DNF @ 26% 
 OKAY SO NO. BIG FAT NO. 
 I don't recommend this book. 
 And I don't usually use quotes in my reviews, but I will here. 
 This is a fairytale retelling of a fairytale I haven't heard of. The story is about a princess named Aerity who is the prize for killing a horrendous beast attacking the land. A bunch of hunters come out to try to kill it and whichever macho guy wins gets to marry the princess. There's also some vague suggestions of magic, but only some people possess the magic powers. There are two brothers named Paxton and Tiern, along with hundreds of other men, that compete in this challenge. Paxton is a stereotypical douchey sex-god alpha male who doesn't smile and bangs lots of chicks. Girls fall over him without him even talking. His younger brother, Tiern is a trope younger brother. Happy, baby-faced, energetic, trying his best but even with his charisma can't compete with the mind-blowing hotness of main guy. 
 Aerity, our pathetic heroine, is spellblindingly pathetic. Her personality is like a cheesegrater on your brain. She is shallow and petty and has no sense of humor whatsoever. She also expresses her deep emotions in the color of the dresses she wears. For instance: 
 She shook her head against the notion and went to her wardrobe to retrieve a drab, gray gown. She would mourn the loss of her cousin's fiance until Wyneth was up and about again. Only then would Aerity don dresses in soft colors. 
 ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME. She is showing her compassion for HER CLOSEST FRIEND/COUSIN'S hardship by WEARING A GRAY DRESS. 
 This is why I avoid books like "The Selection" and other books about dresses. Like who fucking cares about your dress. 
 Also, due to the beast, and the hoards of deaths that have come with it, she is not allowed to leave the castle. She goes: 
 The princess hoped they caught and killed the great beast soon, because this way no way for anyone to live. Since Breckon had been killed three days ago, they hadn't been allowed out of the castle, day or night, and she hadn't seen her cousin Wyneth or her dear friend Harrison. 
 Okay. 
 okay. 
 I need to regather myself here. She is complaining about being trapped in a CASTLE for THREE DAYS. Dear god. I live in a one bedroom apartment and I totally wouldn't mind if you trapped me in it for a month. I would get a ton of reading done and do some crafts. And there isn't even a crazy, neighborhood killer/ murderous mythical beast in my area! I would voluntarily do this. She is "trapped" in a castle with nearly infinite possibilities, including a room devoted to acrobatics. 
 Furthermore, Aerity treats her younger, 15 year old sister, Vixie, like absolute trash. She is so condescending to her I thought she was actually like six until they told us her age. At one point they go to meet the castle's magic lady (btw the magic people are called the "Lashed"): 
 "But the lashed are not evil," Vixie said, sitting forward. "Why are people just idiots? We know your godson saved father's life with magic." 
 "Vixie!" Aerity gasped with embarrassment and leveled a glare at her sister. Under her breath she ground out, "A bit of tact, please." Mrs. Rathbrook's grandson was not something the royal family spoke of. Vixie stared back as if to say, "What?" 
 Yeah, literally. What? 
 The entire land is in a state of distress and her younger sister is curious about something so asks basically a family member for consolation/understanding. Aerity's acting like she's a disgruntled teenager in the supermarket with her parents and they ran into the hottest dude in school. She's embarrassed by everything Vixie says. 
 Aerity...I'm not a fan of you. At all. 
 There's a ton of other examples of Aerity being unbearable, but I will spare you the misery of getting to know her. 
 Other than this book's fascination with dresses and the color of those said dresses, basically the only other thing we focus on is hotness. Let me regale you with a stream of facepalm-worthy quotes. 
 1) Princess Aerity was the very image desires were made of. Her silken cream dress was cinched at her waist, accentuating her femininity. 
 2) High seas, her mouth had gone dry. No man had ever made her nervous like this. Why did he appear so angry? And why did every detail of his appearance appeal to her on such a base level. 
 3) To her utter relief he took her hand in his rough, warm one. Paxton then did something that none of the other tables full of men had dared to do. Still holding her hand, he dropped his gaze down to the swell of fabric at her chest, and kept it there too long., his hand tightening and seeming even hotter around hers. Another shocked sound left Wyneth, this one high-pitched. Aerity's chest sizzled under the hunter's heated attention, and she dropped his hand. 
 In unison, the guards behind her stepped closer, one of them clearing his throat. When Paxton Seabolt's eyes drifted lower across her waist, Princess Aerity refused to cower. She was torn between offense and flattery at the intimate way he took her in with his eyes, perusing at his leisure until Tiern discreetly bumped him with his shoulder. 
 4) His arms...seas almighty. His arms were all muscle, bulging without even flexing. Same with his calves. And his face was chiseled as in the coldlands tales of old. 
 5) Given all that, the princess was surprised she did not feel the same heat course through her that she'd felt for the rude commoner moments before. 
 Oy. Have you ever seen a clearer representation about the dangers of rape culture/ abusive relationships? She insta-loves the abuser aka love interest (who will hurt her and then change a new leaf, I'm guessing) because honestly there's no mystery here, Paxton will win and marry Aerity. And if not, he will manipulate her into still seeing him even if she's married because they're in "luv." Women, especially young ones, will read this and accept this as a relationship they want. I promise you, you don't want this relationship. This is not romantic. 
 Basically this story could have been an interesting fairytale retelling, but instead is a total failmance and I want nothing to do with that.