As soon as I read the description for Cruel Beauty I knew that I just had to read it. I have always loved Beauty and the Beast...and I'm definitely a self-proclaimed Disney junkie, so this book totally screamed "READ ME!!!" to me! Sure enough, as soon as I started Cruel Beauty I was hooked!! :D I loved the story, the characters, and the world-building was absolutely amazing. :D I was also pleasantly surprised to figure out that Rosamund Hodge blends mythology into the story of Beauty and the Beast, too, because I'm also a huge mythology fan...seriously, this book was perfect for me and it lived up to and greatly exceeded any expectations that I had for it! 
 While the main character, Nyx, isn't the most likeable character, she is incredibly easy to relate to. Who hasn't been jealous or angry because they felt they had been mistreated? My guess is that almost everyone has...I know I sure have! Nyx's situation is something that's pretty impossible to relate to, but it's still incredibly easy to sympathize with her. I think her fierceness also makes it hard to dislike her, even though she's quite abrasive. 
 Ignifex, the "Beast" of this story, is another character who comes off as completely horrible, but he grows on you...boy, does he ever grow on you. At first, all you see is the monster that Nyx has heard of and known her entire life, but despite Ignifex's flaws (and he definitely has them), he is endearing and he has some great qualities...he also definitely cares about and trusts Nyx, which is a good and bad thing. :P I loved getting to see both Nyx and Ignifex let their guards down though, and seeing them grow closer was wonderful! You couldn't help but fall with them as their relationship changed, and I loved that! :D 
 Not only were the characters and story amazing, but so was the writing!!! I swear, Rosamund Hodge is a goddess herself because her writing was good enough for me to want to worship it! I cannot wait to read more of her work in the future because I found her writing to be fresh, addictive, and beautiful! Seriously...it was so, so, so good! :D 
 Overall, I absolutely LOVED Cruel Beauty! It's definitely one of my favourite reads in 2014 so far, and I have a very strong feeling that it's going to stay at the top of my faves list for the whole year! I'd recommend this one to fans of fairytales, mythology, and retellings! I also think if you love your love interests to be a bit on the dark side, and your heroines to be flawed that you'll love it, too! :D 
 (This review can also be found at my blog: 
 While the main character, Nyx, isn't the most likeable character, she is incredibly easy to relate to. Who hasn't been jealous or angry because they felt they had been mistreated? My guess is that almost everyone has...I know I sure have! Nyx's situation is something that's pretty impossible to relate to, but it's still incredibly easy to sympathize with her. I think her fierceness also makes it hard to dislike her, even though she's quite abrasive. 
 Ignifex, the "Beast" of this story, is another character who comes off as completely horrible, but he grows on you...boy, does he ever grow on you. At first, all you see is the monster that Nyx has heard of and known her entire life, but despite Ignifex's flaws (and he definitely has them), he is endearing and he has some great qualities...he also definitely cares about and trusts Nyx, which is a good and bad thing. :P I loved getting to see both Nyx and Ignifex let their guards down though, and seeing them grow closer was wonderful! You couldn't help but fall with them as their relationship changed, and I loved that! :D 
 Not only were the characters and story amazing, but so was the writing!!! I swear, Rosamund Hodge is a goddess herself because her writing was good enough for me to want to worship it! I cannot wait to read more of her work in the future because I found her writing to be fresh, addictive, and beautiful! Seriously...it was so, so, so good! :D 
 Overall, I absolutely LOVED Cruel Beauty! It's definitely one of my favourite reads in 2014 so far, and I have a very strong feeling that it's going to stay at the top of my faves list for the whole year! I'd recommend this one to fans of fairytales, mythology, and retellings! I also think if you love your love interests to be a bit on the dark side, and your heroines to be flawed that you'll love it, too! :D 
 (This review can also be found at my blog: http://burningximpossiblyxbright.blog....)