Wilting Captive

The Ruby Realm #2

by Abigail Manning

A duchess, a beast, and a castle full of hungry hostages...
A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Duchess Mirabel Brantley has spent nearly all her life being sheltered due to her fragile health. With no hope of ever living the life of adventure she dreamed of, Mira agrees to an arranged marriage with the neighboring duke of Dhurin. Their betrothal celebration might have been pleasant if they didn’t already despise each other, but it also might have helped if the entire party wasn’t taken hostage...
The ex-prince Conan has been left beaten and scarred after his partnership with the criminal group, the beasts. With a hunger for vengeance against the Ruby Realm and a never-ending craving for power, Conan seizes the entire Dhurin castle with the help of an enchanted gift. His terms are simple; hand over Dhurin, and the hostages live. Refuse and... well, the guests will learn why he was favored by the beasts.
Mira is a prisoner at her own party, but they might not be in as much trouble as they thought when a lone caster offers up her powers as protection. With the ability to cast her magic into living plants, the caster selects a simple rose to contain her gift. With only the dwindling lifespan of a rose keeping the hostages from being torn apart, it’s only a matter of time before matters get grim. Can Mira convince their captor to set them free before their time runs out? Or will they simply wilt with their rose?

The Ruby Realm is a collection of clean, intercepting stories, best enjoyed when read as a series.
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Genres: Beauty and The Beast, Fairy Tales, Retellings, Fairy Tale Retellings, Fantasy, Magic

291 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 13, 2022

Reviews

[Marquise]

Oh, I see. One more for the Kidnapped Falls for Kidnapper pile. Some folks really need to read the original fairy tale with an eye for what it's telling instead of slapping its plotline into some cliché kinky romances.

[Tricia Mingerink · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting retelling of Beauty and the Beast! it leans hard into the kidnapping / captivity part of the story. Which did make it a bit hard to really root for the romance since Conan definitely had PROBLEMS at the start of the story. He grows, and he does have a good redemption arc in this book. The twist at the end definitely surprised me.

The inclusion of celiac was a nice touch. I appreciated reading a book with food issues rep, having recently discovered food allergies of my own (different from celiac, but still leaves me always have to assess if I dare eat the food when I go out).

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!!! Abigail's books are so unique, while kinda staying true to the story. I absolutely love all the little changes in this story. I love the disability inclusion, and the FMC is strong, and I love her personality. Overall, this book shined, and I couldn't put it down! Sooo good!

[Mildly Mad Hatter]

DNF @ 31%
The idea behind this was interesting, and if it had been any other guy, it would have been good. But Conan... nope. He is not a good guy; he was in the Emerald Realms series by the same author. He kills people, including trying to kill his father. In this one, the main female character is the sister of the guy from the first book in this series, who he left to be eaten by wolves. Plus, he kidnapped his future sister-in-law several times. Where I left off, he had trapped a bunch of people in a room and was slowly starving them, and his dead father's voice was telling him to kill the main girl character. Even if he does get a redemption arch in the end, he just has too much history for me to like him.

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reader’s Notes:

– this is part of a series, but can be read as a stand-alone

– this is told from Conan & Mirabel’s points of view

– Mira has Celiac disease (though no one knows of this disease during the timeline of this book so they refer to it as an allergy to wheat; this is mentioned in the author’s note)

– there is fantasy violence

Review:

I loved this Beauty and the Beast retelling! I got sucked into the story straight away! When I finished and thought back on the characters/plot, I saw so many skilled twists on the tale that made this such a great story! I loved Mira’s spunk and her determination to not step down when challenged. I loved that Conan wasn’t sure what to do when Mira got like that! I also loved that Conan got some redemption from his past (his past can be found throughout the Emerald Realm series as well as the first book from this series). And I loved that it was a very believable change in him and his actions. There was so much intrigue, secrets, and suspicious things that made this story entertaining and made me sit on the edge of my seat looking for more! I can’t wait to see what happens in the next story!

