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Fairy Tale Retelling #1
Mountains Made of Glass
"Could you love me?" he whispered. The question stole my breath and burned my lungs in the silence that followed.
I wanted to answer, to whisper yes into the space between us, but I was afraid.
All Gesela's life, her home village of Elk has been cursed. And it isn't a single curse—it is one after another, each to be broken by a villager, each with devastating consequences. When Elk's well goes dry, it is Gesela's turn to save her town by killing the toad that lives at the bottom. Except . . . the toad is not a toad at all. He is an Elven prince under a curse of his own, and upon his death, his brothers come for Gesela, seeking retribution.
As punishment, the princes banish Gesela to live with their seventh brother, the one they call the beast. Gesela expects to be the prisoner of a hideous monster, but the beast turns out to be exquisitely beautiful, and rather than lock her in a cell, he offers Gesela a deal. If she can guess his true name in seven days, she can go free.
Gesela agrees, but there is a hidden catch—she must speak his name with love in order to free him, too.
But can either of them learn to love in time?
Contains mature themes.
I wanted to answer, to whisper yes into the space between us, but I was afraid.
All Gesela's life, her home village of Elk has been cursed. And it isn't a single curse—it is one after another, each to be broken by a villager, each with devastating consequences. When Elk's well goes dry, it is Gesela's turn to save her town by killing the toad that lives at the bottom. Except . . . the toad is not a toad at all. He is an Elven prince under a curse of his own, and upon his death, his brothers come for Gesela, seeking retribution.
As punishment, the princes banish Gesela to live with their seventh brother, the one they call the beast. Gesela expects to be the prisoner of a hideous monster, but the beast turns out to be exquisitely beautiful, and rather than lock her in a cell, he offers Gesela a deal. If she can guess his true name in seven days, she can go free.
Gesela agrees, but there is a hidden catch—she must speak his name with love in order to free him, too.
But can either of them learn to love in time?
Contains mature themes.
8 pages, Audible Audio
First published March 7, 2023
1191 people are currently reading
37425 people want to read
About the author
Scarlett St. Clair
28 books31k followersInternational and USA Today Best Selling author Scarlett St. Clair is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation and the author of the HADES X PERSEPHONE SAGA, the HADES SAGA, KING OF BATTLE & BLOOD, and WHEN STARS COME OUT.
She has a Master's degree in Library Science and Information Studies and a Bachelors in English Writing. She is obsessed with Greek Mythology, murder mysteries, and the afterlife.
If you are obsessed with these things, then you'll like her books. You can find pictures of her adorable dog Adelaide on her Instagram at @authorscarlettstclair.
She has a Master's degree in Library Science and Information Studies and a Bachelors in English Writing. She is obsessed with Greek Mythology, murder mysteries, and the afterlife.
If you are obsessed with these things, then you'll like her books. You can find pictures of her adorable dog Adelaide on her Instagram at @authorscarlettstclair.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,365 reviews
March 21, 2023
i have the hardest time giving short books a high rating because im always left wanting more. which is the case with this one, im afraid.
i enjoyed the concept, found the world-building to be decent, and thought the cruel and spooky atmosphere very faithful to the origin of fairy tales. so when it comes to the retelling components, i think this works well. but as a romance, thats where it falls short for me. this just didnt have the depth to convince me that the characters really loved each other. i wanted more development, more connection, and a slower pacing to make the relationship progression be believable.
but if you are the kind of reader that can be satisfied with a quicker, shorter length novel, especially one that is true to the original fairy tales, then i would definitely recommend picking this one up!
thanks, sourcebooks/bloom books, for the ARC!
↠ 3.5 stars
i enjoyed the concept, found the world-building to be decent, and thought the cruel and spooky atmosphere very faithful to the origin of fairy tales. so when it comes to the retelling components, i think this works well. but as a romance, thats where it falls short for me. this just didnt have the depth to convince me that the characters really loved each other. i wanted more development, more connection, and a slower pacing to make the relationship progression be believable.
but if you are the kind of reader that can be satisfied with a quicker, shorter length novel, especially one that is true to the original fairy tales, then i would definitely recommend picking this one up!
thanks, sourcebooks/bloom books, for the ARC!
↠ 3.5 stars
March 27, 2023
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
So f*cking good. Consider me thoroughly wrecked.
***
GIMME.
C'mon Scarlett. I'm ready for you to wreck me again.
P.S. Excuse me while I stare creepily at this gorgeous cover.
So f*cking good. Consider me thoroughly wrecked.
***
GIMME.
C'mon Scarlett. I'm ready for you to wreck me again.
P.S. Excuse me while I stare creepily at this gorgeous cover.
May 9, 2024
After I finish my backlog of retellings, I think it's time to retire this genre. The smut? Fine. The plot? Subpar.
Gesela kills a toad that isn't a toad. There are seven princes. One is a beast. She goes to live with him. They fuck. They fall in love in less than seven days. She must guess his name or all goes to hell. I'm too old for this shit.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books
🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio
Gesela kills a toad that isn't a toad. There are seven princes. One is a beast. She goes to live with him. They fuck. They fall in love in less than seven days. She must guess his name or all goes to hell. I'm too old for this shit.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books
🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio
October 17, 2023
"Oh, vicious creature," he said. "Are you here to kill me?"
"If you give me a reason."
"I could give you three."
My favorite color is morally gray, my favorite book genre is novels that give off The Cruel Prince vibes.
