Beauty and the Blade Book Review
Book Name: Beauty and the Blade
Author Name: S.C. Grayson
Genre: Romance/Fantasy
Release Date: January 26, 2023
Page Number: 277 pages
Review:
Contessa is marrying, but not for love. The man she is engaged to Nathanial Woodrow, also known as the Beast, killed her mother. Her mother was found dead with three slash marks on her face, a sign of Nathanial’s gang the Lions. Now Contessa can bring him to justice. But as She learns more about her new husband, his gang, and a group of magical people known as the Talented, Contessa begins to question everything she knows.
This is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and a great one at that. Contessa is a compelling character, being both cunning and quick-thinking. Her growth as a character is well executed, first doing things others expect of her, mostly her father, then slowly discovering what she wants to do in life for herself. It is also cool to see the different skills she possesses like lock picking for example. I think she is a great character for the reader to get into this world.
Nathanial is at first brooding but then turns into a cinnamon roll the more Contessa gets to know him. His interactions with her are super sweet and I wished there were more. One of my favorites is when they are leaving the warehouse and must be close together in the small space leading back to Nathanial’s house. Contessa touches his face, and he closes his eyes, barely breathing. I was a puddle on the floor!
The side characters are fun as well. Nathanial’s second in command, Kristoff, provides tons of laughs for the reader and his romance with Gregor is cute. Rhosyn is an interesting character, and I wished the author had given her more page time, especially her interactions with both Contessa and Nathanial. I love her teasing the two about their feelings for each other, like her having a bet with Kristoff for when they would get together. I also wish Contessa’s maid Julia got some more page time as well.
Some negatives. The background story about the country’s sick king and two princes comes up a lot but gets resolved way too quickly at the end. The Author could easily have saved it for a sequel plot. Also bringing up the rival gangs more and some descriptions of scenery would help flesh the world out a bit. Other than that, I think this is a great first book in the Talented series and I cannot wait to read more about these characters. I give Beauty and the Blade a four out of five.
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