Summary:

Mirabel is a duchess who must marry for her province but has very little prospects with her health concerns to worry about. So when the neighboring province of Dhurin accepts a betrothal with her, Mirabel’s parents are ecstatic and quick to arrange a meeting and celebration with the soon-to-be duke of Dhurin. But when they arrive in Dhurin for the betrothal celebration, Mirabel is far from thrilled with her the man she is meant to marry. It certainly doesn’t help their situation when Mirabel and the guests are trapped by a beast with only her betrothed for help on the outside, who Mirabel doubts will do much since he’s proven more likely to look out for himself rather than the province and people he will soon be in charge of. If they are going to have any chance of getting out of there alive, Mirabel must take charge and look for a way out for the people in his stead. And while the people no longer have to fear injury from their captor due to an enchanted rose, their hope in it is already beginning to fail, for each day the cut rose dies just a bit more and the circle of protection weaved through it grows smaller…

Conan is an ex-prince who is determined to have the power that comes with being in control. Though he has failed in the past, Conan will have his throne. So when given a parting gift of magic from the king spreading fear throughout the realm, Conan seizes his chance at a foothold in Dhurin. With luck on his side, he manages to capture hostages from a celebration to use as leverage. Though they seem to have a castor who makes them a protection spell, Conan will not be stopped. He will have his way, even if he has to wait them out…

[Mary Mecham · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Immersive and Engaging Beauty and the Beast Retelling

I LOVED the magic system in this series- it absolutely fascinates me! But even more than that, I LOVED the unexpected twists and turns that this book had in its plot. I was so sure I knew who the real villain was all along, only to be surprised at the end and eager for book 3!

Abigail Manning does a wonderful job of developing the main characters in her gripping story, sprinkled with cameo appearances from old favorites. This fairy tale retelling was a unique and refreshing take on Beauty and the Beast, and I always adore a good enemies-to-lovers book, so I was very satisfied with how this story progressed.

One aspect of Abigail's books that I always love is how completely immersive the imagery is. At no point did I have to wonder about what the setting or characters looked like, and the language was so rich and descriptive that I found myself binge reading the book in one sitting (okay, I do that with all of her books).

I had so many questions as I went throughout the book that kept me riveted- how will the captives escape? What will happen once the rose died? What in Conan's past caused him such intense emotional turmoil? Is forgiveness ever possible? How will he answer for his (many) crimes? How many more clueless men will Mira punch or slap? All enjoyable questions for me to ponder that my brain would not let me forget long enough to do laundry (hence the binge reading)

Another aspect that was especially enjoyable was the Celiac Disease awareness that was incorporated throughout the book. Though I knew what it was, I had never seen it represented in a work of fiction like this before with so much accuracy, and I felt a little more educated about what having that diagnosis would entail, along with some of the frustrations that would accompany such an issue.

This is an excellent read for anyone who wants a fresh take on Beauty and the Beast while still enjoying all of the traditional aspects- an enchanted rose, a magic mirror, a beast in a castle, and a beautiful woman who can save the day.

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay for Conan

I knew Conan had to have a happy ever after. If everyone else redeemed themselves, surely he could've too. And I'm so happy he did. Loved how it all worked out in the end

