3/29/21

Of Thorns and Beauty by 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐧 𝐃. 𝐌𝐚𝐡𝐥𝐞 BOOK REVIEW

"You think you know the tale as old as time, but you’ve already got it wrong.
There never was a beauty and a beast, only a girl who was both.
And that girl was me."

Zaina will never be free.

She's forced into an arranged marriage to a Viking King in a castle full of secrets. But she carries secrets of her own, and the scars of her haunted past.

Handed off from one monster to another, she has no choice but to do her best to survive and protect her sisters.

Even if it costs her everything.

A Beauty and the Beast retelling you won’t want to miss, where nothing is what it seems and time is running out.
 
If you guys know anything about me as a reader is that I hate cliffhangers that being said I knew well in advance this book had one so here we go...

I absolutely adored Einar and Zaina their differences made a unique couple and their interactions spirited as they may be where witty and funny. I loved the slow burn romance and spend most of the time hoping for a kiss.

I spent quite a lot of time trying to figure out who was who on this beautiful retelling of the beauty and the beast. Keep in mind that I used the word retelling as loosely as possible, there are a couple of hints here and there but for the most part Of Thorns and Beauty is a different story all together.

There were a couple of instances when I got so mad at Zaina she could’ve spill the beans at any point and Einar blessed his heart would have helped her fight her demons.

The only reason I didn’t give this book a 5 rating, is because sometimes it felt a little rushed and the chapters where super short giving the impression that this was supposed to be a bigger book but somewhere along the way the authors decided to make it a series.

That being said the story is amazing, the characters are well rounded with pretty defined background stories. The whole ambience of the book is dark and chilly so the sprinkles of warmth throughout makes them even more special. I truly enjoyed how the authors took inspiration from Beauty and the Beast and the way they transformed the story.

Of Thorns and Beauty is a perfect first book for a series and I would definitively read the next one because I really want to know where the story goes.

I was given this ARC for free in exchange for my voluntary and honest review.



Elle Madison is a faerie disguising herself as an author in the human world.

When she isn't wrestling her children, she's busy baking cookies for her husband and becoming a regular at every taco shop she comes across.
After hours, when she puts the kiddos to bed, you can usually find Elle working on creating new fantastical worlds, reading about them or playing Stardew Valley like the child she is.

Elle enjoys watching the sunset, trying new wines, the occasional raccoon or two, and being with people who make her laugh.


Robin D. Mahle started out as a pen name I shared with my husband for The World Apart Series, but since then, I've absconded with it to delve into the wonderful world of fairy tale retellings and fantasy romances with my partner in crime, Elle Madison.

When I'm not writing, you can find me spending time with my seven hundred cats and drinking wine by the barrel.






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