I was so close to giving this five stars, but I had a couple of issues that held me back.

I loved Nyx. I loved her complexity, I loved her fight and her tenacity, and I loved how vicious she could be at times. And Ignifex. God. DO I NEED TO REMIND YOU HOW MUCH I ADORE CHARACTERS LIKE HIM? NO? GOOD. BECAUSE YOU GET RANTS IF I NEED TO REMIND YOU.

The writing had its flaws, but it was good nonetheless. Lagged a bit at the beginning of the book, but then picked up by about the 50% mark. Was it a masterpiece? No. Would it have been better as a New Adult novel? Perhaps. But for someone who knows and loves Beauty and the Beast as much as I do, I really like how this managed to give me a few surprises. I thought I did, but when I finished the book I realized that I didn't know the exact story I was going to be told. Kudos, man. Kudos.

Full review here: https://sowereadthisbook.wordpress.com/2015/03/10/cruel-beauty-rosamund-hodge/