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual review: 2.5 stars

(Spoilers uncovered because that's the only way you'll understand the full ire and sarcasm with which I wrote this)

~~~

Have you ever thought that your family dynamics were weird? Perhaps if one sibling starts dating another's ex? Well, fear not because I can guarantee that's not the weirdest family dynamic you could have. May I present: Marrying Your Brother and Sister-in-Law's Kidnapper!!!!!

That's right, folks! It is now perfectly acceptable to MARRY someone who has kidnapped your brother, sister-in-law, and now you! Holding a room of 50 people hostage? Swoony! Attempting to kill you? Dreamy! Killed at least 10 people in the past? Be still, my heart!

Introduction

Okay, now don't get me wrong. The underlying theme of this book is that people can change and deserve a second-chance to prove themselves, regardless of their past sins. I don't disagree with this. Humans are capable of immense growth if they choose to better themselves. Watching Conan reject his upbringing and atone for his past crimes was great to read. Mira proved to be just the right person to encourage Conan to believe and accept himself. However, this doesn't mean that you should easily and completely trust them. Maybe this is my extraordinary pessimism manifesting itself again, but if someone held a knife to my throat threatening to kill me, I wouldn't blindly trust them just because they took care of me when I was throwing up.

Reading this book was mind-boggling to me. My parents didn't let me do gymnastics when I was a kid because they were worried I'd hurt myself. Well, it all worked out in the end because I was doing some Level 10 mental gymnastics reading this. Part of the problem was that I didn't relate to or empathize with any of the characters, but also my disbelief was so unsuspended that I couldn't invest in the story. Unlike the countless other B&B retellings I've read, in this book "the beast" character actually needs some serious redemption. Conan is a murderous terrorist, and the whole time while reading I could not understand how the author was going to justify Mira falling in love with someone like that, even if he does have a change of heart. It's great that Conan wants to change. That does not nullify his past crimes and all the people he's hurt.

Much like the first book in the series, Crimson Claws: A Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, the most positive (and possibly only positive) thing I can say about this book is that it is creative. It takes elements of the original fairy tale and restructures them to be implemented in a new and original way. I now understand why the first book was so gung-ho about referring to Conan as "the beast" because in this book he fills the "beast" role. The subversion of the rose's purpose was very clever, both in how it's initially presented to the reader and it's ultimate contribution to the plot. There were a couple more things that I remember liking, I just can't think of any of them now. That's about all I can say about this book without getting into my issues with it.

Writing

Before we even address the characters or plot, there are some edits that the book could've used to make it easier to read. The chapters needed to indicate somehow whose POV we were in. Each chapter is told in 1st POV by either Mira or Conan. However, there is no title or anything to convey whose POV we're in. This got especially confusing because the chapters weren't consistent. At first they alternated every other chapter between Mira and Conan. But about halfway through the book, we'd start getting consecutive chapters told from one person's POV. Or the POV would switch in the middle of a chapter (indicated by a horizontal line through the page). Sometimes, the characters were in situations that the beginning of the chapter could be either character but you didn't know who. This is a very simple fix. Underneath "Chapter Twenty" just write either "Mira" or "Conan".

Like I said in my review for the first book, "beasts" and "griffins" NEED to be capitalized. Not just because they are being used as proper nouns to represent the terrorist groups, but also to stave off ambiguity. Conan is "a Beast" sure, but he's also "a beast" in this book. Even though he no longer works for the Beasts, the way he acts in the book is quite beastly. You see what I'm getting at? Also like my review for the first book, the characters use words that I believe they would have no way of knowing. Mira says "endorphins" twice (in the context of, "I did ___ and felt endorphins rush through me") and Conan says "tuberculosis". How, in Colonel Sanders' name, do the characters know what these medical terms are? If the characters don't have a word (much less an understanding) for Mira's Celiac disease, how do they know what TB is? I'm not saying that this world would refer to Celiac disease as such, but it's constantly being referred to as some strange allergy (I'm not even going to touch on how they know what an allergy is). Don't get me wrong, I thought it was cool that Mira has Celiac disease, I don't think I've ever read a book where the MC has it. I just don't like the inconsistency of the characters' knowledge base.

Worldbuilding

The worldbuilding was...okay. I haven't read The Emerald Realm series, nor was I aware that this series is its sequel/companion series. Enough is explained in the books that I don't feel like my knowledge of the world is incomplete or that I'm missing crucial backstory. I'm sure it would help to have that backstory, but you're fine if you don't. That being said, I think if I had known more about Conan's backstory I would've dislike this book earlier than I did. Before we get to that, I need to finish what I was getting to with the worldbuilding.

