Thursday, May 16, 2013

One of those books you get stuck in your head that you hope will never leave.


Well, I think I left the book I really wanted to read tonight at work so I wrote up a blog post for you guys. I know it's been quite a while. I still haven't decided what to write about our big move so I went with the easier option and did a book review. It's one I've been trying to get finished for a while so here it is!

By Stacey Jay
 **Disclaimer: I received a free E-ARC of this book from the publishers due to my employment with a bookstore. No compensation was received for this review (although, I am seriously gushing over it and I'm fully aware that I may sound ridiculous)**

This is the first book I’ve read by Stacey Jay, although I have a copy of both Juliet Immortal and Romeo Redeemed to read at some point. This has to be one of my all time favorite books now, and I do believe it has ruined any chance of my finding another book I love this year. I read it right before we moved and it’s still stuck with me. This is a retelling of “Beauty and the Beast.” Well, kind of. For starters, it’s the beast who is trapped with Beauty. The curse is much more elaborate as well. I was devastated in the best possible way when this one was over.
So before I ruin the entire story, I’ll just cut to my highlights.
What I loved (there was no like here, I swear I loved it all):
  • The setting was so beautifully done. I’m usually not such a big fan of fantasy worlds, I like my novels in the real world with some magical elements. This world painting was so well done, though, that I lived in this land for the two days it took me to read the book.
  • The curse was mythological and I loved it. So I don’t ruin anything, I’ll stop there.
  • The characters. I love them both. They were realistic and wonderful.
  • The narration went back and forth between the two main characters which I very much enjoyed. I liked seeing both perspectives.
  • The ending. I cried. Both at the fact that this book was over and for the loveliness that was the end of this tale.


Things that maybe annoyed me but I didn’t care:
  • There were a few questions I felt were left unanswered with the curse’s back story. Maybe I’ll have to reread the book to see if I just missed something.
  • I didn’t like some of the minor characters. One in particular was supposed to be a bad guy but was kind of a waffle about how he would behave each day.
  • 400 pages just wasn’t enough. Okay, if it had been longer, it probably would have felt like filler, but I just wanted to live in this world a little longer.


I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys teen novels, anyone who enjoys romance (clean romance), anyone who likes to read. This book comes out in July so be ready for it!