***
⛰️𝗠𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗗𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗚𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗦 - 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗧 𝗦𝗧. 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗥⛰️
★𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
★𝗬𝗔/𝗡𝗔/𝗔: 🅽🅰/🅰
★𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦: 𝙵𝙰𝙸𝚁𝚈 𝚃𝙰𝙻𝙴 𝚁𝙴𝚃𝙴𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶 #𝟷
★𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦: 𝙳𝙰𝚁𝙺 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝚃𝙰𝚂𝚈 - 𝚁𝙴𝚃𝙴𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶
★𝗣𝗢𝗩: 𝙳𝚄𝙰𝙻 𝙿𝙾𝚅 - 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝚂𝚃 𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽 - 𝙿𝙰𝚂𝚃 𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙴
★𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: 𝙴𝙽𝙴𝙼𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂 - 𝙻𝚄𝚂𝚃 𝙰𝚃 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝚂𝚃 𝚂𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 - 𝙼𝙾𝚁𝙰𝙻𝙻𝚈 𝙶𝚁𝙰𝚈 𝙼𝙼𝙲 - 𝙱𝙰𝙳𝙰𝚂𝚂 𝙵𝙼𝙲 - 𝚃𝙾𝚄𝙲𝙷 𝙷𝙴𝚁 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙳𝙸𝙴 - 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚃𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝙼𝙼𝙲 - 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝚃𝙸𝙲𝙰𝙻𝙻𝚈 𝙲𝙻𝚄𝙴𝙻𝙴𝚂𝚂 𝙼𝙼𝙲 - 𝚁𝚄𝚃𝙷𝙻𝙴𝚂𝚂 𝙵𝙰𝙴 𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙻𝙼 - 𝙲𝚄𝚁𝚂𝙴𝚂 - 𝚄𝙽𝙳𝙴𝙽𝙸𝙰𝙱𝙻𝙴 𝙰𝚃𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 - 𝙰𝙶𝙴 𝙶𝙰𝙿 - 𝙵𝙰𝙴 𝚁𝙾𝚈𝙰𝙻𝚃𝚈
★𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: 👥👥👥👥/𝟱
★𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼/𝟱
★𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧: 📜📜📜½/𝟱
★𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗦 & 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: 💀💀💀💀/𝟱 (𝙺𝙸𝙳𝙽𝙰𝙿𝙿𝙸𝙽𝙶 - 𝙲𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙸𝚅𝙸𝚃𝚈 - 𝚅𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴 - 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙳𝙴𝚁 - 𝙾𝚂𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚈𝚂𝙼 - 𝚄𝙽𝚁𝙴𝚀𝚄𝙸𝚃𝙴𝙳 𝚂𝙴𝚇𝚄𝙰𝙻 𝙰𝙳𝚅𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴𝚂 (𝙽𝙾𝚃 𝙵𝚁𝙾𝙼 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙼𝙼𝙲) - 𝙴𝙼𝙾𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝙰𝙻 𝙳𝙰𝙼𝙰𝙶𝙴 - 𝙶𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙵 - 𝙻𝙾𝚂𝚂 - 𝙱𝙻𝙾𝙾𝙳 - 𝙳𝙴𝙰𝚃𝙷 - 𝙳𝚄𝙱-𝙲𝙾𝙽 (𝙴𝙻𝙰𝙱𝙾𝚁𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙸𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚂𝙼𝚄𝚃 𝚃𝙴𝙲𝙷𝙽𝙸𝙲𝙰𝙻 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝚃𝙰𝙶))
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗛𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧/𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🔥🔥🔥🔥/𝟱 (𝙶𝚁𝙰𝙿𝙷𝙸𝙲 𝙺𝙸𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙽𝙶 - 𝚃𝙾𝚄𝙲𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶 - 𝙾𝚁𝙰𝙻 𝚂𝙴𝚇 - 𝚂𝙴𝚇 - 𝙳𝚄𝙱 𝙲𝙾𝙽: 𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚄𝙶𝙷 𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚈'𝚁𝙴 𝙱𝙾𝚃𝙷 𝙿𝙸𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙳, 𝙵𝙼𝙲 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙼𝙼𝙲 𝙶𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝙸𝙽 𝚃𝙾 𝚃𝙷𝙴𝙸𝚁 𝙳𝙴𝚂𝙸𝚁𝙴𝚂 𝙷𝙰𝚅𝙴 𝚂𝙴𝚇 𝙵𝙾𝚁 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝚂𝚃 𝚃𝙸𝙼𝙴 𝚄𝙽𝙳𝙴𝚁 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙸𝙽𝙵𝙻𝚄𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝙰 𝙻𝚄𝚂𝚃 𝙵𝙰𝙸𝚁𝚈'𝚂 𝚂𝙿𝙴𝙻𝙻)
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🚒🚒🚒🚒/𝟱 (𝙱𝚁𝙴𝙰𝚃𝙷-𝙿𝙻𝙰𝚈 𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙺 - 𝚂𝙾 𝙵𝚄𝙲𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙷𝙾𝚃 𝙸'𝙼 𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙻𝙻 𝙾𝙽 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝙴)
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬: 💣💣💣/𝟱
★𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦: 🤐🤐🤐🤐½/5 (𝙼𝙰𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴 𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙶𝚄𝙰𝙶𝙴 - 𝙶𝚁𝙰𝙿𝙷𝙸𝙲 𝙳𝙴𝚂𝙲𝚁𝙸𝙿𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂 𝙾𝙵 𝚅𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴/𝚂𝙴𝚇))
★𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🌻🌻🌻🌻/𝟱
★𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🌹🌹🌹🌹/𝟱 (𝙼𝚈 𝙼𝚄𝚁𝙳𝙴𝚁𝙾𝚄𝚂 𝙱𝙰𝙱𝙸𝙴𝚂 <𝟹)
★𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗦𝗧 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: 💔💔½/𝟱
★𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗘: ❌
★𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘: 𝙵/𝙼
★𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗘𝗦-𝗧𝗢-𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦: 🖤🖤🖤½/𝟱
★𝗧𝗬𝗣𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚:
★𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗚: 🎶𝙻𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝙸𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙳𝙰𝚁𝙺 - 𝚃𝙾𝚅𝙴 𝙻𝙾🎶
▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
***I always try to be as objective as I can with my ratings for DARK THEMES & TRIGGER WARNINGS, SMUT TECHNICAL CONTENT/INTENSITY, SMUT QUANTITY, ROMANCE QUANTITY, ANGST LEVEL, ENEMIES-TO-LOVERSNESS; the ratings for CHARACTERS, WRITING, PLOT, SMUT QUALITY, ROMANCE QUALITY, are instead tied to my own subjective reading experience and final opinion of the book.
I loved this one soooooo much I don't even care it was short, tropey and full of smut.
Who am I kidding.
I'm actually pretty sure I loved this especially because it was short, tropey and full of smut.
Sometimes you gotta scratch a particular itch, and this book didn't just scratch it.
It scratched real good, too.
Father used to say the forest was magic, but I believed otherwise. In fact, I did not think the forest was enchanted at all. She was alive, just as real and sentient as the fae who lived within. It was the fae who were magic, and they were as evil as she was.
The perfect mixture between Holly Black's The Folk of Air and Rebecca F. Kenney Healer to the Ash King, Moutains Made of Glass was a perfect and dark fairytale, complete with all those elements I love in novels.
It wasn't only exquisitely written, with some of the best quotable lines I've ever found in a an adult romantasy book, it was also entertaining to the max and peppered with the most delicious art.
The setting of the Glass Muntains and the cursed forest was as eerie and atmospheric, as the apparition of many fantastical creature was spot on.
Plotwise speaking, it wasn't the masterpiece of the century but I had tons of fun with it and the retelling aspect was so incredibly well done. Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White and Beauty and the Beast are only a few of the fairytales this story was inspired by, and damn, were they properly employed.
If you're interested, * I'll add the author's personal list of fairytales and references she used as inspiration for this, at the bottom of this review.
“When you rescued your princess, what happened?”
The prince shrugged. “She was grateful.”
“And?”
“And?” he repeated, confused.
“What else happened?”
“We returned to her kingdom where her father declared that we would wed,” he said. Then he asked, “Did you rescue your princess?”
“I did,” I said.
“And what happened?”
“I fucked her in the woods all night long.”
St. Clair speaks to my aching heart with her idea of what makes a morally questionable character as gray as they can be. Prince Casamir was so damn gray, so freaking sexy, so deliciously ruthless.
Can you tell I'm in love?
I liked Gesela as well, even if she was a little annoying and way too naive , with her rushed decisions in the beginning, especially for a person as smart as she was described to be.
The romance was chef's kiss. The dual pov and enemies-to-lovers trope gave me a perpetual stomach tingle, and the smut was so so so so good.
"Choke me", FMC said at some point, and there I was, flying to the moon with heart palpitations and squeezed tighs.
I met his gaze.
“You were made for this,” I said.
He smiled and asked, “Made for what, sweet creature?”
Pleasure, I wanted to say. Sex.
But instead, I answered, “Heartbreak.”
The ending was simply perfect.
I can see myself reading this again and again in the future.
I'm gonna go read Scarlett St. Clair's entire backlist now, and pray this wasn't just a one-time thing.
*
-Andersen, Hans Christian. Best-Loved Fairy Tales.
-Carruthers, Amelia. Snow White and Other Examples of Jealousy Unrewarded. Cookhill, Alcester, Warwickshire-
-Grimm, Jacob, and Wilhelm Grimm. The Complete Grimms’ Fairy Tales.
