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Crowns of the Twelve #1
The Subtle Beauty
A cursed prince. A vain beauty. Glory is the seventh daughter of Balthazar, High King of the Twelve Kingdoms. Glory hopes that - of all her sisters - she can escape the fate of a loveless marriage. But on the night she plans to elope with the royal falconer, her world comes crashing down: Her father announces Glory's betrothal to Eoghan of the Blood Realm - a prince no one has ever seen. The prince is said to be a recluse, cursed and deformed by the gods for the sins of his power-hungry father. Yet when Glory is trapped in Blackthorn Keep she discovers that not everything is what she expected. An insulting gryphon, a persistent ghost, and a secret plan to usurp the prince keep Glory reeling.
In this retelling of BEAUTY & THE BEAST, can Glory overcome her vanity to learn that what she wants isn’t what she needs—and save the cursed prince?
In this retelling of BEAUTY & THE BEAST, can Glory overcome her vanity to learn that what she wants isn’t what she needs—and save the cursed prince?
164 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 2, 2014
93 people are currently reading
1826 people want to read
About the author
Ann Hunter
32 books164 followersMulti-award winning author, Ann Hunter, is the creator of the young adult fantasy series Crowns of the Twelve (including the novels The Subtle Beauty, Moonlight, Fallen, with A Piece of Sky, Ashes, and The Rose In The Briar to follow). She likes cherry soda with chocolate ice cream, is a mom first and a writer second, has a secret identity, and thinks the Twilight movies are cheesier than cheez whiz (which is why they are her guilty pleasure!)
She lives in a cozy Utah home with her two awesome kids and epic husband.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT HER HOMEPAGE:
https://www.facebook.com/authorannhunter
AND MAILING LIST:
http://eepurl.com/VZsFn
She lives in a cozy Utah home with her two awesome kids and epic husband.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT HER HOMEPAGE:
https://www.facebook.com/authorannhunter
AND MAILING LIST:
http://eepurl.com/VZsFn
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
January 4, 2014
I'm going to be bluntly honest. The prologue was really long and boring. So, I've summed it up into 5 easy steps.
1. This good guy, got a sword from this bad guy.
2. He went crazy.
3. He killed a lot of people, including his wife.
4. Because he went crazy his son is deformed. So, he went back and killed the bad guy and busted up the sword into twelve pieces.
5. Collin and Glory are best friends and they got bored one day and decided to go play in the woods, even though the were told not to and the ran into a Donestre. It's a lion head on a man's body, like a Minotaur, but with a lion. Any ways, Collin fights the Done-thing and stabbed it in the eye. Then they went home with a broken knife and his daddy got really mad at him and won't let him back in, until he finds his dagger. So now he lives in the Glory's Pantry. The End. Of the prologue. Enjoy your story.
1. This good guy, got a sword from this bad guy.
2. He went crazy.
3. He killed a lot of people, including his wife.
4. Because he went crazy his son is deformed. So, he went back and killed the bad guy and busted up the sword into twelve pieces.
5. Collin and Glory are best friends and they got bored one day and decided to go play in the woods, even though the were told not to and the ran into a Donestre. It's a lion head on a man's body, like a Minotaur, but with a lion. Any ways, Collin fights the Done-thing and stabbed it in the eye. Then they went home with a broken knife and his daddy got really mad at him and won't let him back in, until he finds his dagger. So now he lives in the Glory's Pantry. The End. Of the prologue. Enjoy your story.
February 17, 2015
Woman, vanity be thy name, and young Glory, the most beautiful daughter of the High King of the Twelve Kingdoms, wants nothing more than to find even more beauty in a marriage of love. Is it meant to be? Her father has announced she will wed a prince no one has seen, a hideously deformed recluse, cursed for the sins of his father. Why should a woman as beautiful as Glory be forced into a loveless marriage to a monster?
Sent to the prince’s keep, she awaits his audience, and awaits and awaits, only to be constantly insulted by a gryphon who shows up daily to taunt her and her beauty. Not enough to ruin her day? A prince who, she figures does not what he is missing, basking her beauty, never comes to her, a ghost does, and oh yes, the gryphon. But something changes when the gryphon saves her life and trusts her with his secret. Does she soften to him or is he becoming less tiresome? He is, after all the only being who seems interested in her at the keep. Only after she can no longer see him, does she realize what he had done for her and to her. Has he shown her the error of her ways and taught her about beauty on the inside?
Ann Hunter never fails to tell a good fairytale while putting her own quirky and edgy spin on it.The Subtle Beautyis filled with characters you aren’t sure you like all the time, hey sometimes nothing is better than blurred lines when it comes to heroines and heroes, right? A tale of pain and vanity with a lesson in humility and what true love is, Ms. Hunter also manages to point out where it comes from. Sigh-worthy in its own way, magical and definitely not a fairytale from your childhood, it’s always good to be reminded that gryphons really do exist in some land, far, far away.
Publication Date: January 2, 2014
Publisher: Afterglow Productions
Genre: Fantasy
Print Length: 170 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Sent to the prince’s keep, she awaits his audience, and awaits and awaits, only to be constantly insulted by a gryphon who shows up daily to taunt her and her beauty. Not enough to ruin her day? A prince who, she figures does not what he is missing, basking her beauty, never comes to her, a ghost does, and oh yes, the gryphon. But something changes when the gryphon saves her life and trusts her with his secret. Does she soften to him or is he becoming less tiresome? He is, after all the only being who seems interested in her at the keep. Only after she can no longer see him, does she realize what he had done for her and to her. Has he shown her the error of her ways and taught her about beauty on the inside?
Ann Hunter never fails to tell a good fairytale while putting her own quirky and edgy spin on it.The Subtle Beautyis filled with characters you aren’t sure you like all the time, hey sometimes nothing is better than blurred lines when it comes to heroines and heroes, right? A tale of pain and vanity with a lesson in humility and what true love is, Ms. Hunter also manages to point out where it comes from. Sigh-worthy in its own way, magical and definitely not a fairytale from your childhood, it’s always good to be reminded that gryphons really do exist in some land, far, far away.
Publication Date: January 2, 2014
Publisher: Afterglow Productions
Genre: Fantasy
Print Length: 170 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com
January 5, 2016
This was a weird book. It was like a cross between a Norse fairy tale and a grim fairy tale. Violent and disjointed. A lot of characters doing a lot of odd things.I just didn't like the writing style or the feel of the book. The characters were not well done and I disliked most of them. The two main characters make such a quick turn around that you almost don't recognize them. The leading lady goes from brat and prideful to loving and kind then depressed and suicide so quickly it's silly. I did like the Beast and aspects of his character. This is a clean romance with really weird hidden innuendo in a couple places. Just an odd book.
March 20, 2015
Ever since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated by fairy tales—and, over the past several years, by fairy tale adaptations. One of the fairy tales that I especially love is
Beauty and the Beast
, and I’m always on the lookout for good adaptations of that classic tale: of true love blossoming despite the (seeming) repulsiveness of one of the characters; the emphasis on going beyond looks; and the point that beauty lies within, below the surface.
Ann Hunter’s The Subtle Beauty is a YA adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, and begins with a rather lengthy prologue, in which a none-too-wealthy baron, Xander (whose pregnant wife Aowyn is a Celtic princess) realizes that their son will be born a prince. And that Xander has virtually no lands to pass on. Xander takes the help of a warlock, who gives him a lethal (and magical) sword—which rapidly fills Xander with evil, greed, hatred, and a complete disregard for life. Xander goes on a rampage, annexes much of the kingdom, and is finally stopped by the High King Balthazaar. In the process, though, Xander loses a lot: his humanity, Aowyn, even—in a way—his son Eoghan, who is born deformed, cursed.
The prologue over, the story moves to Princess Glory, the gorgeous fifteen-year-old daughter of High King Balthazaar (who has seven daughters, none of them particularly likeable). Glory, who is in love with the royal falconer, Colin (her childhood sweetheart) is furious when her father announces her betrothal, sight unseen, to Eoghan. Glory tries to elope with Colin, and ends up, instead, being taken to Blackthorn Keep, the forbidding black castle that is home to Eoghan—whom she does not see—and is guarded by a magnificent gryphon.
Meanwhile, Colin sets out to search for, and rescue, his princess so that they may have their Happily Ever After. And Glory, fretting and fuming in Blackthorn, finds herself increasingly disgusted with the gryphon, who spares no opportunity to chide her for her stupidity and vanity.
