Craving Beauty Review

Craving Beauty (Wylder Tales) by Jennifer Silverwood, Qamber Designs
on January 1, 2013
Format: eBook
Goodreads

Vynasha has spent the last four years tending her mother's roses and looking after her nephew. The fire that killed their family has left her scarred and put Wyll on the brink of death. Soon the first frost will come down from the mountains and she knows this winter will be his last.
Until a strange beggar appears on the road, telling her of the majikal Source that can heal her Wyll. With nothing left to lose, Vynasha braves the forbidden Wylder Mountains to seek out a cure and her fate.
A lost kingdom is uncovered by an equally lost girl, but the castle is not abandoned as she believes. Shadows cloaking unseen eyes watch. Tapestries whisper from the hidden corners, wondering if the one to break their curse has come. And a hungry beast waits, ready to devour her soul.

 

 

Julie’s Review:

Craving Beauty is a gothic retelling and re-twisting of the Beauty and the Beast story. In this story, everyone’s a Beast.

The main character has a tragic backstory, where she blames herself for the deaths of her family members and being outcast from the town and labeled a witch. She yearns to find help for her nephew, whom she saved but just barely, and to find her missing brother and step-father. This leads her on a journey to the creepy castle.

The “beast” of the castle calls her beauty, which she hates because of the scars on her face. But she is both a beauty and a beast, strong and determined, anxious to break curses and grow in her magic. But there are secrets, and the secrets get good. I quite enjoyed the unfolding of the secrets. Things aren’t as they seem; unfortunately, she shouldn’t trust anyone to be honest with her. Because trusting the wrong – creatures? – well, it doesn’t do much for breaking the curse, let’s say. And there’s more than just the one beast who has her attention. Not quite a love triangle exactly, because our heroine’s power stands on her own. Personally, I was more into her ghostie friend, and did not root for The Beast or The Gatekeeper.

The overall story is interesting but developed a bit slowly for me. I first had Alexa read it to me while I was working because I didn’t have the leisure time to sit and read. As an avid audiobook listener while I work, I thought Alexa would be a great alternative to reading my kindle book to me. I sometimes found the story a bit boring, but I thought that might be Alexa’s fault. But I finished reading it over the weekend in ebook form and still found it a bit lacking …something. I think a first in a series has a lot of struggles to overcome, especially when it’s a retelling based in another very well known story.

I did quite like the ending, where our main character owns it, internalizes it all, and shows how boss she is. The magical transformation she experiences, well seems like she’s going to do great things. I also liked her reconnecting with lost family members but not with her nephew. I guess that’s the story arc for the next book in the series.

Overall an interesting read but missing something I can’t put my fingers on. The ending was enough to set the story in motion and put our heroine on the path to hopefully finding redemption for herself and help for her nephew. The second book comes out next week and I’m curious to see what happens next and if the story leaps off right where it left off.

Fans of gothic story lines and retellings will enjoy this book. Especially readers who don’t mind books containing journey plots and who save the good stuff for the end are likely to enjoy this. Just don’t let Alexa read it to you if you want to pay attention.

.5 stars – rolling up to 4

 

Lynn’s Review:

CRAVING BEAUTY follows Vynasha on an adventure through magical lands while on a quest to find her brother and father, who have failed to return home.

The writing in CRAVING BEAUTY is extremely descriptive and visual. I could easily picture the scenery, characters, and other beasts within the novel.

“She gladly welcomed the gargoyles clutching torches high above and the dragon skulls that grinned down at her.”

Given that CRAVING BEAUTY is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, the romance is more of a romantic triangle between Vynasha, The Beast, and the Gatekeeper. The Beast is compelling Vynasha to be his bride and the Gatekeeper is pushing her away. Yet, she is bound to both. Personally, I am rooting for the Gatekeeper. 😉

I found the magic within this novel intriguing. First, it has a smell, and a smell that Vynasha and the other characters can detect. (My allergies would probably not help me here.!) Second, the veil between the human world and the magical world is a mirror. I’m still not completely sure how this mirror works, or which side of the mirror Vynasha land in at the end of the story. But I’m curious to learn more about this world. I also applaud the magical aspect that all magic comes with a price. But the question becomes, what is that price?

The challenge, for me, in reading a retelling like CRAVING BEAUTY is the comparison to the original story or other retellings. While reading, I was constantly contrasting this novel with the Disney cartoon (you know the one) as well as other retellings I’ve read. Like Julie mentions above, CRAVING BEAUTY is missing that spark to distinguish it from the other novels and movies. I wasn’t enthusiastic about most of the novel. At least until the end. The last 25% of the novel has action, stress, fear, and anxiety that had my heart pumping. It was much more remarkable than the first 3/4 of the book. This is where the story began to stand out to me as original and captivating. A better storytelling approach might have been to start with these scenes and then back-fill with the historic scenes. I’m much more interested in reading the next story in this series based on the ending, especially given the cliffhanger of an ending.

I’d recommend CRAVING BEAUTY for fans of gothic and / or fairytale retellings. Especially those readers who enjoy dark castles, multiple beasts, dark secrets, and strong heroine.

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