-Grimm, Jacob, and Wilhelm Grimm. The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm.
-A Treasury of Irish Fairy and Folk Tales.
May 3, 2025
this is the most fever dream of a book i have ever read. what the actual hell
April 23, 2023
Warning: mild spoilers ahead
You lost me when the main character, Gesela, popped into a fae prince's home who was kind of kidnapping her but wait, he's also sexy and is aroused by a random stranger popping up out of nowhere and Gesela is scared but also horny and I'm confused as to how it suddenly became a smut but also disturbingly similar to s*xual assault? It defies all logic and I simply cannot read anymore.
I recommend this book to people who like sexy scenes and don't mind if it doesn't really make any sense.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Side note: I really started struggling whenever Gesela was trying to save the frog but then in a fit of high emotions (?) ended up murdering it instead. Like huh
You lost me when the main character, Gesela, popped into a fae prince's home who was kind of kidnapping her but wait, he's also sexy and is aroused by a random stranger popping up out of nowhere and Gesela is scared but also horny and I'm confused as to how it suddenly became a smut but also disturbingly similar to s*xual assault? It defies all logic and I simply cannot read anymore.
I recommend this book to people who like sexy scenes and don't mind if it doesn't really make any sense.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Side note: I really started struggling whenever Gesela was trying to save the frog but then in a fit of high emotions (?) ended up murdering it instead. Like huh
October 23, 2025
“She makes me feel like it won’t matter if I have a name or not. So long as I know her, I will know myself.”
So this book is like fresh off the press right? And I impulse read it when I saw FAE, MAGIC, RETELLING, and SHORT. Everything I’d like. Firstly, I always love the vibes and world with anything fae. I’ll eat that shiii up. It started off great: murder, fairytale zhuzh, attractive brothers showing up at the foot of your bed to deliver you to the even more attractive “beast” brother, a curse. But even for a short book, everything felt super rushed to me. The spice had me lost🧍♀️... The hate lust was real😍. Logic? We don’t know her. The characters were so unserious. Touch some grass. And if someone called me “creature” every other sentence, that would be my final straw. This emoji 😀 was me
I feel this had a lot of potential for a full length book. I just didn’t get enough time to connect. The last 30% got better, I liked the ending. And the land seemed so beautiful🤭. Overall a fun experience?😂 I did laugh a lot🤠. 2.5 stars⭐️
“You are beautiful.”
“You are getting very good at giving that compliment.”
“It is easy to say when it is the truth.”
“When you asked what I wanted most. I want you. I know myself when I am with you.”
So this book is like fresh off the press right? And I impulse read it when I saw FAE, MAGIC, RETELLING, and SHORT. Everything I’d like. Firstly, I always love the vibes and world with anything fae. I’ll eat that shiii up. It started off great: murder, fairytale zhuzh, attractive brothers showing up at the foot of your bed to deliver you to the even more attractive “beast” brother, a curse. But even for a short book, everything felt super rushed to me. The spice had me lost🧍♀️... The hate lust was real😍. Logic? We don’t know her. The characters were so unserious. Touch some grass. And if someone called me “creature” every other sentence, that would be my final straw. This emoji 😀 was me
I feel this had a lot of potential for a full length book. I just didn’t get enough time to connect. The last 30% got better, I liked the ending. And the land seemed so beautiful🤭. Overall a fun experience?😂 I did laugh a lot🤠. 2.5 stars⭐️
“You are beautiful.”
“You are getting very good at giving that compliment.”
“It is easy to say when it is the truth.”
“When you asked what I wanted most. I want you. I know myself when I am with you.”
March 22, 2023
post-read review:
arc copy provided in exchange for an honest review. this in no way changes my rating or review.
hmm not sure how to feel about this one!!
on one hand it had less insta-love than i had feared, given the premise of the book was for our MC to fall in love with someone within a week, so i really appreciated that. instead, there was some intense enemies-to-lovers vibes, followed by some fun hate-fucking, and just a sprinkling of lovey-dovey behaviour. it was honestly very impressive how little insta-love there was!
on the other hand, i wasn't sure how to feel about either character. maybe it's because the book was so short, but i just couldn't get attached to anyone. the MC was reasonably badass but also a little stupid, like i did spend a bit more time than i would've liked screaming at her... but hey, not everyone can be einstein. and at least i really liked a couple side characters, i honestly wish we got more of Wolf, Naeve and Mirror!
i also really enjoyed the different mythologies and fairytale creatures and traditional storylines woven into one short book, it was very impressive and quite interesting to read about!
there was some iffy stockholm syndrome kidnapping type vibes... but hey that's beauty and the beast for you, i knew what i was getting into. all things considered, this wasn't too bad, and it at least kept me entertained for a couple days :).
thank you so much to the author, publisher and netgalley for the arc copy provided!
~~~
pre-read review: JUST GOT ACCEPTED FOR THIS ARC 🎉🎉
admittedly the book has already been released... but ah well, i'm still super excited to read this one!!! i've heard lots about the author :))
arc copy provided in exchange for an honest review. this in no way changes my rating or review.
hmm not sure how to feel about this one!!
on one hand it had less insta-love than i had feared, given the premise of the book was for our MC to fall in love with someone within a week, so i really appreciated that. instead, there was some intense enemies-to-lovers vibes, followed by some fun hate-fucking, and just a sprinkling of lovey-dovey behaviour. it was honestly very impressive how little insta-love there was!
on the other hand, i wasn't sure how to feel about either character. maybe it's because the book was so short, but i just couldn't get attached to anyone. the MC was reasonably badass but also a little stupid, like i did spend a bit more time than i would've liked screaming at her... but hey, not everyone can be einstein. and at least i really liked a couple side characters, i honestly wish we got more of Wolf, Naeve and Mirror!
i also really enjoyed the different mythologies and fairytale creatures and traditional storylines woven into one short book, it was very impressive and quite interesting to read about!
there was some iffy stockholm syndrome kidnapping type vibes... but hey that's beauty and the beast for you, i knew what i was getting into. all things considered, this wasn't too bad, and it at least kept me entertained for a couple days :).
thank you so much to the author, publisher and netgalley for the arc copy provided!
~~~
pre-read review: JUST GOT ACCEPTED FOR THIS ARC 🎉🎉
admittedly the book has already been released... but ah well, i'm still super excited to read this one!!! i've heard lots about the author :))
February 14, 2024
¡PURA FANTASÍA OSCURA🔥!
🌸Sí sí, tal y como lo oyes!
🌸Es más, si te gustan los cuentos clásicos y los héroes grises, pero muy grises, está historia te va a fascinar. Y es que es oscura, peligrosa, sensual, ardiente y, ojito, porque tiene un punto "dark" que hace que no puedas dejar de leerla😍
🌸Es más, nunca sabrás qué va a pasar a continuación!!
🌸Porque lo que ocurre en este retelling de La Bella y la Bestia, repleto de magia y maldiciones, de encantamientos y muertes, es una versión mejorada de muchos cuentos clásicos, en un claro homenaje a los hermanos Grimm y a Hans Christian Andersen.
🌸Y, espera, porque si además de los ademases, te encantan los faes..., bueno, es fácil adivinar lo que te voy a decir a continuación, ¿verdad?
🌸Exacto!
🌸Aquí hay unos faes de esos de, agüita, qué calores me han dado de repente!🌶️🔥
🌸Y, no nos olvidemos de nuestra heroína, una mujer fuerte, segura de sí misma y luchadora...