A big plot point is that Mira teaches Conan the local language, Rubian, in exchange for food (more on that later too). I think it's cool and commendable that we get to see Conan learn a new language because we all know how hard it is to learn a new language. What I don't buy is that he learned it in a month, even though they never even finished learning the alphabet. There is a scene where Mira and Conan each write out their own country's alphabet and then compare the two for similarities. They do ONE letter (the letter E) before Conan gets frustrated (or something, I don't remember what happened) and leaves. THEN when Mira and Conan run into each other in the library, Mira has Conan sound out words in the books even though THEY NEVER FINISHED LEARNING THE ALPHABET. By the end of the book, about a month later, he is proficient in it and STOPS SPEAKING HIS NATIVE LANGUAGE ENTIRELY. The characters make a big fuss about how, "oH mAyBe oUr LanGuAgeS AreN'T aS dIfFereNt aS We ThouGHT" but I don't think that would mean you become proficient and stop speaking your other language completely?! MAYBE I'm being an American Idiot right now, but my understanding of the worldbuilding is that the two Realms' languages are different enough that they're on completely different alphabets. The analogy I made in my mind was that Conan's language-learning experience was like an English-Greek difference, not an Italian-Spanish one. One of those pairs are both Romance languages and are very similar, the other pair uses different alphabets. And for Conan to pick up the language in A MONTH with NO ACCENT? I don't believe it. I lived in Greece for 6 weeks (longer than the duration of this book's plot) and took Greek lessons, and by the time I left the only thing I could do was order my coffee in Greek. I'm proficient in Spanish now, but it took me FOUR YEARS. I understand that some people are gifted in languages and that my experience does not represent everyone one, but you have to understand this book and why I cannot accept that Conan learned the language in a month.

THAT STUPID GOLD CHARM. These charms make an appearance in the first book as they allowed Conan to communicate with Qullian, and Qullian to communicate with the wolves. The way that I understand the charms working is that if A is speaking to B and both are wearing charms, they will hear the other in their own language. Like if you were speaking to me in French (which I cannot speak to save my life) and we are both wearing charms, I will hear your words as English even though the words coming out of your mouth are French. This is where my problem with Conan comes in. If Mira is speaking to him in Rubian but he only speaks his own language (which I'm dubbing Emeraldlian), he will hear her words in Emeraldian. The only time he will hear her speaking Rubian is if he is making the effort to hear Rubian instead of Emeraldian. However, since most of their conversations happened naturally and not in the context of "class" I think he would've heard less Rubian than he needed to become proficient in the language in a month. It's like Conan was in a level 1 Spanish class, where most of the instruction is given in English, rather than an AP Spanish class, which is almost entirely conducted in Spanish. Okay, mini-rant over.

Characters

I don't even know where to begin. Like I said earlier, I did not connect to these characters at all. I tried to invest emotionally, but so many of their actions were just plain bonkers to me that I couldn't.

Mira was alright. I liked her spunk but that was about it. I think she is way too trusting and open-minded considering her situation. If we didn't have Conan's POV to reassure us that he is not 100% a terrible person, I think I would've DNF-ed the book. Mira starts like everyone else, distrustful, angry, and wary of the Beast. However, the more she and Conan interact the more she learns about him and she starts to sympathize with him. I love a good "angsty MMC proves that he's really a good guy at heart" but here the application of the trope is just plain bonkers. I think that forgiveness and growth are very important messages for any story where a character has a heinous past but wants to make up for it. BUT MARRIAGE? NO, not in the deal. If Mira and Conan had become best buddies by the end of the book, that would've been fine. But at what point did Mira start to love Conan? And more importantly, why does she never show any hesitance or conflict about it?

Just because Conan shows a change of heart halfway through the book does not negate the fact that at the beginning of the book he took a room full of hostages, held a dagger to Ian's throat, and almost killed Mira. Not to mention, he kidnapped Ro (TWICE!) and left Mira's brother Zac tied up with the wolves. Mira never has any turmoil about falling for her captor. She's just like, "It's alright, he's changed." Fine, he changed. That's great that he changed. But why aren't you in tune enough with your emotions to be scared, angry, hesitant, ANYTHING about the fact that you're falling for your captor? I just couldn't get behind the romance because I disagreed with it from the start, but the fact that Mira never showed any conflict about her love-life's circumstances really drove the nail into the coffin.

Conan was the only reason I read this book. I was mad about how he was treated by the first book (mentioned in the blurb, implying main character. Not a main character, minor villain, but also has chapters told from his perspective in 3rd POV), and wanted to see his story continue into this book. I'm glad he got more screentime this time, and I'm glad that he went through a pretty hefty redemption arc. I'm sure if I had read the Emerald Realm and knew ahead of time what his "mysterious" past is, I would've been more invested. There's a good bit of hemming and hawing from his end before we finally learn what his secrets are. They're some pretty dark secrets and I'm happy that Conan grows by the end of the book. However, I don't think he should've been married by the end of the book. I think that where his character arc left him is not in an emotionally stable enough position to get married (to his own captive no less). And this is what I was touching on earlier. If I had known Conan's backstory, I think I would've dislike this book earlier because I would've raged at Mira earlier. Me learning about Conan with Mira let me draw my own conclusions about the characters, but if I had known Conan's past beforehand, I would not have supported Mira's "kindness" expedition.

