By: Cait Marie
Blurb
Zaina thought she could run from her secrets, but they have finally caught up to her.
She’s willing to risk her life for those she loves, but even that might not be enough to stop what’s coming.
Einar has finally let down his guard, but when the woman he trusts takes off in the middle of the night with his people’s only hope for a cure, he realizes what a mistake that was.
They have been living under the shadow of the same monster for longer than either of them realize. But it’s up to them to decide whether that makes them enemies or allies.
You’ve heard it asked, who could ever learn to love a beast? But this time, the question is, could a beast ever learn to love?
Review
This. Book.
I don’t even know where to begin.
This is the second book in the Beauty and the Beast portion of this retelling series, and it was incredible. The tension between the characters, the build up of the story, everything was so well done. It’s no secret I adore these authors already, but they somehow continue to amaze me. Their stories are so easy to get sucked into, and they’re ridiculously difficult to put down once started.
Though the next two books focus on new main characters and will be Cinderella inspired, it is a clear continuation of this story. I will admit I was nervous seeing that each two books had new characters, but with the way this particular book ended, I completely get it and can’t wait to read more.
As always, this book was well written. The pacing was good, the descriptions were beautiful without slowing anything down, and I just adore Saina and Einar, as well as some of the side characters. They’re both so fierce and perfectly matched.
This series is a bit darker than the authors’ other books but not so much that it would deter their usual readers. It’s got a deep story with a lot of trauma in the characters’ past. Everything was handled well, in my opinion. And there were plenty of sweet and snarky moments to balance it all out.
If you enjoy fantasy, fairytale retellings, and kick-butt female leads, definitely check this series out. The books do need to be read in order.
Functionally Fictional 