*slams head on desk* 
 Someday I will get my awesome dark badass Little Red Riding Hood retelling, but today is not that day 
 I was so excited for this book. SO. EXCITED. This book was calling my name. I mean, it's Littler Red Riding Hood! But sexy! And in Versailles . Cruel Beauty had such promise and was such a solid story, that to add a sophomore novel from the same author with my favorite of all fairy tales to play with, and I was so ready to be blown away. Cruel Beauty was so quick and fun and sexy I was dying for this one. 
 And it was just... too much of that same book yet not enough. 
 There were a lot of plates in the air for this one. The same prophecy, evil boyfriend, evil god, three-pronged romance, mysterious quest thing going. But it was so complicated. Cruel Beauty was mostly two people, in a room, trying to get something from the other. This worked, it was a complicated relationship. They wanted different things. They used each other. They grew to like each other when they mirrored each other's monstrosity. There were definitely relationships like this in the book: but coming from all sides. It was a little overcomplicated. Erec was too despicable to be redeemed within the first half of the book, but she keeps trusting and letting herself be used by him. Armand was too sanctimonious and principled. A morally grey character like Rachelle needs her equally ambiguous match, instead both love interests were very black and white, good and bad. One preying on her dark side, the other calling for her to seek absolution. Yes Armand's faith and principles are challenged by the end, but they are unshaken enough for him to really do what he said he was going to do before they fell in love. He chooses what you know he's going to choose. And it seems like his goodness fixes Rachelle- an offense that after something as deviant and morally gray as Cruel Beauty, I'm not sure I can forgive. 
 There's a lot of morality in this book, CB definitely had it too, but it was a little more preachy this time around. While I thought it added some depth to Rachelle, she was still a relatively flat character, or at least in how she came across as a carbon copy of Nyx. 
 (view spoiler)[ and she loses all of her godly powers in the end. That was the fun part. (hide spoiler)] That pissed me off. I know it shouldn't have but...just... there are things I like to see in books, and her as a great reckoning was one of them. 
 There was just too much going on in this book. It felt too dense and complicated. I wanted this simple, reeling seduction/temptation story that Little Red Riding Hood could be. It was still a worthwhile read, but it wasn't what I'd expected or wanted. Disappointed but still pleased enough, I suppose was the final verdict.