Also, why does NO ONE in the family have an issue with this?! The most reluctance that is shown is Zac being like, "Bruh really?" and then later, "Naw bro, go make my sister happy." I literally didn't know what to say to my sister's then-boyfriend at her FUNERAL because I thought it would be awkward, I couldn't imagine what it's like to be the brother-in-law of someone I kidnapped. I'm just going to leave this quote from the book here and let you make your own decisions about it: "Welcome to the family, Conan. Thanks for kidnapping Mira and me, so we could all come together!"

Conclusion

I could keep talking about how irked I am by this "romance" situation, but I would just be beating a dead horse at that point. I think if there was no romance in this book I could've accepted the whole story better. Redemption arc? Yes. Taking accountability? Absolutely. APOLOGIZING TO THOSE YOU'VE HURT IN THE PAST? Chicken soup for the heart.
Like the first book in the series, the beginning is boring, the middle in engaging, and the ending is rage-inducing. If this book had focused solely on Conan's redemption arc it would've been much stronger.

[Bethany Aich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this Beauty and the Beast retelling to be quite unique… in a good way. I enjoyed its differences and picking out who was who out of the different characters from the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast.

The story was great and the characters engaging. I loved seeing some cameos of the main characters from Crimson Claws, book one in the series. It’s always hard to let characters go, so when I realized who the heroine of this book was (in relation to book one), I was thrilled.

While this book is standalone, I would suggest reading Crimson Claws first. I definitely look forward to seeing what comes next and how the Golden King will eventually be foiled.

Appropriate for YA and up and clean romantically and language-wise.

Note: the author’s note in the beginning of the book is in regard to Celiac’s Disease, from which a character in Wilting Captive suffers.

I did receive an ARC copy in return for reviewing the book, and was happy to do so since I enjoyed it enough I would have reviewed it anyway. : )

[Smasher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content:

Profanity: None.

Violence: High mild. There are a few death threats in this, knife to throat kind of things. There is also one on-screen murder (sword through heart) nothing is graphically described.

Sexual: Mild. Mostly just blushes and hugs with forehead kisses and non-steamy kissing.

Triggers: Deals with manipulative/abusive parent.



Well, I didn't think it could be done, but she did it.

Conan the crazy murderizer of the Emerald Realm and the beast of the Ruby realm got his redemption. And it worked.

I thought, "there's no way the author can make me believe this guy is capable of turning things around." And yet, here I sit, smiling at the character that I hated for killing one of the most decent parental figures in the previous series. (And one of the worst too, but that didn't bother me).

The way we get to see Conan's past, his thought-process, and his growing confusion and remorse was paced so well. He didn't have a crazy 180 moment, it was gradual and believable. He grew up with a despicable psychopath for a father who gaslighted him into taking blame for things that weren't his fault, then made him believe that being a power-mongering killer that couldn't care for anyone was the only way to live.

Enter Mira. Mira is a hot-headed bold young woman with a horrible chronic health issue that prevents her from living how she always dreamed she would. (portrays celiac disease) So when she meets the beast face-to-face and ends up bargaining with him, she's full of righteous indignation and calculation. She didn't expect that, once she spent more time with him, she would realize that he wasn't a beast. He was a man, a flawed and scarred man, both inside and out.

I loved seeing how Mira helped replace the evil thoughts that Conan's father spat at him, and he starts to see that he has a choice. For the first time in his life, he can see it, and maybe...just maybe he can be happy for the first time since he was a boy.

My goodness though, Duke Ian drove me to want to punch something. He was such an arrogant egotistical brat. Well done miss author on making a character who wasn't necessarily evil, but who I hated SO MUCH. The constant undermining of Mira was rage-inducing to me, and I was glad that in the end it's discovered it's because of the spell on the rose rather than those nobles really were that moronic.

The more I sit and digest this read, the more I like it. It really reminded me of Sarah Beran's "Beauty from the Beast" in a lot of ways, as that was another character who I thought could never be redeemed. It's so satisfying, and made me think that until you know someone's story, you really can't understand who they are and what they can become.

[AsheFaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content Warnings: Kidnapping, starvation, nausea/vomit, mentions of previous deaths and murders, psychological abuse

The author has provided a note at the beginning of the book providing the reader with some information about Celiac Disease as this is represented by the FMC Mirabel.