🌸¿El resto de la historia? Bueno, eso voy a dejar que lo descubras tú!
UN RETELLING DE LA BELLA Y LA BESTIA TERRIBLEMENTE OSCURO Y SENSUAL, QUE TE HARÁ VIBRAR DE PLACER!
🌸Sí sí, tal y como lo oyes!
🌸Es más, si te gustan los cuentos clásicos y los héroes grises, pero muy grises, está historia te va a fascinar. Y es que es oscura, peligrosa, sensual, ardiente y, ojito, porque tiene un punto "dark" que hace que no puedas dejar de leerla😍
🌸Es más, nunca sabrás qué va a pasar a continuación!!
🌸Porque lo que ocurre en este retelling de La Bella y la Bestia, repleto de magia y maldiciones, de encantamientos y muertes, es una versión mejorada de muchos cuentos clásicos, en un claro homenaje a los hermanos Grimm y a Hans Christian Andersen.
🌸Y, espera, porque si además de los ademases, te encantan los faes..., bueno, es fácil adivinar lo que te voy a decir a continuación, ¿verdad?
🌸Exacto!
🌸Aquí hay unos faes de esos de, agüita, qué calores me han dado de repente!🌶️🔥
🌸Y, no nos olvidemos de nuestra heroína, una mujer fuerte, segura de sí misma y luchadora...
🌸¿El resto de la historia? Bueno, eso voy a dejar que lo descubras tú!
UN RETELLING DE LA BELLA Y LA BESTIA TERRIBLEMENTE OSCURO Y SENSUAL, QUE TE HARÁ VIBRAR DE PLACER!
April 30, 2023
7/10
I have very different feelings about this, I mean... this was ok, even good in some ways, alas not close in another, and took me too long to read too short.
Beauty and the Beast PLUS Grimms' Tales PLUS some kind of Alice in Wonderland, but don't count on it much PLUS typical Clair Dark Erotica.
Casamir, the prince of Thorn, a beautiful and magnificent fae alas has been cursed by the Glass Mountains. When Gesela accidentally also brutally killed one of the seven brothers, the other five send her to the cursed brother to may break it by learning the real Casamir’s name.
“There is always a curse, always a choice,”
The beast’s realm, I mean Casamir’s realm, The Kingdom of Thorn is quite a thing, with hot Selkie, goblins who love blood, fairies here and there, Wolf the raven, and Enchanted forest.
Gesela hates his jailor but this wouldn't stop her from wanting to fuck him, what was that, ah... passion and pleasure in hate!
Give it a chance if you enjoy enemy-to-lover, duel POV, short and harsh stories. I'll probably read the second book, this world and the Brothers have potential, but I really hope the next be more engaging.
Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books via NetGalley for giving me a chance to read the first book of Fairy Tale Retelling, Mountains Made of Glass by Scarlett St. Clair, my review is honest and my own.
Hades Saga Series 2 Books Collection Set By Scarlett St. Clair 9.25/10
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have very different feelings about this, I mean... this was ok, even good in some ways, alas not close in another, and took me too long to read too short.
Beauty and the Beast PLUS Grimms' Tales PLUS some kind of Alice in Wonderland, but don't count on it much PLUS typical Clair Dark Erotica.
Casamir, the prince of Thorn, a beautiful and magnificent fae alas has been cursed by the Glass Mountains. When Gesela accidentally also brutally killed one of the seven brothers, the other five send her to the cursed brother to may break it by learning the real Casamir’s name.
“There is always a curse, always a choice,”
The beast’s realm, I mean Casamir’s realm, The Kingdom of Thorn is quite a thing, with hot Selkie, goblins who love blood, fairies here and there, Wolf the raven, and Enchanted forest.
Gesela hates his jailor but this wouldn't stop her from wanting to fuck him, what was that, ah... passion and pleasure in hate!
Give it a chance if you enjoy enemy-to-lover, duel POV, short and harsh stories. I'll probably read the second book, this world and the Brothers have potential, but I really hope the next be more engaging.
Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books via NetGalley for giving me a chance to read the first book of Fairy Tale Retelling, Mountains Made of Glass by Scarlett St. Clair, my review is honest and my own.
Hades Saga Series 2 Books Collection Set By Scarlett St. Clair 9.25/10
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
January 10, 2024
"He is looking at his creature" Uhmm yeahh...how romantic...
This is a two POV book, told by the POV´s of Casamir and Gesela. But both POV´s are written in third person and there is no chapter headline to which chapter is who´s, so it does get confusing.
I didn´t really like both of them. I think Gesela was supposed to be all fierce and resourceful, instead she comes off as whiney and being a push over. Casamir is quite frankly a total ass. Not one of those grumpy ones that are soft for her; like a complete asshole, even to her.
There aren´t really any side character that I felt like are worth mentioning here. The ones that are in this are quite forgetable.
Plotwise this is a mash up of different fairytales. Mainly german ones, which is why I thought I might like it. I guess the main "string" comes from Beauty and the Beast with her being prisoner at his Castle and him being called a beast. Then he has a magic mirror that talks to him (Snow White) and she needs to find out his true name in seven days (Rumpelstiltskin) while also falling in love with him to lift his curse (Beauty and the Beast). There are also references of the Glass Mountains (The Seven Ravens), Fairyland (Irish fairytales) and Fauns (roman mythology). I would also argue that the research is a bit lacking (She describes Fauns as being from greek mythology but that would be Satyrs. Fauns are roman.), which I think you can expect from an author as big as St.Clair to be done well. As you can tell, the plot is quite confusing.... I didn´t really like the romance either, due to both of them being total asses and him being so damn unromantic. He calls her "sweet creature", like no thanks.
Overall this wasn´t the most joyous read and I am glad to now leave it behind.
This is a two POV book, told by the POV´s of Casamir and Gesela. But both POV´s are written in third person and there is no chapter headline to which chapter is who´s, so it does get confusing.
I didn´t really like both of them. I think Gesela was supposed to be all fierce and resourceful, instead she comes off as whiney and being a push over. Casamir is quite frankly a total ass. Not one of those grumpy ones that are soft for her; like a complete asshole, even to her.
There aren´t really any side character that I felt like are worth mentioning here. The ones that are in this are quite forgetable.
Plotwise this is a mash up of different fairytales. Mainly german ones, which is why I thought I might like it. I guess the main "string" comes from Beauty and the Beast with her being prisoner at his Castle and him being called a beast. Then he has a magic mirror that talks to him (Snow White) and she needs to find out his true name in seven days (Rumpelstiltskin) while also falling in love with him to lift his curse (Beauty and the Beast). There are also references of the Glass Mountains (The Seven Ravens), Fairyland (Irish fairytales) and Fauns (roman mythology). I would also argue that the research is a bit lacking (She describes Fauns as being from greek mythology but that would be Satyrs. Fauns are roman.), which I think you can expect from an author as big as St.Clair to be done well. As you can tell, the plot is quite confusing.... I didn´t really like the romance either, due to both of them being total asses and him being so damn unromantic. He calls her "sweet creature", like no thanks.
Overall this wasn´t the most joyous read and I am glad to now leave it behind.
March 20, 2024
A tree died for this.