What I liked about The Subtle Beauty was the interesting twist on the concept of the beastly exterior concealing an inner beauty, because here, the trope is also inverted: the beauty, while outwardly lovely, is too vain and self-righteous and absorbed in herself to see beyond. It becomes, therefore, a tale of two transformations, not one—and each enabled by the love of the other.
I did wish, however, that the interactions between Glory and the gryphon had been slightly more prolonged, allowing their relationship time and space to develop (Colin’s meanderings on his way to rescue Glory, on the other hand, I could have done without).
There were other things that I didn’t like much. Glory, for instance, isn’t a likeable enough heroine for me (a girl who—after she’s become a better person—calls her sister a ‘gluttonous swine’ is hardly my idea of a heroine, really). Also, the language is at times jarringly inconsistent. While most of the book conjures up an image of a medieval world (reinforced by the use of some fairly archaic words and phrases like costively, harping (as in ‘playing a harp’), unhand me and so on), there are irritatingly modern words here and there: date (as in a date with a person), psychopathic, gag reflex, stratosphere and so on. And there are some definitely odd sentences now and then: “He sprinted with abandon” (this isn’t someone skipping along without a worry in the world; it’s someone fleeing for his life); and “He expected Sylas’s back to split in two with a spray of red ooze” (blood can either spray or ooze… how likely is to do both at the same time?)
What this book needed was a good, strict editor. Otherwise, it’s a fairly pleasant, quick read.
Ann Hunter’s The Subtle Beauty is a YA adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, and begins with a rather lengthy prologue, in which a none-too-wealthy baron, Xander (whose pregnant wife Aowyn is a Celtic princess) realizes that their son will be born a prince. And that Xander has virtually no lands to pass on. Xander takes the help of a warlock, who gives him a lethal (and magical) sword—which rapidly fills Xander with evil, greed, hatred, and a complete disregard for life. Xander goes on a rampage, annexes much of the kingdom, and is finally stopped by the High King Balthazaar. In the process, though, Xander loses a lot: his humanity, Aowyn, even—in a way—his son Eoghan, who is born deformed, cursed.
The prologue over, the story moves to Princess Glory, the gorgeous fifteen-year-old daughter of High King Balthazaar (who has seven daughters, none of them particularly likeable). Glory, who is in love with the royal falconer, Colin (her childhood sweetheart) is furious when her father announces her betrothal, sight unseen, to Eoghan. Glory tries to elope with Colin, and ends up, instead, being taken to Blackthorn Keep, the forbidding black castle that is home to Eoghan—whom she does not see—and is guarded by a magnificent gryphon.
Meanwhile, Colin sets out to search for, and rescue, his princess so that they may have their Happily Ever After. And Glory, fretting and fuming in Blackthorn, finds herself increasingly disgusted with the gryphon, who spares no opportunity to chide her for her stupidity and vanity.
What I liked about The Subtle Beauty was the interesting twist on the concept of the beastly exterior concealing an inner beauty, because here, the trope is also inverted: the beauty, while outwardly lovely, is too vain and self-righteous and absorbed in herself to see beyond. It becomes, therefore, a tale of two transformations, not one—and each enabled by the love of the other.
I did wish, however, that the interactions between Glory and the gryphon had been slightly more prolonged, allowing their relationship time and space to develop (Colin’s meanderings on his way to rescue Glory, on the other hand, I could have done without).
There were other things that I didn’t like much. Glory, for instance, isn’t a likeable enough heroine for me (a girl who—after she’s become a better person—calls her sister a ‘gluttonous swine’ is hardly my idea of a heroine, really). Also, the language is at times jarringly inconsistent. While most of the book conjures up an image of a medieval world (reinforced by the use of some fairly archaic words and phrases like costively, harping (as in ‘playing a harp’), unhand me and so on), there are irritatingly modern words here and there: date (as in a date with a person), psychopathic, gag reflex, stratosphere and so on. And there are some definitely odd sentences now and then: “He sprinted with abandon” (this isn’t someone skipping along without a worry in the world; it’s someone fleeing for his life); and “He expected Sylas’s back to split in two with a spray of red ooze” (blood can either spray or ooze… how likely is to do both at the same time?)
What this book needed was a good, strict editor. Otherwise, it’s a fairly pleasant, quick read.
May 19, 2014
I would have liked to give this a higher score because my over all feeling was that this was a great read and a good retelling of beauty and the beast. It was also well written (avoiding the typical gaffs of first time self published writers) and managed to be quite a page turner. What stopped me from awarding four stars was the presence of several large plot holes. The recognition and reversal and the resolution all came to a head quite suddenly. There was then a large period of lag time in which Glory goes from vain and selfish beauty to essentially wiser but still selfish beauty in mourning. In my opinion I'm not sure Colin was needed at all except as a stalking horse to force Glory's father's hand at the beginning. It would have made more sense to me if he had looked at his sack of coins made a token effort to go after her and then met a nice girl who was pretty enough and above all kind, then settled down with her. While the magic blades are wonderful and I did enjoy the gaelic (it's rare I get to read any anymore) I felt that no one was really responsible for their actions; it was the swords' warping power; it was the warlock in the swamp; it was the secret base desire all men carry; it was the nature of young girls to be blind to the feelings of others and intrinsically selfish.
Reading that back it sounds very harsh, and actually I really liked this book. There were things to admire about Glory from the start - deeply buried though they were. I would have liked more time to get to know Eoghan and more time for the couple to fall in love. Having made him a duel narrative character, Colin is disposed of in a callous way by the author as well as Bawrn - it was a bit of a shock.
Ultimately I bought this on a whim and read it in a few hours. Couldn't put it down and am still thinking about the character plot holes and all. This is a writer to watch - she's going to be really good. And this is a fun book. If you like beuty and the beast or fairytale re-tellings definitely give it a go.
Reading that back it sounds very harsh, and actually I really liked this book. There were things to admire about Glory from the start - deeply buried though they were. I would have liked more time to get to know Eoghan and more time for the couple to fall in love. Having made him a duel narrative character, Colin is disposed of in a callous way by the author as well as Bawrn - it was a bit of a shock.
Ultimately I bought this on a whim and read it in a few hours. Couldn't put it down and am still thinking about the character plot holes and all. This is a writer to watch - she's going to be really good. And this is a fun book. If you like beuty and the beast or fairytale re-tellings definitely give it a go.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2014
I would describe this as a fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and is entitled The Subtle Beauty.
It is the story of a king who made a pact with an “evil” man in order to expand his kingdom, and gained the use of a mystical sword. But by doing so, he became consumed with the power that the sword gave him. Finally, he is so consumed with the power that his wife asks that the gods take her to make him come home and be with their unborn son. The son is born but is deformed as the king is brought to his knees and sent back to his castle, ordered never to go out and try to expand again.
Years later, a beautiful daughter of a king falls in love with a falconer and plans to run away and be married to him, but the king has other plans. He wants to marry her to the deformed son of the defaced king so that the kingdoms can be united. The daughter hears of this and devises a plan to run off with her love, but is kidnapped. From there the story is intense, but full of love and loss, and the true face of love is shown as well as what it means to be a man, and a boy.
I could not put this story down from the time that I began reading it, and would read it again in an instant. It is the perfect Valentine’s Day story, or the perfect rainy day story, or the perfect story to read to your kids.
It is the story of a king who made a pact with an “evil” man in order to expand his kingdom, and gained the use of a mystical sword. But by doing so, he became consumed with the power that the sword gave him. Finally, he is so consumed with the power that his wife asks that the gods take her to make him come home and be with their unborn son. The son is born but is deformed as the king is brought to his knees and sent back to his castle, ordered never to go out and try to expand again.
Years later, a beautiful daughter of a king falls in love with a falconer and plans to run away and be married to him, but the king has other plans. He wants to marry her to the deformed son of the defaced king so that the kingdoms can be united. The daughter hears of this and devises a plan to run off with her love, but is kidnapped. From there the story is intense, but full of love and loss, and the true face of love is shown as well as what it means to be a man, and a boy.
I could not put this story down from the time that I began reading it, and would read it again in an instant. It is the perfect Valentine’s Day story, or the perfect rainy day story, or the perfect story to read to your kids.
