Mermaids and Mermaids

Mermaids, Mermaids, and More Mermaids...

Can I tell you a secret?

I have an obsession.

Mermaids.

I absolutely adore mermaids. Specifically mermaids who own lighthouses. Honestly, its my dream to be a mermaid, living on a remote island managing a lighthouse and occasionally dipping in the nippy ocean to get my fins wet. Ah, the life.

Signet Eclipse Books, 2010

  Why am I talking about this you might ask? I'm mentioning my love of mermaids because after a drought of weeks without reading anything sea-related, I was in the mood for some mermaid shenanigans of the deep-sea rarity - if you get my meaning. So I plundered the depths of both Amazon and Goodreads, in search of a brooding lighthouse keeper and fin-inclined friends when I stumbled across the out of print Siren's Call by Devyn Quinn. After reading the blurb, fangirling over the beautiful cover and then tracking down UK sellers, I bought the entire trilogy.

Blurb:

A new paranormal romance series that follows desire into the depths of the ocean 

Lighthouse keeper Tessa Lonike savors her solitude on Little Mer, an island off the coast of Maine, guarding her true identity as a mermaid. But when Tessa spots a man thrashing around in the ice cold waters during a storm, she must use her ability as a mermaid to pull him to shore. And a year later, when Kenneth meets her again, he's determined not to let Tessa slip away. But when Tessa'a archaeologist ex-lover comes back to town with a clue to her heritage, she may be forced to leave her happiness behind...

Now, I have to point out one thing. I'm studying Archaeology. Some would call me an archaeologist. Some would not. But one thing is certain: Tessa Lonike's ex-bae is not an archaeologist. He's a crack pot. If he was real, he'd be one of those select few that like to call themselves 'archaeologists' but actually are those khaki wearing, whip wielding, treasure-hunting nighthawks chasing the dream of finding Atlantis or the colony of lizardmen in mainstream society. Then they cry out in rage because they're not being recognized by the community. For good reason. 

In this instance, I hope to the goddess that Devyn Quinn knew what she was doing when writing Jake (the fanatic). Whenever I pick up a book and blurb describes a protagonist or secondary character as an 'archaeologist' and the writer has never studied said profession, a cold shiver runs through me. Another Indiana Jones-esque take on the archaeological record. Of course, sometimes I'm utterly wrong and sometimes, the stories are fun and exciting. However, I have to admit for Siren's Call I did not enjoy this take. In fact it had me shouting most of the time. Specifically the bit when they opened a supposed tomb without recording it first! Come on guys, rule one! 

Another thing this book praised was the typical gender roles. Now, of course in some romance novels fantasy overwhelms us and we get caught up in the typical hero/heroine dynamic. However, this one just went too far for me. One of the main character's reasons for not getting into a relationship was that she could not cook sufficiently enough for a man to want her! Blerrrrgh. Unfortunately that was a complete mind-numbing moment for me. One in which I grunted loudly and closed the book immediately. Suffice to say, I took break from reading on.

Also, the love triangle between Tessa, Kenneth and Jake was also something that needed some work. At times I felt like it was utterly forced. I didn't see any character development that allowed Jake to get a look in again. Instead, there was a jump forward of a six weeks and then one line:

'As the expedition had come together, she'd found Jake's company more tolerable."

Hmm. Well, that settles it right?!

It really didn't flow well with the story in some ways. Jake was more of a plot device than anything and you really knew it from the beginning. He doesn't really arrive until the last 3/4 of the book and then it's not even a subtle plot movement. It's like a sledge hammer driving its way through the pages; "Move outta the way, everyone! MAJOR PLOT TWIST COMING! Shoo!"

On a lighter note, there were some elements of the story I did like. I liked the cool scaly tattoos the mer-sisters had which were a physical representation of their tails on land. That was pretty bad-ass. I also liked the idea of the mermaids being created alongside male humans to breed - although they didn't really give a reason for the creation of females... they're obviously not important! I mean, we're taking mermaids here, right? The creation of an elite unknown society of mermaids that humans had no idea about was pretty original and somewhat exciting. Rebellions are always a good part of a plot, however, it was over within the gap between two chapters and nothing along the lines of fighting actually happened. I swear, three 'good' mermaids died in the process and nothing was mentioned about them expect their carcasses were bloodied on the floor. Poof! Like that, insignificant.

I think my main issue with this first book is that I didn't feel anything for the characters. Zero feels. Which is very unusual for me. They mostly just got on my nerves. Overall, I wouldn't recommend it as a good introduction into the land or sea of mermaids. I've read countless mermaid fictions which I would recommend to you in a heartbeat over Siren's Call. I think if it wasn't for that beautiful cover, I probably wouldn't remember the story at all! I'll probably read the next two and maybe review them, depending on how much they wind me up or not, so I'll keep you guys posted!

With that massive come-down, I'm going to leave my verdict here:

Rating: M - for adult context, sex, sea-frolicking and crappy archaeologist-wannabes.

Post Feels: Thank god for that!

The Goddess Series!

The Good, the Bad, and the Goddess

Harlequin UK, 2011.

