Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

AN UPDATED VERSION OF THIS REVIEW CAN BE FOUND ON AFTERWORDS

Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay
Series: N/A
Source: Bought hardcover
Publisher: Delacorte Books
Publication Date: July 23rd, 2013
Age Genre: YA
Challenges: TBR
Challenges: Flight of Fantasy
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In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret...In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds.
Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.
As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love.

Oh my. Oh my. I never expected this book to be... this book. I mean, it was on my GR TBR for so long. First, I saw the gorgeous cover, than read the title and found out it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling (duh), and I was sold. But I did not expect this world, which is actually a bit of sci-fi and a lot of magic, or the beautiful writing, or the captivating characters. And I did not expect to feel like calling this a retelling is belittling it.

In Of Beast and Beauty, there is no clear "beast" and no clear "beauty".

Isra is a blind princess doomed to a horrible fate. She is strong, opinionated, kind, but also very much a prisoner in her own city. She thinks herself "tainted" by the mutation her people fears so much, and instead of being Belle enslaved by the beast, she is the one who does the enslaving when she meets Gem, a Monstrous, as he is infiltrating her city and makes him a prisoner.

Gem may be a beast in his appearance, but he is such a good person. He only thinks of the best of his people, can't kill even when his duty tells him he must. He tries to hate and yet he can't. And no matter his motivations, he treats Isra with kindness and attention. The (almost) only person in her life who does.

These two are just... *sigh* I mean, seriously, the shipping is crazy. They just... work! They bring the best in each other, they encourage each other to be better, they open each other's eyes. They're also HAWT like lava and so very delicious. And the best part? It takes time for their relationship to grow. They start as semi enemies, then reluctant partners, then friends, then... more. It's beautiful!

Then there's Gaston--I mean, Bo. Occasionally, we get a glimpse into his pov. That was smart, because Jay lets us see Gaston Bo is not a bad person. He is a product of years of prejudice and false information. He truly believes what he's doing is right, and he does have a heart and a sense of right and wrong. He just can't look past all he's been told to see the truth.

okay, Bo is no monster, but how was I supposed to resist?

Another character worth mentioning is Needle, Isra's maid. I love this girl, and I kind of really really wanted to see her happy with someone. I'm all for Jay writing a sequel for Needle, maybe with Gem's brother? I feel like she could really teach him compassion and love...

The ending of this book was so amazing! And quite different than the Disney ending.

Honestly, I don't have enough words to recommend this book with. Just read it, please. It deserves more love!

   Nitzan★

Thursday Oldie: The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
Source: Bought paperback
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Original Post: Nov 20, 2013
Age Genre: Young Adult

Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.
Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.
Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.
The Sea of Tranquility is a rich, intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.

The Sea of Tranquility is a powerful, heartbreaking, painful story about two broken individuals who find solace in one another. It was definitely one of the more unique and emotional books I've read last year... but I don't regret it for a second.

"I hate my left hand. I hate to look at it. I hate it when it stutters and trembles and reminds me that my identity is gone. But I look at it anyway; because it also reminds me that I'm going to find the boy who took everything away from me. I'm going to kill the boy who killed me, and when I kill him, I'm going to do it with my left hand."

The Sea of Tranquility took me by surprise. It had a completely different and unique feel than anything I've read so far. Love is not treated in it like in most books, with vows of undying emotion and grand gestures. It's understated, it grows over time, it sneaks up on both participants, it moves slowly but surely. It's told through actions, between the lines, rather than outright confessions.

It's the best kind of romance, in my opinion.

I don't think there could ever be any doubt in your heart that Josh and Sunshine (or Nastya, whatever) belong together.

“We're like mysteries to one another. Maybe if I can solve him and he can solve me, we can explain each other. Maybe that's what I need. Someone to explain me.”

They are both irreversibly damaged. Josh has lost everybody he ever lover, and Nastya lost herself. Though you don't actually know what happened to either of them for a long while. In fact, the journey to figuring out both these individuals is piled on shock upon shock. I didn't see all that was coming.

Just like Josh is trying to piece what happened to Nastya, she's trying to figure out why people treat him the way they do. And we're right there together with them, which is what makes the book so incredible.

"Bad things happen all the time; they don't wait until after dinner"

And both of these characters, despite being so inherently broken--or maybe because of it--are captivating. They make you love them. They make you swoon. They make you pray everything will be okay--good, even. Great. They make you love their friends, too, like Drew and Clay.

“I can be your other hand when you need it.”

The only reason this book is not a solid five star is because of how I felt confused and thrown all over the place at the beginning of the book, with all the time jumps back and forth. I had a hard time figuring what came before what, and understanding all that was going on. Wasn't she just walking into the English building? How is it the end of the day--wait, now we're back at shop?
It took time for the book to find a rhythm I could follow. After that, it was damn near perfect.

"Your garage."

The "punchline", so to speak, the very last line of this book, is utter perfection. I didn't see it coming before it was asked, but when he did, the answer was suddenly obvious and I wanted to hug the author for creating such an absolutely right ending for these two.

 Nitzan★

February Round Up

Books I Read

Portrait in Death | Spy Glass | Meant to Be | The Woman Who Rode Like a Man | The Wild One | All Lined Up | All Broke Down | Sins of the Night | Stung | Pieces For You | The Darkest Kiss | Shadow Study | Someone Else's Fairytale | The Darkest Pleasure

This month I mostly read kindle books, and most of them were just mindless pass-time books. I didn't review them, even though I enjoyed all of them. There was just not that much to say, resulting in only 4 written reviews from the batch.

Books Reviews

Books Boguht

A Thousand Pieces of You

I read 6 physical books last month, and four this month, resulting in ten, so I actually kept with my "one book per 5 read" challenge! I'm so excited! That makes two months running! Last year, I folded after two weeks!

Who Wore it Better

Other Posts

The Red Balloon - Short Animated Film

Book Blitz - How To Unbreakup

Kindle-Hardcover Bargains

Sales, Sales, Sales!!!

Challenges Re-Cap

Read Your Freebies ( 6 / 50): 

The Wild One | Someone Else's Fairytale |

Cleaning my Shelves ( 9 / 20):

Meant to Be | Portrait in Death | Sins of the Night | The Woman Who Rode Like a Man

Oldies: ( 4 / 24): 

The Wild One

Cleaning my Paid For ( 6 / 18): 

All Lined Up | All Broke Down

Contemporary Challenge ( 2 / 15) ( 10 / 30): 

Meant to Be | Someone Else's Fairytale | Pieces For You

(only the bold books count toward the official challenge, the rest are for my personal challenge)

Sequel-Prequel ( 11 / 20): 

Portrait in Death | Spy Glass | Sins of the Night | Pieces For You |The Darkest Kiss |The Darkest Pleasure

Re-Read Challenge ( 4 / 12): 

None this month

Flights of Fantasy Challenge ( 10 / 20): 

 The Woman Who Rode Like a Man | Spy Glass | Sins of the Night |The Darkest Kiss |The Darkest Pleasure

TBR Challenge (20/ 44): 

The Wild One | Meant to Be | Portrait in Death | Sins of the Night | The Woman Who Rode Like a Man | Spy Glass |The Darkest Kiss |The Darkest Pleasure

I count here all books read, not only book reviewed, because--I'm sorry--the goal is to read more. So, maybe I won't get points for some because I didn't review, but I still read.

Nitzan★