This is a smut book. I absolutely despise smut books. When I spend my time reading a book, I want it to be time well spend, on a decent story, with a decent plot, with decent characters and with actual decent world building. I'm so angry because I felt very decived by this book. The cover is beutiful and so is are the illustrations inside. It even has a whole entire map at the front of it. But why pay the expense of letting someone draw out a map for you when you are never going to discuss any of the places in your actual story?! Trigger warnings are so popular nowadays. Why not have some trigger warnings at the beginning of smut books? I've never seen any, and because of this, I've already read three of these types of books by accident.
As for the actual story, there is just not much to say. We go directly into the main character longing for this random man's d*ck and that's it. Like, how is this even a thing? Stop it, please! The cringe of this man calling the love interest "his creature" triggered my gag reflex. Period.
I'm also frustrated because the author really seems to know alot about fairy tales and their origin, their hidden meanings and the use of symbolism. Why not use this knowledge to create an actual decently written story? Instead, we are given a story that just feels like a low effort cash grab. I can't take work like this seriously for the life of me. How can things like this even be published? Books should feel like they are someone's life work. They should feel like a dedication, a dream come true, a result of hard labour. This feels like it was just written in one day.
Very upset by this.
This is a smut book. I absolutely despise smut books. When I spend my time reading a book, I want it to be time well spend, on a decent story, with a decent plot, with decent characters and with actual decent world building. I'm so angry because I felt very decived by this book. The cover is beutiful and so is are the illustrations inside. It even has a whole entire map at the front of it. But why pay the expense of letting someone draw out a map for you when you are never going to discuss any of the places in your actual story?! Trigger warnings are so popular nowadays. Why not have some trigger warnings at the beginning of smut books? I've never seen any, and because of this, I've already read three of these types of books by accident.
As for the actual story, there is just not much to say. We go directly into the main character longing for this random man's d*ck and that's it. Like, how is this even a thing? Stop it, please! The cringe of this man calling the love interest "his creature" triggered my gag reflex. Period.
I'm also frustrated because the author really seems to know alot about fairy tales and their origin, their hidden meanings and the use of symbolism. Why not use this knowledge to create an actual decently written story? Instead, we are given a story that just feels like a low effort cash grab. I can't take work like this seriously for the life of me. How can things like this even be published? Books should feel like they are someone's life work. They should feel like a dedication, a dream come true, a result of hard labour. This feels like it was just written in one day.
Very upset by this.
May 24, 2024
take a bath in front of me or i’m gonna throw rocks at you babygirl
April 5, 2024
❝—Vuelve a llamarme bestia —me dijo con los labios rozando los míos— y te demostraré por qué me pusieron ese nombre.
No podía evitarlo. Su amenaza me provocaba y poco a poco dibujé una sonrisa.
—Bestia —susurré.❞
Un retelling dark y super spicy del cuento de La Bella y la Bestia con elementos y referencias de los cuentos de los hermanos Grimm y de Hans Christian Andersen, que sin duda vale la pena leer ♡
La única razón de que no le de más estrellitas de calificación es porque es muy predecible, sin el mayor esfuerzo ya sabes cómo van a terminar ciertas situaciones y escenas, además que algunas otras ocurrían tan rápido que no te daba tiempo ni de disfrutarlas, pero al final creo que si es una historia con potencial... y como dijo la autora, está es la historia de sólo uno de los elfos, faltan las historias de los demás hermanos!!
No podía evitarlo. Su amenaza me provocaba y poco a poco dibujé una sonrisa.
—Bestia —susurré.❞
Un retelling dark y super spicy del cuento de La Bella y la Bestia con elementos y referencias de los cuentos de los hermanos Grimm y de Hans Christian Andersen, que sin duda vale la pena leer ♡
La única razón de que no le de más estrellitas de calificación es porque es muy predecible, sin el mayor esfuerzo ya sabes cómo van a terminar ciertas situaciones y escenas, además que algunas otras ocurrían tan rápido que no te daba tiempo ni de disfrutarlas, pero al final creo que si es una historia con potencial... y como dijo la autora, está es la historia de sólo uno de los elfos, faltan las historias de los demás hermanos!!
February 25, 2024
Un claro ejemplo del "menos es más".
Una historia simple, concisa y que sorprende según pasan sus páginas. La trama tiene muchos guiños a retelllings y aunque el principio apunta maneras a una historia infantil... todo cambia y rápidamente coge un ritmo sensual y bastante picante.
Me quedo con muchísimas ganas de conocer las historias de los otros seis hermanos.
Una historia simple, concisa y que sorprende según pasan sus páginas. La trama tiene muchos guiños a retelllings y aunque el principio apunta maneras a una historia infantil... todo cambia y rápidamente coge un ritmo sensual y bastante picante.
Me quedo con muchísimas ganas de conocer las historias de los otros seis hermanos.
June 29, 2023
wow that was Not Good
February 24, 2024
3'5🌟 "Montañas de cristal" es la primera entrega de la saga Fairy Tale Retelling. Es una novela corta muy bien hilada que se lee un suspiro, tiene un toque oscuro y una ambientación que te envuelve con su aura mágica ⛰️🐸👑🪞🌶️❤️🔥
Este libro pertenece a una saga, supongo que serán siete libros en total por cada uno de los príncipes elfos 👑
Está narrado por ambos protagonistas y los capítulos son cortos. El ritmo de lectura es ligero y adictivo, es una novela que cuenta con bastantes escenas de acción y tiene un toque de intriga que atrapa. La pluma de la autora es ligera y directa⛰️
Este romance es puro fuego, entre los protagonistas existe una química brutal y se nota en cada momento que comparten🌶️
El mundo que ha creado la autora es una maravilla, está repleto de descripciones que nos permiten imaginarnos a la perfección cada uno de los lugares y a sus personajes, ya que tenemos difere criaturas mágicas. Es un libro que incluye maldiciones y tradiciones inspiradas en cuentos tradicionales📚
En referente a los personajes, la historia se centra en los protagonistas aunque tienen un papel fundamental el espejo, cierto príncipe y una hada. Los diálogos que hay entre el protagonista y varios de ellos os van a sacar más de una carcajada🪞
Mención especial al mapa y las ilustraciones que nos vamos encontrando a lo largo de la historia, son una pasada😍
Ha sido una lectura que he disfrutado, ya había leído con anterioridad a la autora. El desarrollo de la historia me ha gustado y todas las criaturas mágicas que aparecen también, me he quedado con ganas de saber un poco más sobre la magia pero creo que en los siguientes libros la autora nos irá dando ciertos detalles. Un personaje que me ha parecido muy original por su forma de ser es el espejo, me he reído muchísimo con él. Si os apetece leer una novela de fantasía oscura con un romance muy spicy con referencia a los cuentos de hadas, tenéis que leer este libro!
Reseña completa: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3gGkqAIf...
