My Reaction in a Nutshell: 
 Weirdest Beauty and the Beast retelling. Ever. 
 The Long Version: 
 I wanted to love this book. A lot of reviewers I trust have loved this book. But yet, I couldn't love this book. It just didn't work for me. 
 Cruel Beauty takes place on an island called Arcadia, a place where the sunshine is fake, demons lurk in the shadows, and the night sky is full of phony stars. The book is about Nyx, a girl who is forced to marry the Gentle Lord (aka the Prince of Demons), and her attempt to save her country and destroy his home. It follows the typical Beauty and the Beast story, but adds in Greek Mythology. It was a unique pairing that I was super excited to read. And yet, in reality, the two didn't mix well. Much of the story includes the two main characters swapping tales about various gods (which ties in nicely to the ending), but I felt like I was getting a history lesson rather than reading for fun. 
 When it came to the actual romance, honestly, it felt like Nyx fell for Ignifex only because he was hot. I know that in the book she says it's because he gets her, but I just wasn't feeling the romance between the two. (view spoiler)[ I guess people tend to bond over near death experiences and torture (hide spoiler)] Also, I felt like the ended was rushed and a little melodramatic. 
 But don't let my review stop you from reading Cruel Beauty. Beauty and the Beast has always been my least favorite fairytale and after reading the wonderful The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, pretty much any fairytale retelling would fall flat. 
 If you like Beauty and the Beast, Greek Mythology, demons, love triangles, and plot twists, then Cruel Beauty is the book for you. 
 ***TRIGGER WARNINGS: Stockholm Syndrome, death, murder, torture