January 23, 2014
The Subtle Beauty is a twisted tale of a princess who doesn't realize she's burdened with the beastly curse of vanity. Her sisters are also obliviously cursed with the seven deadly sins. Lucky for them they have a loving father and king who knows them better than they themselves and matches them to husbands who are their balance. How often do we not realize our burdens and stubbornly resist yielding to the will of the Father? The Subtle Beauty reminds us that what we want isn't always what we need and love often comes from the most unexpected places.
dnf
January 11, 2016I love fairy tale retelling, so it's rare for me not to finish one. Sadly, I couldn't even get through the prologue on this before I was looking at the reviews. They convinced me this is not for me because much of what was said about the story, I saw signs of in the first few pages, but mostly it was the simplistic writing style that made me abandon this.
So sad.
So sad.
February 12, 2014
Good, quick read. Some parts didn't seem relevant but overall a good storyline. Not a must-read but still fun!
December 9, 2020
Perhaps I’m forming a soft spot for these tales of beauty and the beast. However, I do not lie while expressing that I truly enjoyed this tale. The plot was fairly obvious, but extremely enjoyable!
March 12, 2014
The Subtle Beauty (Book Review)
Posted on March 12, 2014 by lvadams
(Copied from my blog at lvadams.wordpress.com)
So, after the new promotional pic made the rounds on the interwebs, I became acquainted with another gryphon author. Ann Hunter. She pointed me in the direction of the book, and I couldn’t help but to check it out.
Really, I’m a sucker for gryphons.
So. her book. Here is a cover pic.
((Image))
According to Goodreads, The Subtle Beauty tells the story of:
A cursed prince. A vain beauty. Glory is the seventh daughter of Balthazar, High King of the Twelve Kingdoms. Glory hopes that – of all her sisters – she can escape the fate of a loveless marriage. But on the night she plans to elope with the royal falconer, her world comes crashing down: Her father announces Glory’s betrothal to Eoghan of the Blood Realm – a prince no one has ever seen. The prince is said to be a recluse, cursed and deformed by the gods for the sins of his power-hungry father. Yet when Glory is trapped in Blackthorn Keep she discovers that not everything is what she expected. An insulting gryphon, a persistent ghost, and a secret plan to usurp the prince keep Glory reeling.
In this retelling of BEAUTY & THE BEAST, can Glory overcome her vanity to learn that what she wants isn’t what she needs—and save the cursed prince?
Definitely sounds interesting. I’ve never delved into fairy tale retellings, but throw in a gryphon and some celtic stuff…totally sold.
I’m going to say a short little blurb here, before I do my in-depth review. That way people who don’t want spoilers wont get any. :)
This book is great. I loved it, though there were a couple of times I got a little confused. My only real complaint was for the kindle edition. The author uses non-english words and has a link to a translation. That all worked fine, but I had to check my location first, and then go all the way back to it, which made me less inclined to look up translations. But that’s more of a software irritation, not really the author’s fault.
Anyway, this is a fantastic short (well, not really short, but shorter than the other books I’ve been reading lately) story. The characters are intriguing and Hunter puts a nice twist on an old story. It is definitely worth the relatively inexpensive price. I loved reading it and will be sure to read it again, as well as other works by Ann Hunter.
Okay, on to my more in-depth review.
WARNING. HERE THERE BE SPOILERS
Which means unless you want some stuff spoiled, please don’t read any further.
Okay, so the story starts out telling us a tale that at times seems unrelated to the whole “beauty and the beast” bit. I was actually very confused at first, wondering how it was all going to tie in together. What I didn’t realize (but did later) was that it was laying the groundwork for why Eoghan (the “deformed” prince) is cursed. I was also confused when the mother sacrificed herself to the gods to save her son from his father’s sins, but the baby still ended up being cursed. Maybe I read that part wrong?
Edit (Response from Ann Hunter): Aowyn sacrifices herself to save Xander’s life, but Eoghan is cursed because of what Xander has already done.
Aside from being confused by this, I felt the whole prologue stretched a bit long. It was very good, but I was mostly just wondering when the gryphon was going to enter the picture. This isn’t any fault of the author, mostly just me being goofy and impatient.
Then the story pics up with the vain MC, Glory. Ann Hunter does a magnificent job writing this character. There are times when I really dislike her, which is good.
The story builds and the plot thickens until our Glory finds herself “kidnapped” (I use this term loosely since she went willingly, she was just confused as to the identity of the person on the horse) and taken to a dark land with an old rundown castle like place and a gryphon.
Yay! Gryphons! XD Finally!
(I know, I know. I have issues, lol).
So, the idea is that the gryphon actually -is- the prince. This confused me because in the prologue the prince Eoghan was born deformed (twisted spine, club foot, etc.). So how, or why, did he go from being a deformed human to a gryphon? This is explained briefly, but I would have liked something a bit more in depth.
Edit (Response from Ann Hunter): There’s hints in the prologue that he’s actually born with some undeveloped gryphon features (fuzzy/downy, hard black nose– later beak, his spine proturding in a tail-like manner). I wanted to hint without giving it away.
Looks like I’m a bit daft and took some of the hints too literally. XD
Eventually Glory fell in love with him. I feel this part is rushed, and would have liked to see more evidence to her warming to the gryphon. In every action she is ridiculously rude to him, and is disgusted by him. Then he saves her life and tells her that he is Eoghan. After that she seems much less disgusted by him, which bothers me. Why should a name change her entire outlook? I realized that most of the old tales involve such fast-paced love stories, but I’d like to see things drawn out just a little, before they rush into saying the L word.
This was actually a struggle for me in Gryphon’s Prophecy. A friend/Beta Reader pointed out that my very first rough draft had the characters falling in love in like, one chapter. That it was unrealistic and needed to be fixed. So I went back and fixed that. The characters now connect over many chapters, getting to actually know each other and fall in love in a more realistic way.
Edit (Response from Ann Hunter): I know it seems rushed, but by the time she realizes she has any feelings for him that are not unkind (and indeed that she NEEDS him in her life to help her be a better person), it’s too late. So she spends the next year pining over what might have been. Their love story doesn’t start to develop until the last page.
Despite the few confusions and complains I had, the book was very worth it! I enjoyed reading it and could hardly put it down (I actually had a late time clock punch because I was reading on my lunch break). I really enjoyed the story, and it is probably one I will read again. I definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good, but shorter story that has a beautifully happy ending (even if gryphon-less). I look forward to reading Ann Hunter’s other books as well, in the future.
Posted on March 12, 2014 by lvadams
(Copied from my blog at lvadams.wordpress.com)
So, after the new promotional pic made the rounds on the interwebs, I became acquainted with another gryphon author. Ann Hunter. She pointed me in the direction of the book, and I couldn’t help but to check it out.
Really, I’m a sucker for gryphons.
So. her book. Here is a cover pic.
((Image))
According to Goodreads, The Subtle Beauty tells the story of:
A cursed prince. A vain beauty. Glory is the seventh daughter of Balthazar, High King of the Twelve Kingdoms. Glory hopes that – of all her sisters – she can escape the fate of a loveless marriage. But on the night she plans to elope with the royal falconer, her world comes crashing down: Her father announces Glory’s betrothal to Eoghan of the Blood Realm – a prince no one has ever seen. The prince is said to be a recluse, cursed and deformed by the gods for the sins of his power-hungry father. Yet when Glory is trapped in Blackthorn Keep she discovers that not everything is what she expected. An insulting gryphon, a persistent ghost, and a secret plan to usurp the prince keep Glory reeling.
In this retelling of BEAUTY & THE BEAST, can Glory overcome her vanity to learn that what she wants isn’t what she needs—and save the cursed prince?
Definitely sounds interesting. I’ve never delved into fairy tale retellings, but throw in a gryphon and some celtic stuff…totally sold.
I’m going to say a short little blurb here, before I do my in-depth review. That way people who don’t want spoilers wont get any. :)
This book is great. I loved it, though there were a couple of times I got a little confused. My only real complaint was for the kindle edition. The author uses non-english words and has a link to a translation. That all worked fine, but I had to check my location first, and then go all the way back to it, which made me less inclined to look up translations. But that’s more of a software irritation, not really the author’s fault.
Anyway, this is a fantastic short (well, not really short, but shorter than the other books I’ve been reading lately) story. The characters are intriguing and Hunter puts a nice twist on an old story. It is definitely worth the relatively inexpensive price. I loved reading it and will be sure to read it again, as well as other works by Ann Hunter.
Okay, on to my more in-depth review.
WARNING. HERE THERE BE SPOILERS
Which means unless you want some stuff spoiled, please don’t read any further.
