In “Cruel Beauty” and “Crimson Bound”, we see two classic tales take a dark turn and become wonderfully twisted stories. These two novels by Rosamund Hodge are among my favorite fractured fairy tales.
Hodge’s first novel, “Cruel Beauty”, retells the story of “Beauty and the Beast” with a mix of Greek mythology. Nyx is a young woman who has been forced by her father to marry Ignifex, the lands evil ruler and demon. She vows to use this opportunity to kill Ignifex and release the lands of his tyrannical rule. When she gets to Ignifex’s castle and starts to unravel the mysteries within, she learns there is more to the evils that plague her lands than meets the eye.
I loved the Disney version of “Beauty and the Beast”, but “Cruel Beauty” makes the story much more interesting and much darker. The story grabbed me from the beginning and I devoured it in one sitting. If you like dark stories and new takes on both fairy tales or Greek mythology, I would highly recommend this book to you.
Hodge’s second novel, “Crimson Bound”, is similar to “Cruel Beauty” except that it is a mixture of old French tales and the tale of Red Riding Hood. Rachelle is a young woman who was training to be the next person to protect her village from dark magic. However, she met a mysterious stranger in the forest who lured her from the path and marked her to become a forestborn. The forestborn are dark creatures that take human life and seek to bring darkness to the lands. Rachelle has two choices. She can kill and slowly turn into a forestborn or she can die. She leaves her small village and trains to join the king’s army while she makes her choice. She is ordered to protect the king’s illegitimate son who has lost his hands to a forestborn.
While this story has a romantic element to it, unlike “Cruel Beauty”, it is not central to the plot. If you are looking for a heavy romance, this book may not be for you. While I think the story of Red Riding Hood has always seemed scary, this book was bone-chilling at times. If you like books that are scary and character-driven, this is definitely a book for you.
The Cafe Librarian 