Este libro pertenece a una saga, supongo que serán siete libros en total por cada uno de los príncipes elfos 👑
Está narrado por ambos protagonistas y los capítulos son cortos. El ritmo de lectura es ligero y adictivo, es una novela que cuenta con bastantes escenas de acción y tiene un toque de intriga que atrapa. La pluma de la autora es ligera y directa⛰️
Este romance es puro fuego, entre los protagonistas existe una química brutal y se nota en cada momento que comparten🌶️
El mundo que ha creado la autora es una maravilla, está repleto de descripciones que nos permiten imaginarnos a la perfección cada uno de los lugares y a sus personajes, ya que tenemos difere criaturas mágicas. Es un libro que incluye maldiciones y tradiciones inspiradas en cuentos tradicionales📚
En referente a los personajes, la historia se centra en los protagonistas aunque tienen un papel fundamental el espejo, cierto príncipe y una hada. Los diálogos que hay entre el protagonista y varios de ellos os van a sacar más de una carcajada🪞
Mención especial al mapa y las ilustraciones que nos vamos encontrando a lo largo de la historia, son una pasada😍
Ha sido una lectura que he disfrutado, ya había leído con anterioridad a la autora. El desarrollo de la historia me ha gustado y todas las criaturas mágicas que aparecen también, me he quedado con ganas de saber un poco más sobre la magia pero creo que en los siguientes libros la autora nos irá dando ciertos detalles. Un personaje que me ha parecido muy original por su forma de ser es el espejo, me he reído muchísimo con él. Si os apetece leer una novela de fantasía oscura con un romance muy spicy con referencia a los cuentos de hadas, tenéis que leer este libro!
Reseña completa: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3gGkqAIf...
March 18, 2023
I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review.
A fairytale retelling... and some spice??? Well... I had to ask for this book on Netgalley and damn I was happy I got it!!! I loved it so much!!! The characters are so stubborn (just how I love them) and the mix of many different fairytales makes the story so exciting! I definitely recommend this book if you like fantasy, fairytales, spicy romance and enemies to lovers trope!
A fairytale retelling... and some spice??? Well... I had to ask for this book on Netgalley and damn I was happy I got it!!! I loved it so much!!! The characters are so stubborn (just how I love them) and the mix of many different fairytales makes the story so exciting! I definitely recommend this book if you like fantasy, fairytales, spicy romance and enemies to lovers trope!
July 14, 2024
Do I care that this is all sex? Absolutely not.
None of us are reading this for the plot.
None of us are reading this for the plot.
September 4, 2023
4/5 🌟
3/5 🌶️
Could you love me?" he whispered. The question stole my breath and burned my lungs in the silence that followed.
I wanted to answer, to whisper yes into the space between us, but I was afraid.
⚠️⛔️TRIGGERS⛔️⚠️
BDSM
Autoerotic Asphyxiation
Restraints
Nudity
Graphic language
Sexual Intercourse
Blood
Murder
Graphic descriptions
Forced Proximity
Fellatio
Cruelty
That being said, I’d like to share some info about the controversial sexual situations in this book courtesy of: Sourcebooks Bloom Books 2023
On the one hand, this is a mash-up of fairytale retellings and a very hot romance, with explicit details. But to my mind, and more importantly, it is a stereotypical story from pre-Me-Too days of the appeal of the rapey bad boy.
Typically such plots involve a Byronic hero who is powerful and attractive, yet flawed in ways most notably exemplified in the life and writings of Lord Byron. This hero (often a vampire, but an Elven Lord works as well) is moody, dark, cynical, independent, masterful, and has a mysterious past that not only gives him much pain but has made “love” almost impossible for him. But he is also absolutely magnetic and sexually irresistible. He can be cruel, too, but who can blame him, given all the grief festering inside him? Not we readers, surely!
Furthermore, we know that only a very extraordinary woman [such as each of us secretly is] can get this guy to open up to her and let himself feel love. [The fact that the young woman is usually surly and obnoxious but beautiful adds to her appeal for the Bad Boy.]
This woman has the potential to pull such a hero out of the abyss in which he passes his days and long nights, falling in love with him in spite of his stern demeanor, dark past, and sexual abuse. The reward? She is needed by him, more than she has ever been needed by anyone. And she thereby is “someone.”
Look at what this fantasy says about the women who find it appealing:
1. We may want agency and importance, but these desires pale besides the attractiveness of enticing otherwise recalcitrant men and then wallowing in sexual submission to their uncontrollable desires;
2. Besides, then we not only realize the triumph of having broken through the man’s supposedly impenetrable barriers, but we also have power conferred upon us by being his woman (and the one who finally conquered him!);
3. We find his sexual violation, especially if it involves “ravishment,” erotic and irresistable rather than traumatic and horrific (adding to and reflecting the cultural acceptance of the rape defense of “Hey, don’t blame me! She wanted it!”);
4. Only we can provide redemption for this tortured man.
Gesela is not the weak, fainting sort, and yet clearly there is in this book the association of sexual arousal with her subordination. At one point, we have the somewhat startling passage:
“As much as I hated to surrender to this creature, lying beneath him right now, it only seemed right. ‘Choke me,’ I said. He did not need encouragement. . . I thought I might die from the rush of pleasure that blossomed throughout my body, only growing in intensity as he continued to press on either side of my neck.”
After this fiery encounter, Gesela asks (or rather, “moans”) “What kind of magic is this?” “This is not magic,” he responds, “This is need.” She thinks, “If this was need, I had never known it before, but I was certain I could not live without it . . . .”
Gesela understood Casamir was “demanding my complete submission. I was ready for it.”
There is a long history of men promulgating male privilege and sexual dominance, but this book was written by a woman. That isn’t a mystery; androcentric media has affected women on both conscious and subconscious levels, influencing what they have grown to believe is romantic and/or erotic, and what they define as “success” in life. Thus male domination is a turn-on for *both* men and women. [The dynamic is aided by women wearing sheer, revealing clothing (featured aplenty in this book) and assuming physical positions of submission.] Men can’t resist these women (no matter how surly), and other women want to emulate them. Being “hot” is equated with success and self-esteem, just as Gesela feels being ravished by Casamir makes her “someone.”
BOOK BLURB:
All Gesela's life, her home village of Elk has been cursed. And it isn't a single curse—it is one after another, each to be broken by a villager, each with devastating consequences. When Elk's well goes dry, it is Gesela's turn to save her town by killing the toad that lives at the bottom. Except…the toad is not a toad at all. He is an Elven prince under a curse of his own, and upon his death, his brothers come for Gesela, seeking retribution.
As punishment, the princes banish Gesela to live with their seventh brother, the one they call the beast. Gesela expects to be the prisoner of a hideous monster, but the beast turns out to be exquisitely beautiful, and rather than lock her in a cell, he offers Gesela a deal. If she can guess his true name in seven days, she can go free.
Gesela agrees, but there is a hidden catch—she must speak his name with love in order to free him, too.
But can either of them learn to love in time?
MY THOUGHTS:
This book is best described as a dark fairy tell fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast but with Fae. The book starts off with Gesela killing a frog rather than kissing it. Only the frog is actually one of 7 Fae princes. Five of the Fae princes send her to be a prisoner with the other brother, also one of the remaining Fae princes that is just a grumpy, unloving, snake of a man. But Gesela is not exactly Miss Congeniality. The two have much in common and perhaps they can help each other be better Fae and learn to love. The angst in this enemies to lovers romance is thick with tension. They’re attracted to each other in a physical way but also hate each other with as much passion. You know what they say, ”There’s a thin line between love and hate”
3/5 🌶️
Could you love me?" he whispered. The question stole my breath and burned my lungs in the silence that followed.
I wanted to answer, to whisper yes into the space between us, but I was afraid.
⚠️⛔️TRIGGERS⛔️⚠️
BDSM
Autoerotic Asphyxiation
Restraints
Nudity
Graphic language
Sexual Intercourse
Blood
Murder
Graphic descriptions
Forced Proximity
Fellatio
Cruelty
That being said, I’d like to share some info about the controversial sexual situations in this book courtesy of: Sourcebooks Bloom Books 2023
On the one hand, this is a mash-up of fairytale retellings and a very hot romance, with explicit details. But to my mind, and more importantly, it is a stereotypical story from pre-Me-Too days of the appeal of the rapey bad boy.
