Book Review for Craving Beauty by Jennifer Silverwood

I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape or form.

Craving Beauty, by Jennifer Silverwood, is a dark fantasy about a young woman who rips apart a fairytale built a top tragic lies. Vynasha had just lost most of her family to a tragic fire with the exception of her nephew, Wyll. With her father and older brother gone, she struggles daily to provide for herself and Wyll, being outcasted by her own village and being disowned as a witch. One day, she catches wind that her father and brother may have taken refuge within the cursed Wylder Mountains. With Wyll in tow, Vynasha attempts to find them, only to stumble across a castle filled with cursed denizens. She meets a lonely monster named Ferox, whom has deigned her Beauty, much to her annoyance. What appears to be a charming romance quickly devolves into horror, as Vynasha tries to discern truth from the lies and save her family from the magic that threatens them all. 

I very much enjoyed this retelling of Beauty and the Beast. What masquerades as a fairytale is in actuality a gothic story about the complexities of family, class, and ultimately, love. I liked how protective Vynasha is of her nephew, and how much she treasures her brother and for a brief time, her father. Vynasha is incredibly perceptive; she doesn’t blindly trust, nor does she fall in love easily. She isn’t a traditional hero, and will put herself and her family above all else which, in all honesty, is understandable. True, she may have been “cursed” in the end, but as long as her loved ones are save, she doesn’t care. 

And again, Silverwood beautifully illustrates this with her characters, and shows what happens when you blindly put your faith in others. Even though Ferox was hoping for a happily ever after, going as far as to label Vynasha as his Beauty and he the Beast, he doesn’t think about how Vynasha would feel about his proposal. He even threw her in the dungeons when he doesn’t get his way. He acts like a petulant child who’s pretending to be a parent, hoping that a time out would get a peer to behave. The closest thing this story has to a Prince Charming is Grendel, and even he’s been worn down by the curse. True, there may not have been a romance between the two, but he respects and cherishes Vynasha enough to help her escape the castle (as much as someone can respect and cherish an outsider).

As such, I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars, and am more than looking forward to the sequel. 

You can buy the book here!