I'm BACK! And I'm really excited to talk about all the lovely romance books I've been reading this summer. Firstly, I wanted to start with the "Goddess Series" by Aimée Carter. I picked this little series because I was really craving some Ancient Greek God action, and it seemed to deliver. On the cover, it had all of the ingredients for a seriously good teen fic, including some romance, some angst, some muscular gods and some crazy plot lines. So here, have the blurb from "The Goddess Test":

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying.

Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall. Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

See what I mean? It's got everything, it seems. Action, romance, teenage angst. And it starts off like most YA novels tend to: new girl, new school, really hot guy. However, this wasn't just the typical YA adult romance novel. I did feel like there was something different about this. Not just because it had a deeper themes to it, such as loss and acceptance, but the writing didn't make the story cliche or even repetitive. Overall, I really enjoyed the storyline. It was a good, engaging story that you wanted to read all the way through. I mean, I got through the three books during exam time (probably a bad decision) and in about a week. So my procrastination was obviously in full swing! And, that may or may not have been the reason why I enjoyed the series so much.

Mind you, there was some disappointments with the series too. For instance, the first novel, is all about how Kate is faced with so many tests in order to achieve the goddess status, while all the time trying to avoid perhaps certain death. However, she doesn't actually know when and where the tests happen. So, there's not much action on that front and it was slightly disappointing. But, there is action throughout the book, just not in the way you would expect.

As for the characters, Kate, to me, was quite an interesting character, even though she was totally fine with some random magical man, known as Henry, coming to her door with a supposed 'butler' and make her agree to potentially becoming his wife... you know, after her mother was taken into hospital... totally normal, right? Anyway, the character are indeed lovable, if sometimes quite aggravating with their decisions and motivations. However, ultimately, the connection between Henry and Kate is actually quite touching. He himself has issues with any relationships due to his ex-wife Persephone cheating on him and ultimately not loving him, and in turn that creates issues for Kate as the next potential Queen of the Underworld.

I really loved the landscape of the Underworld and the godly realms that Aimee Carter created. I thought they were equally fascinating. The idea that the Gods were created, but were not biological siblings, did slightly confuse me as it was never really mentioned other than a few times when Henry would insist that no God/Goddess was related to each other - even though, they shared the same adoptive parents, they could still marry and procreate with each other. Slightly confusing for me. Then again, that could have been because I was up to my eyeballs in exams. Who knows?!

To conclude, if there's any mythology lovers out there, this is a really good series to pick up and read in your spare time. It's light, fun and engaging - which sometimes I find, is better than some of the heavy 800 page reads!

Rating: YA, romance, mythology, sexy Hades (always a good shout)!

Post Feels: Content, happy, would read more if it involved more interactions with Henry and Kate.

Feminism and the Erotic Genre: Compatible or Not?

Am I a 'bad' feminist?

Firstly, this post is going to be a little different to what I usually do. The reason behind this is because I've been pondering this question for a couple of days now. And it all began with one comment from a friend of mine in regards to the matter of women in erotic fiction:

"They're just male playthings, aren't they?"

 As we both sat there, each in our separate rooms, separate lives, and separate ideas, we began to get into a discussion about my favourite genre through text. Now, don't get me wrong, both she and I are partial to the monthly rom-com and Doritos binge, but when we started discussing the portrayal of women in the erotic genre, we both had somewhat differing views. Of course, I knew to which series she was referring to when she made this very bold statement - the illusive ties, red rooms and overbearing contracts. Suffice to say, my dear friend (and just to let you know, she's still my dear friend) had only ever read that certain series. However, it got me thinking. Can our expectations of erotica ever fully assimilate into main stream feminism?

I, myself, align to being a feminist. And I'm proud to be one, however, I have always had the niggling doubt in my mind that my feminist ideology clashed with what I loved most: romance and erotic fiction. Was I actually a 'bad' feminist for even liking something which on the front can be seen as demeaning to my own sex? That, in the mainstream, portrays women as simple, unchallenged and ultimately weak and (in the very LARGE context) can advocate domestic violence when confronted in the harsh light of day. This can never be a good thing, surely? Domestic violence can never be condoned. And I would never say that we can give it leeway in fiction. The idea is monstrous. What I am saying is, however, that it is how the relationship between the characters is seen and most importantly written that is the key. From the get go, a reader must be able to indulge in their fantasies with these characters, but there must always an understanding of consent within erotic fiction. Notably, between the characters engaging with each other on those pages and the reader/writer relationship. It is down to the author to make these lines clear. If they aren't clear then we as readers and budding writers too, will get our lines blurred - and we all know, that's never a good song idea.
There have been numerous stories about the rise/mainstreaming of erotic fiction and the decline of female worth. Certainly, it would not take you long to scroll through any social media site to see a article labeling erotic fiction as bad or regressive. Perhaps that is why erotic fiction has always been something to hide, to sneak a peak at in the back section of Waterstones, or even curl up on the sofa to and indulge ourselves, alone, on a Saturday night?

As my friend had pointed out, in very basic terms, society does not always see such sexual exploration as good or even right in some contexts. Yes, erotic fiction is now, as you might say, "out-of-the-closet" but does that stigma still carry weight?

