Review: Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

Summary:

When Rachelle was fifteen, she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless— straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat.

Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in an effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her find the legendary sword that might save their world. As the two become unexpected allies, they uncover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. In a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night?

Inspired by the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Crimson Bound is an exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption.

Publication Date: May 5, 2015

I fell in love with the author’s writing in Cruel Beauty and I was so excited to read another book by her set in an entirely different world. Crimson Bound didn’t disappoint and I would probably say I ended up liking the novel better than Cruel Beauty.

Although the book is a dark retelling of Red Riding Hood, the mythology is poles apart. The world building was truly exceptional in Crimson Bound. Hodge has the ability to write beautiful, dark descriptions that make the reader feel immersed in the setting.

Rachelle is a complex character who lives in the gray area between good and evil. She has made some horrible mistakes, but she doesn’t want to end up controlled by the evil living in the Great Forest. She accepts her doomed fate, but crafts a plan to help save humanity before the evil consumes her.

I really loved the book up until the final third. I just grew a little irritated of Rachelle and some of her choices. Plus, I didn’t really care for the love triangle. I liked the characters involved in the romance, but I just didn’t feel the development was realistic. 

Overall, despite a few plot points I didn’t care for, I really still liked Crimson Bound. I can’t wait to read what the author comes up with for her next book.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!

Review: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Summary:

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

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.

Publication Date: January 28, 2014

Cruel Beauty is a Beauty and the Beast retelling blended with a hefty dose of Greek mythology. The world building was original and I never knew what direction the story was going in. The characters weren’t always likable, but they were definitely interesting.

Nyx isn’t your typical heroine. She’s resentful and pretty much hates everyone for almost half of the book. I emphasized with her plight, but since the book is intended to be a Beauty and the Beast retelling, I expected her to have more characteristics associated with Beauty. Nyx was more like the anti-Beauty and her complaining grew a little tiring.

Once Nyx began interacting more with Shade and Ignifex, the book took off for me. I liked the love triangle angle and how it played out. Shade and Ignifex are both flawed, but their vulnerabilities keep them from being categorized completely as monsters.

There’s a lot of mythology in the book and I sometimes found it hard to wrap my head around it all. However, I liked the mystery aspect of the novel and trying to figure out what tied Ignifex to the mythology presented by the characters. Ignifex’s history once revealed was a complete surprise that culminated in a very exciting climax.

The ending was a little confusing and I think another chapter would’ve helped flesh out the final quarter of the novel. I wouldn’t even have minded if things ended earlier since my ambiguity about how I felt about the characters didn’t make me require a HEA.

If you like high fantasy novels or fairy tale retellings, I would definitely recommend Cruel Beauty. It was interesting and unique enough that I’m having a tough time figuring out a book to compare it to. It’s YA, but certainly has crossover appeal.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this novel for review.