I’m going to preface this review as I still haven’t read The Emerald Realm series or Crimson Claws. I do highly recommend reading those books before this one and I know the author has previously mentioned this as well. I decided to try to read it as a standalone, but definitely felt a little confused or like something was missing for me to understand the whole story. I will definitely reread this book and reassess my rating once I have read the previous books.

The story was interesting. I liked how it incorporated the original aspects of Beauty and the Beast and added some nods to the Disney version as well. I really liked Mirabel and her growth showing that she’s not defined by her disability. She’s strong and capable of ruling over her own province without any coddling. While I don’t personally deal with Celiac Disease, but I do have someone in my life that is dealing with something similar, so I believe the representation was decently accurate. My only issue is with Conan and this is where I’m probably failing since I haven’t read the previous series. I felt very lost when it came to his character and I just couldn’t justify his redemption or Mirabel’s love for him. I’m hoping I’ll be more open once I actually catch up to this book.

I did enjoy the writing. I think my only gripe was that the POV’s switched in the middle of chapters. I didn’t like that at all and it felt very jarring. I’d rather they all be separate chapters, especially when it came to a very specific POV at the end. I also wish there were headings for each chapter to know whose POV it was. I did enjoy the twist, while I had kind of figured it out it was a good one.

Honestly this has made me want to read all the other books in the series and maybe my thoughts will change on this one after I do.

[Lj · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very inventive re-telling of Beauty and the Beast. Reading the earlier Emerald Realm series and through into this later Ruby Realm series there has been an improvement in the author's skills as she has gained more experience and I'm very glad I've kept reading.

However, I still find the world-building a little weak. It may be nit-picking, but there are constanly little anachronistic flaws. For example, mention of a room in an inn having nice floral wallpaper. In a pre-industiral world as the author's creation seems to be wallpaper would have been printed or painted by hand making it labour intensive, therefore very costly and only used by the very rich. Chances are it wouldn't be on the wall in a simple room in a common roadside inn. Another example is; at the begining of this book the author includes a note that although one of the characters had Celiac's disease it isn't referred to as such in the book as the society wouldn't have identified and formally labeled the disease, yet durring the book it is said that the imprisoned characters 'might need to see a shrink' to get over the experince. So, this pre-industrial world doesn't know about a disease defined within the past 150 years in the real world, but they do have psychartrists and are familiar enough with them to use a slang term like 'shrink'? Western medicine hasn't really understood psychology/psychiatry for all that long either. Indeed, a lot of the language feels too 'modern' for the setting. If there were a little more attention to the small details like these in the worldbuilding this would probably be a five start read. Hoepfully, the author's continuing improvement will see this happen in future books.

[Jacquelyn 💐 {This Rapunzel Reads} [Jesus Christ, my Living Hope] · Rating 2 out of 5]

🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀

Hmm…okay, this was interesting. Conan had been absolutely evil for as long as I’ve read about him. I mean, absolutely terrible. He has kidnapped people, murdered people and done horrible things. So I didn’t like him to begin with, but I did want to see his redemption story. But I was disappointed. Where to begin? He kidnaps Mira and is still evil for over half of the book. It’s also kinda creepy and awkward that they were start a romance. They didn’t match. He was her captor and she was his captive and he constantly mentioned that! I wanted more for Conan’s redemption. It could have been so much better and it just wasn’t. Mira was perfect which annoyed me so much. She had like no flaws. I feel like someone who had a rough past and made a lot of mistakes would have fit better with Conan. It was weird that she loved him, maybe a crush or something strange like that. I love a good redemption story with forgiveness and tears. But this one was missing it as well as the heart. My heart did begin to soft towards Conan, but I wanted more. Plus, his dead father talking to him creeped me out like absolutely no! I really wanted to love this one, but I just didn’t. Now with all that being said, I believe that no one is too far gone that God’s arm can’t reach. I am going to continue the series though.

🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀

[LaShunda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, at first I wasn't having it!

So yes I knew this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling. It is after all, my favorite type of of retelling. And no, I did not read the book description, as this the second book in a series I am eager to complete. So suffice it to say, that I was a bit taken aback when I figured out just who the beast really was. I thought no, this is not right! I don't like this. How can this beast get a happily ever after!? But my friends let me tell you, Abigail Manning made me admire and care for the beastly beast, and cheer for his happiness. This is a fabulous retelling. A truly worthy read. And while you can read this as a stand alone, I highly suggest you read this AFTER at least book one in this series. In fact just read the first series that this one spun off of too.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wilting Captive by Abigail Manning