Okay, so the story starts out telling us a tale that at times seems unrelated to the whole “beauty and the beast” bit. I was actually very confused at first, wondering how it was all going to tie in together. What I didn’t realize (but did later) was that it was laying the groundwork for why Eoghan (the “deformed” prince) is cursed. I was also confused when the mother sacrificed herself to the gods to save her son from his father’s sins, but the baby still ended up being cursed. Maybe I read that part wrong?
Edit (Response from Ann Hunter): Aowyn sacrifices herself to save Xander’s life, but Eoghan is cursed because of what Xander has already done.
Aside from being confused by this, I felt the whole prologue stretched a bit long. It was very good, but I was mostly just wondering when the gryphon was going to enter the picture. This isn’t any fault of the author, mostly just me being goofy and impatient.
Then the story pics up with the vain MC, Glory. Ann Hunter does a magnificent job writing this character. There are times when I really dislike her, which is good.
The story builds and the plot thickens until our Glory finds herself “kidnapped” (I use this term loosely since she went willingly, she was just confused as to the identity of the person on the horse) and taken to a dark land with an old rundown castle like place and a gryphon.
Yay! Gryphons! XD Finally!
(I know, I know. I have issues, lol).
So, the idea is that the gryphon actually -is- the prince. This confused me because in the prologue the prince Eoghan was born deformed (twisted spine, club foot, etc.). So how, or why, did he go from being a deformed human to a gryphon? This is explained briefly, but I would have liked something a bit more in depth.
Edit (Response from Ann Hunter): There’s hints in the prologue that he’s actually born with some undeveloped gryphon features (fuzzy/downy, hard black nose– later beak, his spine proturding in a tail-like manner). I wanted to hint without giving it away.
Looks like I’m a bit daft and took some of the hints too literally. XD
Eventually Glory fell in love with him. I feel this part is rushed, and would have liked to see more evidence to her warming to the gryphon. In every action she is ridiculously rude to him, and is disgusted by him. Then he saves her life and tells her that he is Eoghan. After that she seems much less disgusted by him, which bothers me. Why should a name change her entire outlook? I realized that most of the old tales involve such fast-paced love stories, but I’d like to see things drawn out just a little, before they rush into saying the L word.
This was actually a struggle for me in Gryphon’s Prophecy. A friend/Beta Reader pointed out that my very first rough draft had the characters falling in love in like, one chapter. That it was unrealistic and needed to be fixed. So I went back and fixed that. The characters now connect over many chapters, getting to actually know each other and fall in love in a more realistic way.
Edit (Response from Ann Hunter): I know it seems rushed, but by the time she realizes she has any feelings for him that are not unkind (and indeed that she NEEDS him in her life to help her be a better person), it’s too late. So she spends the next year pining over what might have been. Their love story doesn’t start to develop until the last page.
Despite the few confusions and complains I had, the book was very worth it! I enjoyed reading it and could hardly put it down (I actually had a late time clock punch because I was reading on my lunch break). I really enjoyed the story, and it is probably one I will read again. I definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good, but shorter story that has a beautifully happy ending (even if gryphon-less). I look forward to reading Ann Hunter’s other books as well, in the future.
March 4, 2014
The reason I read is to escape, to settle into that transformative experience where I am so lost in story that by the time I put the book down I almost do a double-take at the fact that I'm in the real world and not the literary world I hold in my hands. I just didn't have that with The Subtle Beauty.
It's not for a lack of good writing. Ann Hunter is quite talented and it shows in every description of the landscape. I just simply couldn't inhabit the world she so lovingly created for me as her reader. I couldn't just sit down and read for hours like I can with other books, which is a shame, I think.
The Good:
Ann Hunter cares about her story, her character, her setting, everything. I have no doubt she lived in his kingdom she wrote about every day she wrote The Subtle Beauty, and it shows! She's the kind of writer who is so talented you think to yourself, "I wish I wrote like this," meaning with such detail and eye for setting. Despite that, however, I couldn't really picture much of the setting in any of the locations. I like enough scaffolding so I have the foundation of place and I can fill in the rest with my imagination, but in The Subtle Beauty there's almost an overabundance of description. If such a thing exists.
And Then The Not So Good/I Had Some Big Problems:
Here's where I turned against the story [spoilers ahead]... It is revealed by Glory's father, the King, that he strategically matched each princess (Glory and her six sisters) with a suitor who would essentially cure them of their character flaw (each princess is a deadly sin; Glory is vanity). "Each one has been matched to a man who is their equal, if polar opposite. Each of your sisters was also presented with the option of leaving their betrothed. Not one of them has chosen to end her marriage, so they are not as miserable as they appear. It is my intention to instill desire to serve into lazy Murtia; frugality to extravagant Lucullia; happiness to melancholy Ophelia; temperance to wrathful Odessa; moderation to Portia, who is a glutton; and chastity to lustful Alexa...." And that is all done by fixing them with a chosen man. A man can fix what is "wrong" with them. For Glory? Because she is vain - which perhaps isn't even her own fault as it seems to be the unequivocal opinion of literally everyone that she is the most beautiful - she is paired with a deformed beast who calls her ugly and stupid. Being called ugly and stupid cured her of her thinking she is beautiful...
Yep.
But then this happens a few sentences later: "Now that she understood that they had been under the direction of their father, how could she possibly be angry with them?... It had made her a better person, as her father had intended for each of them." So it isn't through character growth or time and wisdom that these ladies should learn to fix what makes them flawed, but an arranged marriage with a man who counters them and makes them seemingly miserable. And she's okay with that. She's not angry whatsoever that her free will is essentially stripped from her and she is the puppet of the King. I know that's how these things go in these types of stories, but that doesn't stop me from hating it.
"Glory halted. That was it, wasn't it?
Her father knew that each of his daughter's qualities, as he had so diplomatically put it, was a curse to them. There was only one way to break curses: love."
At that point I was just like... REALLY?! By the way these girls are teenagers. They've not yet had enough life experience to learn from their mistakes or grow into women. In fact they are stunted and molded by their chosen suitors as their father saw fit. I. Just. Can't.
And just when I thought I couldn't dislike that point in the story any less, this happens:
"I believe Father mentioned that Alexa has softened to Covington's advances, and they are expecting a child." REALLY?!?! Someone tell me I'm not crazy and that that passage sounds all kinds of wrong!
Back To The Review:
I don't believe in the love story of Glory and Eoghan. I'm not convinced of it. In fact I find Eoghan to be quite pathetic. After he is attacked and calls out for Glory (about 17 times in one paragraph) all I feel is pity for this pathetic creature who doesn't seem worth rooting for. Their first truly physical interaction where I imagine the author intended for Glory's mind to start changing about Eoghan reads more... ICK... than anything else. I just can't get into it. I do not believe there is love there. What is there to love? Glory is a one note character who is only beautiful, and that is it. What does Eoghan love about her if she is ugly and stupid? There's nothing else there.
This just isn't my typical read and I suggest that if this is the kind of genre you like to read you do not take my review to heart because you probably know better than I how these things are supposed to go. Just because I wasn't transported doesn't mean you won't be. Just because I didn't like the story or believe in the love at the end of it, doesn't mean you won't either.
As a retelling of Beauty and the Beast it is quite imaginative, and again, Ann Hunter is remarkably talented. I've known her for half of my life and I am so very proud that she has joined the ranks of self-published authors and has absolutely taken off in her enthusiasm for writing and self-publishing. It's tremendous to watch her succeed.
It's not for a lack of good writing. Ann Hunter is quite talented and it shows in every description of the landscape. I just simply couldn't inhabit the world she so lovingly created for me as her reader. I couldn't just sit down and read for hours like I can with other books, which is a shame, I think.
The Good:
Ann Hunter cares about her story, her character, her setting, everything. I have no doubt she lived in his kingdom she wrote about every day she wrote The Subtle Beauty, and it shows! She's the kind of writer who is so talented you think to yourself, "I wish I wrote like this," meaning with such detail and eye for setting. Despite that, however, I couldn't really picture much of the setting in any of the locations. I like enough scaffolding so I have the foundation of place and I can fill in the rest with my imagination, but in The Subtle Beauty there's almost an overabundance of description. If such a thing exists.
