"Tale as old as time"

Hey, guys!

So, next week is finals week, which means that I haven't had much homework lately, which means that I actually had free time. I swear to God, I broke out into song a couple of times. So of course I started reading for fun again. Not that I didn't like the books I read this semester, but it's such a relief to read something that isn't detective/crime fiction.

"What did I read?" you may ask. Well, I just finished reading Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay. One thing you should know about me right off the bat is that I am a sucker for any variation of the classic tale Beauty and the Beast, since that particular Disney movie was one of my favorites growing up. And for the record, I still watch a ton of Disney movies. I'm a child at heart.

This book is actually one of the five that I borrowed for myself when I went on that library date with my boyfriend. That means that I have three more library books to finish reading, so you can count on three new posts sometime in the near future. While I'm reading those three, though, I will make posts about books I have already read and absolutely love. But for now, Of Beast and Beauty.

This particular version of the tale as old as time could actually be read as a science fiction, since it takes place on a different planet and involves mutations of the human race in order to adapt to the harsher desert environment. But for some reason, it totally reads as a fantasy to me. So if you're a fan of either of those genres, you might be interested in this book.

So, yeah, on a planet with a harsher sun during the day and colder nights (because the planet is mostly desert), the planet used its magic to help the humans adapt to the environment by giving them scales to protect them from the sun, bigger teeth, and claws. But as half of the population started to change, the rest of the human race saw their fellow humans as monstrous beasts and enclosed themselves in glass domes to protect themselves from the horrifying mutations. In exchange for abundant life under the domes, the un-mutated humans offered a sacrifice to the planet by spilling the blood of the queen who gave her life for her people. Where the queen's blood fell to the dirt, a bed of roses bloomed.

That sounds heroic, but deals made in blood are actually a form of dark magic that further divided the planet into a Dark Heart and a Pure Heart. Because life under the domes became so abundant, it stole its vitality from the desert, forcing the Monstrous who were locked outside of the city into a constant battle to fill their bellies. The humans grew to hate the Monstrous for their appearances and the Monstrous hated the humans for their cruel behavior.

As punishment for their prejudice and hatred, the planet (the Pure Heart, specifically) used the last of its remaining magic to place a curse on both races. As a result of the curse, some of the humans would be born unwhole (missing limbs, deaf or mute) and the Monstrous would be unable to produce tears to release their sadness. The only way to break the curse is if one human and one Monstrous could find a way to love the other more than life itself.

That is only the beginning. The rest of the story alternates between the perspectives of Isra, Bo, and Gem. Isra is the blind queen of the domed city Yuan. Because of her blindness, she is treated as a child who is good for no more than as the next blood sacrifice to preserve the city. She also must marry before her death in order to continue the line of royalty so that more queens may be sacrificed after her. Bo is her intended and the future king of Yuan. Gem is a Monstrous man whose mission is to sneak into the domed city to steal the roses to save his starving tribe. However, Gem is captured as Queen Isra's prisoner. Will Isra grow to care for Gem? Will the queen ever be taken seriously? Will she have to marry Bo and be sacrificed? Will Gem save his tribe? Read the book and all will be answered.

As you can probably guess, I really enjoyed this book. The author constructed a very compelling plot with politics that were easy to follow along with and the tension that just built and built before the climax was done with excellent craft. I also loved the alternating perspective so that you get to see Isra's and Gem's and Bo's side of the story. Also, if you're not big on romances and worried that this book is strictly chick-lit, have no fear. Yes, it is mostly romance but it is also very political (at least with regards to Isra's kingdom and the whole power struggle between her and her intended's father). My only qualms with the book are the descriptions of emotions such as love or pain. They got a little heavy-handed but I think that's a personal preference since I have a short attention span at times. Otherwise, I definitely recommend this book.

So, that's all I have for today. I'll start on a new book when I'm not studying for finals, and when I have a chance, I'll make a new post about a lovely book that I've already read. I won't make any promises about what that new post will be about, it just depends on what book I feel like writing about.

As always, leave a comment if you liked reading my blog or if there's a certain book out there that you'd like me to read and write a review about. Also, be sure to follow my blog if you enjoy reading it :)

Happy reading!