The ex-prince Conan has been left beaten and scarred after his partnership with the criminal group, the beasts.
Really enjoyed this Beauty and the Beast retelling! Very cleverly retold in a new way that had all the parts you would expect just not how you would expect them. Also the FMC has Celiac's disease which I haven't seen that representation in a fantasy book before. And I didn't see that villain coming! I was actually quite surprised to see Conan as the MMC as he's been the villain in several past books. This beast definitely needed redemption.
Book 2 in the Ruby Realm (best read in order and after the Emerald Realm, but I personally have successfully jumped around a bit without trouble (I don't mind a little chaos))
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just… no. I wanted to like this, I really did. But I feel like I was being gaslighted here.

“You may have done some terrible things, but you're not that man anymore. I know you're not.”

This sounds like a woman after being being abused turning to her friends who just watched her being hit and saying “But you don’t know him like I do!”


Conan was a REALLY bad guy. Not like the other two, not like the redeemable kind, but a really bad guy. Like, you don’t just poof out of decades of daddy issues and killing people because you’ve suddenly maybe fallen in love? This is the worst kind of “but I can change him!” thinking ever!

One extra star for mirabell because she’s amazing.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF chapter 2

Even worse than the first one. Not sure what happened between the last series and this on because I actually liked the last on. It had some issues that would have been cured by a good editor but nothing like this.

I think this line in the prologue should have been a warning sign (well it really was I just ignored it). “A rush of oxytocin spread up through my leg and settled warmly inside my chest like a sip of fine wine.” From stepping on leaves in a forest alone? Are you serious here?! I’m not sure the author even knows what oxytocin is? A little research would have been a huge help with the words she doesn’t seem to know how to use.

[Jennifer Kohlstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to the awesome author, Abigail, for sending me a copy of this retelling!!!

I would've finished this sooner...but life...

Anyway, I LOVED this retelling!!!! Beauty And The Beast is my favorite princess Disney tale and I was excited to dive into this!

Also, I absolutely LOVED that it intertwined with the first book of this series, Crimson Claws! I loved all the characters and was so curious as to Mira and Conan's relationship.

If you love retellings, you're going to love this! I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this!!

Happy reading!!!

[Kimber Braun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful version of Beauty and the Beast

I don’t think I’ve ever read a retelling of Beauty and the Beast (and I’ve read alot of them) where the Beast is quite so beastly. Truthfully, when I realized who the main character guy was going to be, I was incredibly skeptical about how she was going to make me like or even accept this guy but she did it! What a beautiful redemption story! It truly shows the power of forgiveness

[Jeri L Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good take on an old tale.

I really enjoyed this book. The book is full of interesting twists and turns and is a nice addition to the series, although it can also be read on its own.

[Lindsay Rankin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story!

I enjoyed reading this Beauty and the Beast retelling, and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm low-key salty that fMC was ready to fight the whole book but we only see her actually hit someone once 🙄

[Tammy Villiers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked it. It was an amazing twist and the characters were very good to read about. The taking down the two stars is because of grammar mistakes and editing of an overall book.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was an entirely new and interesting version of beauty and the beast. I love how it touched on celiac disease giving it a spot of realism in a fantasy world. as well as the psychology of experiencing torture at the hands of a parent and its consequences. the fantasy of it was interesting and immersive as well. all in all a good read.

[Verity Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever, but...

I enjoyed Itsy Bitsy Liar so much that I thought I'd like to read another book by the same author. And while this is definitely a clever take on the Beauty and the Beast story, there were two things that bugged me enough to bring my rating down.

I have a pet peeve about versions of this story that unnecessarily reference Disney's version. Some may find it cute or charming, but it annoys me. So the characters who were blatant references to Cogsworth and Lumiere really pushed that button for me.

The other thing that bothered me was that in almost every chapter there was some kind of malapropism--a word used incorrectly or in place of a similar-sounding word. On the one hand, this makes me realize that the author is improving over time (I didn't notice that problem in Itsy Bitsy Liar); on the other hand, it makes me hesitant to read earlier books by this author.

[Lorin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved reading this wonderful book! I loved the characters and the plot! I absolutely loved this retelling of Beauty and the Beast! I had a hard time putting this really wonderful book down! I am looking forward to reading the next book in this really wonderful series!

[Amanda Mantonya]

YA story inspired by Beauty and the Beast.

Lots of espionage and misdirections in characters and an unbelievable change of heart in the Beast character ….and an absolute slap-worthy Gaston character.