And Then The Not So Good/I Had Some Big Problems:
Here's where I turned against the story [spoilers ahead]... It is revealed by Glory's father, the King, that he strategically matched each princess (Glory and her six sisters) with a suitor who would essentially cure them of their character flaw (each princess is a deadly sin; Glory is vanity). "Each one has been matched to a man who is their equal, if polar opposite. Each of your sisters was also presented with the option of leaving their betrothed. Not one of them has chosen to end her marriage, so they are not as miserable as they appear. It is my intention to instill desire to serve into lazy Murtia; frugality to extravagant Lucullia; happiness to melancholy Ophelia; temperance to wrathful Odessa; moderation to Portia, who is a glutton; and chastity to lustful Alexa...." And that is all done by fixing them with a chosen man. A man can fix what is "wrong" with them. For Glory? Because she is vain - which perhaps isn't even her own fault as it seems to be the unequivocal opinion of literally everyone that she is the most beautiful - she is paired with a deformed beast who calls her ugly and stupid. Being called ugly and stupid cured her of her thinking she is beautiful...
Yep.
But then this happens a few sentences later: "Now that she understood that they had been under the direction of their father, how could she possibly be angry with them?... It had made her a better person, as her father had intended for each of them." So it isn't through character growth or time and wisdom that these ladies should learn to fix what makes them flawed, but an arranged marriage with a man who counters them and makes them seemingly miserable. And she's okay with that. She's not angry whatsoever that her free will is essentially stripped from her and she is the puppet of the King. I know that's how these things go in these types of stories, but that doesn't stop me from hating it.
"Glory halted. That was it, wasn't it?
Her father knew that each of his daughter's qualities, as he had so diplomatically put it, was a curse to them. There was only one way to break curses: love."
At that point I was just like... REALLY?! By the way these girls are teenagers. They've not yet had enough life experience to learn from their mistakes or grow into women. In fact they are stunted and molded by their chosen suitors as their father saw fit. I. Just. Can't.
And just when I thought I couldn't dislike that point in the story any less, this happens:
"I believe Father mentioned that Alexa has softened to Covington's advances, and they are expecting a child." REALLY?!?! Someone tell me I'm not crazy and that that passage sounds all kinds of wrong!
Back To The Review:
I don't believe in the love story of Glory and Eoghan. I'm not convinced of it. In fact I find Eoghan to be quite pathetic. After he is attacked and calls out for Glory (about 17 times in one paragraph) all I feel is pity for this pathetic creature who doesn't seem worth rooting for. Their first truly physical interaction where I imagine the author intended for Glory's mind to start changing about Eoghan reads more... ICK... than anything else. I just can't get into it. I do not believe there is love there. What is there to love? Glory is a one note character who is only beautiful, and that is it. What does Eoghan love about her if she is ugly and stupid? There's nothing else there.
This just isn't my typical read and I suggest that if this is the kind of genre you like to read you do not take my review to heart because you probably know better than I how these things are supposed to go. Just because I wasn't transported doesn't mean you won't be. Just because I didn't like the story or believe in the love at the end of it, doesn't mean you won't either.
As a retelling of Beauty and the Beast it is quite imaginative, and again, Ann Hunter is remarkably talented. I've known her for half of my life and I am so very proud that she has joined the ranks of self-published authors and has absolutely taken off in her enthusiasm for writing and self-publishing. It's tremendous to watch her succeed.
March 3, 2014
I went into this book not really knowing what to expect but being intrigued by the idea of a book that involved Celtic elements. It wasn't until later that I realized that the book is basically a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I absolutely love Beauty and the Beast, so I really wish I had enjoyed this book more. I honestly can't say I was a fan though.
It started off on a not so great note for me with the prologue. This book is pretty short with ten chapters plus a prologue. The prologue takes up a much larger chunk of the book than the any prologue should ever take. I felt like I was at least a fourth of the way through the book before we even met the main characters. I know that the author wanted to reveal the backstory, but there were so many better ways to do it. With the length of the prologue in comparison to the book, it might as well have been a book on its own. As it was, I was really confused because of how long it was taking to get through the prologue, and I had no idea when I was going to get to the actual story. It makes matters worse that the prologue jumps around a fair bit and just tries to cover way to much into it than any prologue should have. I honestly think it would have been better to keep it as a book one and book two type of thing, but even better would have been breaking up the backstory and using it in the story.
The reason I think breaking up the backstory and using it throughout the story would have been helpful is because the actual story itself seemed to brief. It wasn't helping that it's easily compared to its massive prologue, but everything felt too brief. Things went to fast for me to sympathize with the characters, and I didn't feel like I was supposed to be rooting for Glory and Eoghan because I just wasn't given enough time to see why they should be together. It happens too quickly and should have been expanded on. In the same vein, Glory seems to change too suddenly, and it didn't really seem believable to me.
That was my biggest problem with the story. I think I could have enjoyed it a lot if it had been longer and actually expanded on the story. As it was, it had a prologue that was much too long and detailed for a prologue even on a much longer novel, only this one was on a much shorter story. Then the actual story was too brief and unbelievable to really get into. I suppose you could use the argument that it's supposed to be a fairy tale more than anything, and fairy tales are often like that. I don't like that argument though because even fairy tales should be believable. I just wish that there had been more to the story so that I could have actually connected to the characters and enjoyed their journey much more than I did.
I received a copy of this book for free from Story Cartel in exchange for an honest review.
http://hmweasley-blog.blogspot.com/20...
It started off on a not so great note for me with the prologue. This book is pretty short with ten chapters plus a prologue. The prologue takes up a much larger chunk of the book than the any prologue should ever take. I felt like I was at least a fourth of the way through the book before we even met the main characters. I know that the author wanted to reveal the backstory, but there were so many better ways to do it. With the length of the prologue in comparison to the book, it might as well have been a book on its own. As it was, I was really confused because of how long it was taking to get through the prologue, and I had no idea when I was going to get to the actual story. It makes matters worse that the prologue jumps around a fair bit and just tries to cover way to much into it than any prologue should have. I honestly think it would have been better to keep it as a book one and book two type of thing, but even better would have been breaking up the backstory and using it in the story.
The reason I think breaking up the backstory and using it throughout the story would have been helpful is because the actual story itself seemed to brief. It wasn't helping that it's easily compared to its massive prologue, but everything felt too brief. Things went to fast for me to sympathize with the characters, and I didn't feel like I was supposed to be rooting for Glory and Eoghan because I just wasn't given enough time to see why they should be together. It happens too quickly and should have been expanded on. In the same vein, Glory seems to change too suddenly, and it didn't really seem believable to me.
That was my biggest problem with the story. I think I could have enjoyed it a lot if it had been longer and actually expanded on the story. As it was, it had a prologue that was much too long and detailed for a prologue even on a much longer novel, only this one was on a much shorter story. Then the actual story was too brief and unbelievable to really get into. I suppose you could use the argument that it's supposed to be a fairy tale more than anything, and fairy tales are often like that. I don't like that argument though because even fairy tales should be believable. I just wish that there had been more to the story so that I could have actually connected to the characters and enjoyed their journey much more than I did.
I received a copy of this book for free from Story Cartel in exchange for an honest review.
http://hmweasley-blog.blogspot.com/20...
March 5, 2016
Review Posted at Rachael Turns Pages
This novel was beautiful, absolutely beautiful! I fell in love! The Subtle Beauty is a unique retelling of Beauty and the Beast where Glory is our Belle and the cursed Prince Eoghan, the beast.
Glory thinks that she has found her true love and the man she will marry, but the King's Falconer, Colin is no fit for a princess as lovely as Princess Glory. King Balthazaar announces Glory's bettothal to Prince Eoghan of the Blood Realm and Glory's world is turned upside down. Nobody has seen prince Eoghan for years. He is said to be recluse. Glory's heart remains with Colin and she plans to marry Colin as she had originally planned.
When Glory's plan is turned upside down she leads a life full of surprises. She discovers an insulting gryphon, Xander the terrible king, and no prince to be found. Princess Glory can't find why she ever was betrothal if she is never to meet her prince, but will prince Glory be able to overcome her vanity and see that true beauty can not always be seen on the surface, but lies within.
This story was beautiful from beginning to end. I was enamored by Glory's story. At the beginning I was in love with her relationship with Colin, but later in the story I saw the beauty in the beast. I was interested in Glory's relationship with Eoghan. I also loved the unique personalities of each of Glory's sisters and how their father was only worried about their best interests although they might not see it at first. The ending was everything I could have wanted for Glory and more although it didn't seem like there was going to be anything happy about this ending only pages before. This was a rather short story and it was totally worth reading. I can't wait to dive into more fairy tale retellings with this author.