Typically such plots involve a Byronic hero who is powerful and attractive, yet flawed in ways most notably exemplified in the life and writings of Lord Byron. This hero (often a vampire, but an Elven Lord works as well) is moody, dark, cynical, independent, masterful, and has a mysterious past that not only gives him much pain but has made “love” almost impossible for him. But he is also absolutely magnetic and sexually irresistible. He can be cruel, too, but who can blame him, given all the grief festering inside him? Not we readers, surely!
Furthermore, we know that only a very extraordinary woman [such as each of us secretly is] can get this guy to open up to her and let himself feel love. [The fact that the young woman is usually surly and obnoxious but beautiful adds to her appeal for the Bad Boy.]
This woman has the potential to pull such a hero out of the abyss in which he passes his days and long nights, falling in love with him in spite of his stern demeanor, dark past, and sexual abuse. The reward? She is needed by him, more than she has ever been needed by anyone. And she thereby is “someone.”
Look at what this fantasy says about the women who find it appealing:
1. We may want agency and importance, but these desires pale besides the attractiveness of enticing otherwise recalcitrant men and then wallowing in sexual submission to their uncontrollable desires;
2. Besides, then we not only realize the triumph of having broken through the man’s supposedly impenetrable barriers, but we also have power conferred upon us by being his woman (and the one who finally conquered him!);
3. We find his sexual violation, especially if it involves “ravishment,” erotic and irresistable rather than traumatic and horrific (adding to and reflecting the cultural acceptance of the rape defense of “Hey, don’t blame me! She wanted it!”);
4. Only we can provide redemption for this tortured man.
Gesela is not the weak, fainting sort, and yet clearly there is in this book the association of sexual arousal with her subordination. At one point, we have the somewhat startling passage:
“As much as I hated to surrender to this creature, lying beneath him right now, it only seemed right. ‘Choke me,’ I said. He did not need encouragement. . . I thought I might die from the rush of pleasure that blossomed throughout my body, only growing in intensity as he continued to press on either side of my neck.”
After this fiery encounter, Gesela asks (or rather, “moans”) “What kind of magic is this?” “This is not magic,” he responds, “This is need.” She thinks, “If this was need, I had never known it before, but I was certain I could not live without it . . . .”
Gesela understood Casamir was “demanding my complete submission. I was ready for it.”
There is a long history of men promulgating male privilege and sexual dominance, but this book was written by a woman. That isn’t a mystery; androcentric media has affected women on both conscious and subconscious levels, influencing what they have grown to believe is romantic and/or erotic, and what they define as “success” in life. Thus male domination is a turn-on for *both* men and women. [The dynamic is aided by women wearing sheer, revealing clothing (featured aplenty in this book) and assuming physical positions of submission.] Men can’t resist these women (no matter how surly), and other women want to emulate them. Being “hot” is equated with success and self-esteem, just as Gesela feels being ravished by Casamir makes her “someone.”
BOOK BLURB:
All Gesela's life, her home village of Elk has been cursed. And it isn't a single curse—it is one after another, each to be broken by a villager, each with devastating consequences. When Elk's well goes dry, it is Gesela's turn to save her town by killing the toad that lives at the bottom. Except…the toad is not a toad at all. He is an Elven prince under a curse of his own, and upon his death, his brothers come for Gesela, seeking retribution.
As punishment, the princes banish Gesela to live with their seventh brother, the one they call the beast. Gesela expects to be the prisoner of a hideous monster, but the beast turns out to be exquisitely beautiful, and rather than lock her in a cell, he offers Gesela a deal. If she can guess his true name in seven days, she can go free.
Gesela agrees, but there is a hidden catch—she must speak his name with love in order to free him, too.
But can either of them learn to love in time?
MY THOUGHTS:
This book is best described as a dark fairy tell fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast but with Fae. The book starts off with Gesela killing a frog rather than kissing it. Only the frog is actually one of 7 Fae princes. Five of the Fae princes send her to be a prisoner with the other brother, also one of the remaining Fae princes that is just a grumpy, unloving, snake of a man. But Gesela is not exactly Miss Congeniality. The two have much in common and perhaps they can help each other be better Fae and learn to love. The angst in this enemies to lovers romance is thick with tension. They’re attracted to each other in a physical way but also hate each other with as much passion. You know what they say, ”There’s a thin line between love and hate”
December 5, 2025
"—Ven cuando te llame, dulce criatura —le dije—. O vendré a por ti." 😍❤️🔥
Honestamente, al inicio, cuando empecé a leerlo, me pareció muy denso y muy rápido. La autora te lanza a un mundo de golpe y cuesta un poco ubicarse. Estaba dudando si seguir o no, pero, a partir del capítulo 7 más o menos, ¡no pude parar de leerlo! ¡me encantó muchísimo! Es como si la historia hiciera clic y, de repente, todo el ritmo y la tensión se disparan.
La premisa me enganchó por completo: Gesela debe matar a una criatura en el fondo de un pozo para salvar a su pueblo, solo para encontrar que esta criatura era uno de los hermanos del príncipe élfico maldito. El giro a un romance dark fantasy es espectacular. Amo cómo la autora teje esa tensión constante entre el miedo y la atracción, esa sensación de que el protagonista te va a besar o te va a destrozar.
La química entre Gesela y Casamir es explosiva. El mundo de las hadas es oscuro, peligroso y seductor, y te mantiene en vilo con la cuenta atrás para que ella rompa la maldición.
Me pareció muy interesante además por el hecho de tener tantas referencias a los cuentos de hadas tradicionales, pero convertidos en una retorcida nube oscura. 😍🖤
Honestamente, al inicio, cuando empecé a leerlo, me pareció muy denso y muy rápido. La autora te lanza a un mundo de golpe y cuesta un poco ubicarse. Estaba dudando si seguir o no, pero, a partir del capítulo 7 más o menos, ¡no pude parar de leerlo! ¡me encantó muchísimo! Es como si la historia hiciera clic y, de repente, todo el ritmo y la tensión se disparan.
La premisa me enganchó por completo: Gesela debe matar a una criatura en el fondo de un pozo para salvar a su pueblo, solo para encontrar que esta criatura era uno de los hermanos del príncipe élfico maldito. El giro a un romance dark fantasy es espectacular. Amo cómo la autora teje esa tensión constante entre el miedo y la atracción, esa sensación de que el protagonista te va a besar o te va a destrozar.
La química entre Gesela y Casamir es explosiva. El mundo de las hadas es oscuro, peligroso y seductor, y te mantiene en vilo con la cuenta atrás para que ella rompa la maldición.
Me pareció muy interesante además por el hecho de tener tantas referencias a los cuentos de hadas tradicionales, pero convertidos en una retorcida nube oscura. 😍🖤
May 5, 2025
This was good for what i wanted out of it
Some things to expect inside:
~ First person
~ Dual POV
~ Touch her and ☠️
~ Beauty and the Beast retelling
~ 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 spice rating
This was just a fun spicy time to get me back into the swing of things. The characters were fine, the plot was fine, the world building was also fine. There really isn't anything spectacular about it, but for what I wanted it to do, it was great.