I think it does. There is something secretive and naughty about sexual exploration in our society that does not fit with reality. In some sense, the idea that erotic fiction and feminism cannot work together is very dogmatic.The idea of a single stream of feminism itself is dogmatic. We should be free to express our own sexuality and experiences in any form. And, even if I am called a 'bad' feminist, or even if someone does not agree with me, then I will still subscribe to the erotic fiction genre. Not because, I think women are 'male playthings' but in fact, quite the opposite. To base your idea of a certain aspect of fiction on one badly written and, should I say, boring set of books is limiting your scope of learning. Erotic fiction for me, is about the freedom of openly expressing yourself as not only, a sexual being, but as a women too. Many of the female leads in such works, are not the meek and mild characters that society thinks they are. No, in fact, many of these women (thought up by both women and men) are inspiring, independent and alluring. These are not the weak female leads, and to even characterise them as 'feisty' or 'untamed' does them and their authors a discredit. They arr as real as you and me. They think, they feel and they know who they are. In some ways, the author is just there as a scribe to their lives.

Many times I've read author's interviews where they say the characters formed themselves: almost like they were living beings. But, perhaps this is beside the point. What I wanted to discuss in this post was the fact that, no, I do not believe I am a 'bad' feminist because I love the witty repartee of the erotic genre. No, in fact, I think the erotic genre gives us something - as humans - that allows us to explore our own beings and our own sexuality freely, without the Big Brother eye of society looming over us. It allows us to express a part of our identity that is fundamental to how we are and now we act, feel and think. 

Beauty and the...Demon?

If anyone out there knows me, they will know that I adore Beauty and the Beast. It's one of my all time favourite stories, so it was no surprise that when I found out about the debut novel from Rosamund Hodge, Cruel Beauty, I jumped to buy it. In fact, I was so excited that I finished the thing within a day. That left me with a £11 deficit in my bank account and a heavy heart when I turned the last page.

Cruel Beauty, by Rosamund Hodge

My own copy (and hedgehog bedding)

Rating: Teen - scenes of moderate violence, gory etc., teeny romance, mystery, classic love tale. 

Post Feels: I've already started to re-read it!

Blurb:

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...

Many people had super-hyped this novel from the get go. Most of the reviews I had read raved about it (which made me even more hungry to get my hands on it) and some were...um...not so favourable. Suffice to say, I ignored them. However, one thing did stick out for me - there's a love triangle. Now, I normally don't care for love triangles within romance novels. I very much a stick-to-the-first-guy-you-read-about kinda girl, as we all know most of the time the first guy (I'm using that in the non-gender binary sense) the protagonist bumps into is normally the love interest. Honestly, give it a shot. Most romance novels have that pattern. Anyhoo, there's two things about love triangles is that 1) it's plain indecisive - pick a person and stick with them. It would save so much more hassle for the reader and wouldn't make them endure the same monologue of 'Do I?' or 'Don't I?'. And 2) it makes me more inclined to skip read certain parts of the story in which I find dull, usually the bits that doesn't have my favourite love interest in. Oops.

And so, this is why I started to skip certain bits of Cruel Beauty... again, oops. Personally, I knew where the story was going and the whole love triangle bit didn't bother me as much, but I think the characterisation of Shade, one of the love interests was slightly...well...dull. He was a bit of a wet blanket. Moping around like the shadow he was and simply being all doom and gloom. To be fair, he was a prisoner in a massive castle for about 900 years, but still my point stands. All in all, I didn't skim read that much, however it was at the beginning and I didn't get the whole 'luurve' vibe from Nyx and Shade. But, Nyx and Ignifex... there was a whole lotta tension going on there. Dayyymmn.

But, I'll leave that for you guys to enjoy on your own time.

As much as I loved the book in the end, it did take me a little while to get into it. I mean the entire world was so fascinating and I would have loved it if we got to explore a little bit more of that universe, however Hodge did a really amazing job a incorporating mythologies into the reality of the book. It was truly a really enjoyable read when it came to certain aspects of the writing. However, the only reason I think the beginning was so difficult for me was because I found some of the relationships, particularly with Shade and Nyx slightly forced. It was around page 70 that Nyx felt she was 'in love' with Shade the shadow and in all honesty, it felt sort of rushed to me and could have been expanded. It wasn't until 150 pages in that things really got going for me. Albeit because of a certain Gentle Lord and his sliver tongue. He was very enjoyable indeed. Nyx too was a very complex character with her own motivations which I really, truly enjoyed. She progressed throughout the book and was flawed to begin with which I often find intriguing in a character. There are so many books in which the female lead is often too perfect or too bad-ass, and in this, Hodge got the balance just right. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the world of Arcadia through Nyx's eyes - of course, there were times when I questioned her actions and felt that the character development was somewhat forced to progress the story and fit it into the classical tale of Beauty and the Beast, but overall I really did enjoy this read. It had been so long since I had read a really good fantasy/romance and I'm really glad I spent my money on this one.

So, go on, splurge a little and buy yourself a hardback version of Cruel Beauty!