This novel was beautiful, absolutely beautiful! I fell in love! The Subtle Beauty is a unique retelling of Beauty and the Beast where Glory is our Belle and the cursed Prince Eoghan, the beast.
Glory thinks that she has found her true love and the man she will marry, but the King's Falconer, Colin is no fit for a princess as lovely as Princess Glory. King Balthazaar announces Glory's bettothal to Prince Eoghan of the Blood Realm and Glory's world is turned upside down. Nobody has seen prince Eoghan for years. He is said to be recluse. Glory's heart remains with Colin and she plans to marry Colin as she had originally planned.
When Glory's plan is turned upside down she leads a life full of surprises. She discovers an insulting gryphon, Xander the terrible king, and no prince to be found. Princess Glory can't find why she ever was betrothal if she is never to meet her prince, but will prince Glory be able to overcome her vanity and see that true beauty can not always be seen on the surface, but lies within.
This story was beautiful from beginning to end. I was enamored by Glory's story. At the beginning I was in love with her relationship with Colin, but later in the story I saw the beauty in the beast. I was interested in Glory's relationship with Eoghan. I also loved the unique personalities of each of Glory's sisters and how their father was only worried about their best interests although they might not see it at first. The ending was everything I could have wanted for Glory and more although it didn't seem like there was going to be anything happy about this ending only pages before. This was a rather short story and it was totally worth reading. I can't wait to dive into more fairy tale retellings with this author.
December 17, 2021
This is the first I have read by Ann Hunter, it will not be the last! I was drawn into her story-telling very nicely. I felt like a child sitting near the fireplace as grandma told a tale. Coming from a 40 yr old...that is a magical place to return to! I thank the author for that wonderful gift.
I am usually a fan of Adult level books as I find the lower levels to be lacking in details or without enough depth to the story. The Subtle Beauty is geared for middle grade to YA readers, so I was surprised to find myself visualizing it all so well. Ms. Hunter has a very good understanding for how and when to use words. I see where this would be a very good book to help young readers learn some new vocabulary. One might say that she has done a decent job at making the words count (not so much the count of her words, a trap many writers fall into). Since I am an adult there are a few places where logic does not flow as smoothly for me. However that is the wonderful thing about fiction, it does not need to make sense all the time. I would have liked to know more from Prince Eoghan's perspective, to understand his mind a little more. Princess Glory I did not always like, but found her a believable character. Colin I enjoyed and felt like I understood him most. The twist the tale takes was hard for me due to that.
Any person that does follow my reviews knows that I do NOT give spoilers. I like to enjoy my experience with a book...it is my choice to extend that same respect to fellows readers. What I will say is this: if you like any of the Grimm Tales, if you are a fan of Disney fairy tales, if you are a dreamer...you should enjoy this fun little book! As with the Parables of the Bible and Aesop's Fables this book has a purpose in mind, lessons to learn. If the author has accomplished that...well, you decide. I am moving on to Moonlight, a novella telling the story which happened BEFORE The Subtle Beauty. :)
I am usually a fan of Adult level books as I find the lower levels to be lacking in details or without enough depth to the story. The Subtle Beauty is geared for middle grade to YA readers, so I was surprised to find myself visualizing it all so well. Ms. Hunter has a very good understanding for how and when to use words. I see where this would be a very good book to help young readers learn some new vocabulary. One might say that she has done a decent job at making the words count (not so much the count of her words, a trap many writers fall into). Since I am an adult there are a few places where logic does not flow as smoothly for me. However that is the wonderful thing about fiction, it does not need to make sense all the time. I would have liked to know more from Prince Eoghan's perspective, to understand his mind a little more. Princess Glory I did not always like, but found her a believable character. Colin I enjoyed and felt like I understood him most. The twist the tale takes was hard for me due to that.
Any person that does follow my reviews knows that I do NOT give spoilers. I like to enjoy my experience with a book...it is my choice to extend that same respect to fellows readers. What I will say is this: if you like any of the Grimm Tales, if you are a fan of Disney fairy tales, if you are a dreamer...you should enjoy this fun little book! As with the Parables of the Bible and Aesop's Fables this book has a purpose in mind, lessons to learn. If the author has accomplished that...well, you decide. I am moving on to Moonlight, a novella telling the story which happened BEFORE The Subtle Beauty. :)
March 10, 2014
I received this book from Story Cartel in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This is a retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast but I would say that it is more the 'old' story (La Belle et la Bete. Par Madame de Villeneuve), not the Disney version. Glory is very vain indeed although she is still young. However, this story is set in olden times when girls were living very different lives to now at a young age. I can honestly say that I really didn't like Glory until very near the end. She has to grow up a lot and make decisions that will affect her life. Eoghan is her perfect partner although that doesn't mean that everything is sweetness and light.
The beauty of this book is in its subtleties although I'm sure some of them passed me by. One thing that I'm not sure of is whether the dagger that Colin was given by his father, was actually made of one of the shards of the original sword that shattered. I think it was especially with the descriptions given of how it made him feel but it isn't very clear.
I enjoyed this story and can definitely see it as part of a series as the world is very well written. It is obviously somewhere where the author spends a lot of time. An author to look out for.
http://archaeolibrarianologist.blogsp...
This is a retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast but I would say that it is more the 'old' story (La Belle et la Bete. Par Madame de Villeneuve), not the Disney version. Glory is very vain indeed although she is still young. However, this story is set in olden times when girls were living very different lives to now at a young age. I can honestly say that I really didn't like Glory until very near the end. She has to grow up a lot and make decisions that will affect her life. Eoghan is her perfect partner although that doesn't mean that everything is sweetness and light.
The beauty of this book is in its subtleties although I'm sure some of them passed me by. One thing that I'm not sure of is whether the dagger that Colin was given by his father, was actually made of one of the shards of the original sword that shattered. I think it was especially with the descriptions given of how it made him feel but it isn't very clear.
I enjoyed this story and can definitely see it as part of a series as the world is very well written. It is obviously somewhere where the author spends a lot of time. An author to look out for.
http://archaeolibrarianologist.blogsp...
January 20, 2014
The subtle Beauty, Wow! When sleep is a necessary burden, just one more page, one more page. This Medieval tale flows imaginatively through the twelve kingdoms with a lilt, & celtic flair.
A heroine who starts out as a vain little beast becomes as beautiful on the inside as well as lovely in appearance. Her love interest Colin's courage and tenacity gives the book substance. Xander turning from good to evil stands as a warning to us all. Characters who teach morals, courage, and love give one the ability to suspend our disbelief, slipping to a realm of fantasy and intrigue.
I judge books by vocab, new, unknown, and obscure words. How many times I need a dictionary. I loved the Irish words, the unusual names, the feeling of flowing back in time to my own Irish roots. This articulate piece drew me back to my youth lying in a field reading Shakespeare, E.A.Poe, Avalon, Old World lit. & Poetry.
Ann artfully weaves a tale of innocent romance, time honored morals,adventure and fantasy. Check it out!
A heroine who starts out as a vain little beast becomes as beautiful on the inside as well as lovely in appearance. Her love interest Colin's courage and tenacity gives the book substance. Xander turning from good to evil stands as a warning to us all. Characters who teach morals, courage, and love give one the ability to suspend our disbelief, slipping to a realm of fantasy and intrigue.
I judge books by vocab, new, unknown, and obscure words. How many times I need a dictionary. I loved the Irish words, the unusual names, the feeling of flowing back in time to my own Irish roots. This articulate piece drew me back to my youth lying in a field reading Shakespeare, E.A.Poe, Avalon, Old World lit. & Poetry.
Ann artfully weaves a tale of innocent romance, time honored morals,adventure and fantasy. Check it out!
April 3, 2016
I read a nice entertaining book this evening. I thought it would be a silly romance novel, but I was pleasantly surprised. There was royalty, mystical creatures, romance, war, magic, danger lurking in the shadows, and an ending that totally surprised me. I liked author Ann Hunter's writing style. She kept a nice steady pace throughout the book. I was never bored, nor did I have to wait long for the story to become interesting.
For those of you that know me, reading a book takes a huge effort. It if doesn't capture my attention and keep my attention, then I put the book down with no desire to pick it up again. This book is suitable for ages 4th grade on up in my opinion. I really enjoyed it. You can get your copy here http://www.amazon.com/Subtle-Beauty-C...
#CrownsoftheTwelve
I received a free digital copy of A Subtle Beauty for my honest review of the product.