Some things to expect inside:
~ First person
~ Dual POV
~ Touch her and ☠️
~ Beauty and the Beast retelling
~ 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 spice rating
This was just a fun spicy time to get me back into the swing of things. The characters were fine, the plot was fine, the world building was also fine. There really isn't anything spectacular about it, but for what I wanted it to do, it was great.
October 19, 2024
The retelling of Mountains Made of Glass is certainly interesting. It is combination of many things. I like it. Snow White, Beauty and the Beast come to my mind. Miss St Clair certainly putting very much fanfare to her story and her characters.
4 stars
4 stars
May 11, 2023
First of all, that cover? So freaking beautiful.
Second of all, this author can really make a unique and fantastic retelling of anything. The richness of the lores (some borrowed and some she comes up with herself) is the most compelling part of the book.
Third, I love all the side characters in this book. They came with their own interesting backstories, with their own agendas and it made the book feels so colourful.
With that said, you might be wondering why I didn't give the book a higher rating. My problems lie with the romance and the heroine. This book probably spans around a week and in that week, she fell in love with him and he was less than that. Me? I couldn't feel anything between them except for some sexual tension. Hell, I don't think they even talk that much with each other. He gave his condition to escape his clutch, and she went on a journey to do so, and it didn't even matter in the end. He basically half-told the answer and *they fell in love* boohoo. What could've saved this was probably more time passing, longer pages, and a better way for her to find out his name. I mean, if she was really determined, she could've found out his name soonerby sucking his dick seven times in a row.
Also, the heroine? Don't like her. Couldn't pinpoint exactly how she grates on my nerve but man, she's annoying.
All in all, that's some petty criticism from me. It's still a pretty solid start to a series (hopefully we'll get more of this rich world soon).
Second of all, this author can really make a unique and fantastic retelling of anything. The richness of the lores (some borrowed and some she comes up with herself) is the most compelling part of the book.
Third, I love all the side characters in this book. They came with their own interesting backstories, with their own agendas and it made the book feels so colourful.
With that said, you might be wondering why I didn't give the book a higher rating. My problems lie with the romance and the heroine. This book probably spans around a week and in that week, she fell in love with him and he was less than that. Me? I couldn't feel anything between them except for some sexual tension. Hell, I don't think they even talk that much with each other. He gave his condition to escape his clutch, and she went on a journey to do so, and it didn't even matter in the end. He basically half-told the answer and *they fell in love* boohoo. What could've saved this was probably more time passing, longer pages, and a better way for her to find out his name. I mean, if she was really determined, she could've found out his name sooner
Also, the heroine? Don't like her. Couldn't pinpoint exactly how she grates on my nerve but man, she's annoying.
All in all, that's some petty criticism from me. It's still a pretty solid start to a series (hopefully we'll get more of this rich world soon).
May 26, 2023
I got this as an ARC as I have loved everything that St.Clair has wrote. It starts as the beginning of the book and then goes straight into something that would be in the middle then back. I feel like you get no build up to the tension between the two main characters. I feel that this could be amazing if the timeline wasn’t all over the place.
I mean do we really need the want for a man’s cock that you haven’t even met. Let the build up happen so that it is enemies to lovers not a fuck me now.
I mean do we really need the want for a man’s cock that you haven’t even met. Let the build up happen so that it is enemies to lovers not a fuck me now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2025
I actually really enjoyed the concept of this book and the world building was definitely fun but short. The cruel setting was interesting and fun. I really liked how this book was followed the original with the atmosphere.
The romance I feel was lacking quite a bit though. I just didn’t really feel the connection between them and their supposed feelings for each other. I wanted a bit more development and connection between them to convince me they loved each other.
This book was definitely fun and I want to read more from this author.
The romance I feel was lacking quite a bit though. I just didn’t really feel the connection between them and their supposed feelings for each other. I wanted a bit more development and connection between them to convince me they loved each other.
This book was definitely fun and I want to read more from this author.
December 1, 2024
4/5 ⭐
Me compré este libro porque era un retelling del cuento de la Bella y la Bestia y es mi cuento preferido de siempre teniendo muchas versiones del mismo en casa... ésta es otra versión muchísimo más oscura y más picante por lo que no es un cuento para todos los públicos 😅😅 pero a mí me ha gustado mucho
Parece ser que es el primer libro de una saga de "Retelling de Cuentos de Hadas" basados en cuentos clásicos como los de los Hermanos Grimm o Hans Christian Andersen pero también en cuentos mucho menos conocidos para el público basados por ejemplo en el folclore irlandés en los que la autora además introduce su propio sello dando una versión más oscura y cruda.
Me ha gustado muchísimo el mapa inicial así como un glosario de términos de las diferentes especies de seres mágicos que nos encontraremos en el cuento: sprites, brownies, selkies, pixies...así como descripción de los principales lugares de la trama
También las ilustraciones y los inicios de capítulo así como la portada y contraportada me han parecido muy cuidadas por parte de la editorial.
La historia es sencilla, tal como viene en su sinopsis; y, aunque sin grandes alardes de mundos complejos y numerosos personajes ya que se trata de un relato corto (219 pág) que en un dia te lees, resulta ser muy entretenido y no pierde el ritmo.
Me encantaría seguir con la historia de los otros hermanos del protagonista de este libro en el Bosque Encantado y por lo que he visto, de momento, en su versión inglesa ya está disponible el de Lore, príncipe del Reino de Belladona. Ojalá llegue pronto a España por la editorial Faeris.
Me compré este libro porque era un retelling del cuento de la Bella y la Bestia y es mi cuento preferido de siempre teniendo muchas versiones del mismo en casa... ésta es otra versión muchísimo más oscura y más picante por lo que no es un cuento para todos los públicos 😅😅 pero a mí me ha gustado mucho
Parece ser que es el primer libro de una saga de "Retelling de Cuentos de Hadas" basados en cuentos clásicos como los de los Hermanos Grimm o Hans Christian Andersen pero también en cuentos mucho menos conocidos para el público basados por ejemplo en el folclore irlandés en los que la autora además introduce su propio sello dando una versión más oscura y cruda.
Me ha gustado muchísimo el mapa inicial así como un glosario de términos de las diferentes especies de seres mágicos que nos encontraremos en el cuento: sprites, brownies, selkies, pixies...así como descripción de los principales lugares de la trama
También las ilustraciones y los inicios de capítulo así como la portada y contraportada me han parecido muy cuidadas por parte de la editorial.
La historia es sencilla, tal como viene en su sinopsis; y, aunque sin grandes alardes de mundos complejos y numerosos personajes ya que se trata de un relato corto (219 pág) que en un dia te lees, resulta ser muy entretenido y no pierde el ritmo.
Me encantaría seguir con la historia de los otros hermanos del protagonista de este libro en el Bosque Encantado y por lo que he visto, de momento, en su versión inglesa ya está disponible el de Lore, príncipe del Reino de Belladona. Ojalá llegue pronto a España por la editorial Faeris.
March 25, 2023
This had so much potential, but really fell flat.
A lot of sex scenes when there could have been more world building (especially if there are to be more) or conversations. We were told they fell in love, but a few forehead kisses and a picnic didn't really sell that fact.
I loved the idea and liked the characters, but this just didn't do it for me.
A lot of sex scenes when there could have been more world building (especially if there are to be more) or conversations. We were told they fell in love, but a few forehead kisses and a picnic didn't really sell that fact.
I loved the idea and liked the characters, but this just didn't do it for me.
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