Since birth, Nyx has been groomed to take down the Gentle Lord (Ignifex), and break the curse on her people. She resents her family for making her carry out this mission but goes to meet her fate by marrying the Ignifex on her seventeenth birthday. But the Gentle Lord is not exactly what she expected, and soon her heart is torn between love and duty,
I read this years ago and really enjoyed it. I was a little worried that my expectations would be too high. I was wrong, it is still a wonderful book and I think I even enjoyed it more this time.
First and foremost, this is a beauty and the beast retelling, yes another one. But the heroine of this sotry is not your typical Beauty, Nyx is flawed and she knows she is flawed. She has been raised in a house where everyone in it, including her, fully expects her to die at age seventeen so you can imagine she is a little on the bitter side. And Ignifex, well lets put it this way, are you a fan of Rhysand?
Even though this was a B&B retelling, it was so much more. There is a lot of Greek myth thrown in as well as some other mythologies as well. This added layer that I had not seen before and really added to my enjoyment! It also helped make this a little more unpredictable than a normal retelling and certainly make it much more original than many of the other re-tellings I’ve read.
Yes, there is a romance aspect, and yes it is super cute and I love it! Even though I knew the romance was coming it didn’t seem inevitable like it sometimes does. It happened somewhat organically and I really enjoyed their journey.
Overall Rating: 5
This book is amazing, by far the most original re-telling I have read, and these characters… sigh.