For those of you that know me, reading a book takes a huge effort. It if doesn't capture my attention and keep my attention, then I put the book down with no desire to pick it up again. This book is suitable for ages 4th grade on up in my opinion. I really enjoyed it. You can get your copy here http://www.amazon.com/Subtle-Beauty-C...
#CrownsoftheTwelve
I received a free digital copy of A Subtle Beauty for my honest review of the product.
October 26, 2014
The Subtle Beauty is a twist on the classic Beauty & The Beast tale. Princess Glory is the most beautiful princess in the Twelve Kingdoms, but her vanity sometimes causes her to behave like a beast. That changes when she meets a sweet, arrogant, and ugly gryphon who teaches her that outer beauty isn't everything. The danger of becoming obsessed with beauty is also echoed in the book's subplot. Xander and Colin both own beautiful enchanted swords that cause their owners to behave like beasts. There are so many twists in this book that you'll never know what's going to happen next. I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes twisted fairytales, Celtic mythological creatures, paranormal stories, or sword and sorcery fiction.
March 23, 2014
Another fairytale with a twist, but this one stays within the realm of fairytales.
The author took me on a journey with Beauty where I was okay with her, then I didn't like her. Moving onto despising her and then heartbroken for her.
The final resolution was a bit rushed for me, but I still enjoyed it.
I will be checking out her other works.
The author took me on a journey with Beauty where I was okay with her, then I didn't like her. Moving onto despising her and then heartbroken for her.
The final resolution was a bit rushed for me, but I still enjoyed it.
I will be checking out her other works.
December 3, 2015
Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my all time favourite fairy tales and i love reading retellings of it.I really enjoyed this adaptation of Beauty and the Beast with interesting twists to the plot,here we find our Beauty as vain and the cursed Beast as amusing which i found it amusing and interesting read to me!
Thoroughly good,easy and a quick read!
Thoroughly good,easy and a quick read!
October 21, 2014
A retelling of Beauty and the Beast, one of my favorite fairy tales. It is a great take on it and, I liked this book a lot better than Moonlight by the same author. The characters are much more complex and the story flows better. I would definitely recommend this to others.
October 14, 2018
Great story, really enjoy it.
The story starts with Xander and his wife, a Celtic Princess, Aowyn. They are very much in love and excited about the baby that will soon be born. The gods show Aowyn the baby in a vision. They show her “Eoghan, prince of the future Crown Realm”. She tells Xander that he will have a son. Because his wife is a princess his son will be a prince. He’s consumed with finding a way to give his son a better inheritance. He want to provide more than the small, decrepit Blackthorn Keep as his son only inheritance. Xander believes a prince should have “provinces to govern and kingdoms to rule.”
He has nothing to offer for an arrange marriage with one of the 12 Kingdoms Kings, or incentives to make allies. Xander goes to Sylas Mortas, an evil warlock. He procures Idegwaed. Xander’s compulsion destroys kingdoms, his wife, and curses his son.
Idegwaed ends in a burst of shards that shoot out in twelve directions (kingdoms?).
High King of the Twelve Kingdoms has seven daughters, the youngest is Glory. Her six sisters have had arranged engagements/marriages and they constantly complain how unhappy they are. Glory wants to marry for love, unlike her sisters.
Since she was a young child Glory has had Colin as friend and playmate. She uses the “Princess” card to get him to do what she wants. They played together, explored together, and got into childish trouble together. As they get older Colin and Glory believe they are in love.
She and Colin have planned for a while to elope and live happy ever after. During Lucullia’s wedding they agree to meet at midnight to elope. It is at the wedding her father announces the betrothal of Princess Glory to Prince Eoghan. Glory does run away but not quite according to her plan.
Glory’s beauty has been sung throughout all the kingdoms. She is very vain.
When Glory arrives at Blackthorn she meets a gryphon who tells Xander to send her back. The gryphon is rude and insulting; he tells her not to confuse beauty with vanity.
She is led by a ghost for her to overheard Xander and the gryphon talking. One of these conversations she believes what she hears is a plot to take the High King’s throne.
Colin is obsessed with getting Glory back, even after being told she did not love him anymore; even if murder is the only way.
Why was Mortas willing to give Xander Idegwaed? What was the relationship between Xander and Idegwaed? Why exactly was Eoghan cursed? Could there be a correlation between, Ilyndiil, the blade Colin’s father gave him, and Idegwaed? Why does Glory come to see Colin as a monster? What happened after Colin attacks the gryphon?
The story starts with Xander and his wife, a Celtic Princess, Aowyn. They are very much in love and excited about the baby that will soon be born. The gods show Aowyn the baby in a vision. They show her “Eoghan, prince of the future Crown Realm”. She tells Xander that he will have a son. Because his wife is a princess his son will be a prince. He’s consumed with finding a way to give his son a better inheritance. He want to provide more than the small, decrepit Blackthorn Keep as his son only inheritance. Xander believes a prince should have “provinces to govern and kingdoms to rule.”
He has nothing to offer for an arrange marriage with one of the 12 Kingdoms Kings, or incentives to make allies. Xander goes to Sylas Mortas, an evil warlock. He procures Idegwaed. Xander’s compulsion destroys kingdoms, his wife, and curses his son.
Idegwaed ends in a burst of shards that shoot out in twelve directions (kingdoms?).
High King of the Twelve Kingdoms has seven daughters, the youngest is Glory. Her six sisters have had arranged engagements/marriages and they constantly complain how unhappy they are. Glory wants to marry for love, unlike her sisters.
Since she was a young child Glory has had Colin as friend and playmate. She uses the “Princess” card to get him to do what she wants. They played together, explored together, and got into childish trouble together. As they get older Colin and Glory believe they are in love.
She and Colin have planned for a while to elope and live happy ever after. During Lucullia’s wedding they agree to meet at midnight to elope. It is at the wedding her father announces the betrothal of Princess Glory to Prince Eoghan. Glory does run away but not quite according to her plan.
Glory’s beauty has been sung throughout all the kingdoms. She is very vain.
When Glory arrives at Blackthorn she meets a gryphon who tells Xander to send her back. The gryphon is rude and insulting; he tells her not to confuse beauty with vanity.
She is led by a ghost for her to overheard Xander and the gryphon talking. One of these conversations she believes what she hears is a plot to take the High King’s throne.
Colin is obsessed with getting Glory back, even after being told she did not love him anymore; even if murder is the only way.
Why was Mortas willing to give Xander Idegwaed? What was the relationship between Xander and Idegwaed? Why exactly was Eoghan cursed? Could there be a correlation between, Ilyndiil, the blade Colin’s father gave him, and Idegwaed? Why does Glory come to see Colin as a monster? What happened after Colin attacks the gryphon?
October 13, 2017
A tale of woe, power, enchantment, and tragedy in Blackthorn Keep, Morgorth swamp, and Winterholme. The birth of a son was soon to be expected for Xander and Princess Aowyn. The fortress of Blackthorn Keep was deteriorating and the small plot of land was measly for the right-to-be Prince. Leading to Sylas Mortas of Morgorth Swamp, helping Xander with gaining numerous land, by giving an enchanted falchion with a mind of its own. The conquest was successful. However, tragedy struck.
The story takes a turn momentarily and Princess Glory of Twelve Kingdoms is introduced. She and her friend Colin are playing in the forest, when a hole out of nowhere opens up. A donestre attacks them, Colin loses the falchion in the process of him and Glory surviving the ordeal. Years passed by, Glory and Colin has fallen in love. One day, Balthazar, the High King of the Twelve Kingdoms announced his daughter Glory’s betrothal to Eoghan, the son of Xander. Fuming, Glory plots her escape to elope with Colin. With the help of her sisters, she leaves without being detected. Glory soon finds out she was tricked. Colin later learned from Glory’s sisters that their dad knew about him and Glory’s relationship and their plan to elope, which they do not approve of. Colin was left to fend for himself to save Glory from Blackthorm Keep. Ironically, As Colin was passing through Morgorth Swamp, he fell into a dark hole and found his blade, Illyndiil. Time passed, Glory and the gryphon got acquainted, and truth of the Prince Eoghan was told. Colin was insistent on saving Glory and hired men to help him.
Read Ann Hunter’s book, Subtle Beauty to find out about the concise details of the story.
The story takes a turn momentarily and Princess Glory of Twelve Kingdoms is introduced. She and her friend Colin are playing in the forest, when a hole out of nowhere opens up. A donestre attacks them, Colin loses the falchion in the process of him and Glory surviving the ordeal. Years passed by, Glory and Colin has fallen in love. One day, Balthazar, the High King of the Twelve Kingdoms announced his daughter Glory’s betrothal to Eoghan, the son of Xander. Fuming, Glory plots her escape to elope with Colin. With the help of her sisters, she leaves without being detected. Glory soon finds out she was tricked. Colin later learned from Glory’s sisters that their dad knew about him and Glory’s relationship and their plan to elope, which they do not approve of. Colin was left to fend for himself to save Glory from Blackthorm Keep. Ironically, As Colin was passing through Morgorth Swamp, he fell into a dark hole and found his blade, Illyndiil. Time passed, Glory and the gryphon got acquainted, and truth of the Prince Eoghan was told. Colin was insistent on saving Glory and hired men to help him.
Read Ann Hunter’s book, Subtle Beauty to find out about the concise details of the story.
January 14, 2017
Too many cliches. This might be okay for younger readers (middle schoolers maybe?).
The use of "in to" vs "into" was wrong 99% of the time.
The passage of time was confusing; this book needs editing for the story to flow better. For instance, Glory is taken to live with her betrothed and a month goes by in her time line. The next chapter takes us back to "the next day" from Colin's perspective and then the story goes forward from there so that when we see Glory again, that month never passed and we're back to about a week after she arrived at her new home.
The ending also has me questioning the passage of time as Glory doesn't seem to age using a standard calendar. It's a year after the "climax event" and it's her 15th birthday - but when she leaves home, she's already 14. Maybe I read something wrong and have things really confused... but that this bothers me has me believe something is wrong in the timeline.
The various parts of the book don't connect very well. The characters aren't developed well and have confusing personality shifts. The motivations to have characters be "evil" then "good" then "concerned" or "selfish" ... other than needing to be that way because the plot requires them to act a particular way at the time hurts the story also.
The setting puts us in a land of fantasy, but also references real-world history. The Celtic references in the beginning feel out of place when looking at the book as a whole. I wish I could have liked the book more as a fractured fairy tale, but it doesn't sit well with me.
The use of "in to" vs "into" was wrong 99% of the time.
The passage of time was confusing; this book needs editing for the story to flow better. For instance, Glory is taken to live with her betrothed and a month goes by in her time line. The next chapter takes us back to "the next day" from Colin's perspective and then the story goes forward from there so that when we see Glory again, that month never passed and we're back to about a week after she arrived at her new home.
The ending also has me questioning the passage of time as Glory doesn't seem to age using a standard calendar. It's a year after the "climax event" and it's her 15th birthday - but when she leaves home, she's already 14. Maybe I read something wrong and have things really confused... but that this bothers me has me believe something is wrong in the timeline.
The various parts of the book don't connect very well. The characters aren't developed well and have confusing personality shifts. The motivations to have characters be "evil" then "good" then "concerned" or "selfish" ... other than needing to be that way because the plot requires them to act a particular way at the time hurts the story also.
The setting puts us in a land of fantasy, but also references real-world history. The Celtic references in the beginning feel out of place when looking at the book as a whole. I wish I could have liked the book more as a fractured fairy tale, but it doesn't sit well with me.
December 11, 2017
Full review found here
This story had an appeal to me because it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling- a fairy tale which I adore. This particular one was much different than others I have seen, but it still was a beautiful tale of romance.
Glory and Colin, childhood sweethearts, seek to elope the same night it is announced that Glory is betrothed to a prince said to be cursed. When Glory ends up at Blackthorn keep, she wants nothing more than for Colin to come to her rescue, and he's trying his best to make it there to save Glory. But a Gryphon is guarding Glory at the castle, and he only insults her as the days go by. But the longer Glory stays at the castle, the more she realizes that everything isn't as it seems.
With the sisters each seeming to represent one of the seven deadly sins, with Glory's as vanity, this story takes us on a journey of how the person we think we love isn't always the best choice for us, and how other people can see the best, and the worst, in us. It's a unique re-telling of of the classic Beauty and the Beast story in which "Beauty" isn't the kind, selfless girl that we know, but a vain, spoiled brat that also needs to be saved in the end. This story has its downsides, but for a short quick read, this book definitely does it's job at defining true love.
This story had an appeal to me because it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling- a fairy tale which I adore. This particular one was much different than others I have seen, but it still was a beautiful tale of romance.
Glory and Colin, childhood sweethearts, seek to elope the same night it is announced that Glory is betrothed to a prince said to be cursed. When Glory ends up at Blackthorn keep, she wants nothing more than for Colin to come to her rescue, and he's trying his best to make it there to save Glory. But a Gryphon is guarding Glory at the castle, and he only insults her as the days go by. But the longer Glory stays at the castle, the more she realizes that everything isn't as it seems.
With the sisters each seeming to represent one of the seven deadly sins, with Glory's as vanity, this story takes us on a journey of how the person we think we love isn't always the best choice for us, and how other people can see the best, and the worst, in us. It's a unique re-telling of of the classic Beauty and the Beast story in which "Beauty" isn't the kind, selfless girl that we know, but a vain, spoiled brat that also needs to be saved in the end. This story has its downsides, but for a short quick read, this book definitely does it's job at defining true love.
June 7, 2019
A cursed prince. A vain beauty. Glory is the seventh daughter of Balthazar, High King of the Twelve Kingdoms. Glory hopes that - of all her sisters - she can escape the fate of a loveless marriage. But on the night she plans to elope with the royal falconer, her world comes crashing down: Her father announces Glory's betrothal to Eoghan of the Blood Realm - a prince no one has ever seen. The prince is said to be a recluse, cursed and deformed by the gods for the sins of his power-hungry father. Yet when Glory is trapped in Blackthorn Keep she discovers that not everything is what she expected. An insulting gryphon, a persistent ghost, and a secret plan to usurp the prince keep Glory reeling. Can she overcome her vanity to learn that what you want isn’t necessarily what you need—and save the cursed prince?
The Subtle Beauty is a twist on the classic Beauty & The Beast tale.
There was royalty, mystical creatures, romance, war, magic, danger lurking in the shadows, and an ending that totally surprised me.
The author went into great detail about the curse background which was great.
I enjoyed the characters and the world creation.
Found this very well written.
Really enjoyed.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Subtle Beauty is a twist on the classic Beauty & The Beast tale.
There was royalty, mystical creatures, romance, war, magic, danger lurking in the shadows, and an ending that totally surprised me.
The author went into great detail about the curse background which was great.
I enjoyed the characters and the world creation.
Found this very well written.
Really enjoyed.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
April 26, 2020
“Pain makes you stronger. Tears make you braver. Heartbreak makes you wiser. And ale makes you forget it all.”
-Xander
First things, first! The prologue was boring and it felt eternal. But once you get that over with the story picks up, and it was beautiful. The text itself is well written and the plot engaging. It felt familiar of course, but not in the way that makes you go “ugh, this is the same old thing”.
Truly enjoyable retelling of the Beauty and the Beast, without falling too much into cliches.
I would have liked to give this book a higher rating but there just was something that didn’t allow me to do it; maybe it was the ending, maybe the prologue... but in the end the truth is it left me with this not quite right feeling that doesn’t let me give it more.
So a 3/5 is what I’ll go with.
-Xander
First things, first! The prologue was boring and it felt eternal. But once you get that over with the story picks up, and it was beautiful. The text itself is well written and the plot engaging. It felt familiar of course, but not in the way that makes you go “ugh, this is the same old thing”.
Truly enjoyable retelling of the Beauty and the Beast, without falling too much into cliches.
I would have liked to give this book a higher rating but there just was something that didn’t allow me to do it; maybe it was the ending, maybe the prologue... but in the end the truth is it left me with this not quite right feeling that doesn’t let me give it more.
So a 3/5 is what I’ll go with.
February 18, 2021
To all its readers, The Subtle Beauty is obviously unrealistic. I was never swept into its story, captured by its characters, convinced in my heart that anything was happening.
Yet, somehow... I smile. The slight twists on Beauty and the Beast--in a land where no one is truly evil, regardless of the myths and backstories and plots we hear--culminate in a 'happily ever after' hard to measure up to.
Yet, somehow... I smile. The slight twists on Beauty and the Beast--in a land where no one is truly evil, regardless of the myths and backstories and plots we hear--culminate in a 'happily ever after' hard to measure up to.
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