ARC Review: Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert

Into The Wonder Dark: A Dark Fantasy And Spicy Retelling Of The Classic Tale "Alice In Wonderland" Is A Must For Fans Of Belladonna And One Dark Window.

"There once was a girl, clever and good, who tarried in shadow in the depths of the wood. There also was a King -- a shepherd by his crook, who reigned over magic and wrote the old book.. The two were together, so the two were the same: The girl, the King, and the monster they became." -Rachel Gillig, Two Twisted Crowns

After experiencing a disaster of a princess party at the age of 10, Anna likes plans, structure, and always knowing her next steps. She vowed to never be caught unaware ever again, so when she is blindsided by the betrayal of her sister Emily after Emily's wedding, Anna flees into the stormy night raging over Las Vegas. The storm forces Anna to take shelter in the one place that opposes everything she set herself out to be, the Houdini.

"The Sphere commands my attention. Its tiny specks—names—etched on its surface seem to gleam angrily. Blackened matter crashes against its glassy surface, ferocious and thrashing as if it intends to claw its way out. I bite down knowingly. That's how my toushana feels."

"I was not born a monster"

Like my mother always told me growing up "you will eat your words one day". So when I found out this was a kidnapping trope set in a romance book in a mafia world, I wasn't really intrigued into the story because the kidnapping has been done countless times before. But here I am eating my words, because I have no words, this book was amazing and I loved spending every single second in Nessa's and Miko's world. The only downside to the story was that the book wasn't longer because I wanted to read more. I personally felt like the book went too quick and those huge conflicts in the book were not as big as they should've felt. I also would've liked for a little more character development for Miko as his feeling change too abruptly for me. He goes from hating her, to liking her, to she is his sun, moon, and stars, all within 430 pages. I wish the book was a bit longer to see the fuller character development into Miko and slip into his love and emotions like taking a step into a pool, not jumping into the freezing cold ocean. But I will say once he is in love, it's the all consuming love we can't help but want more of. “I’m watching her with awe. The way a hunter would watch a doe that walks into a clearing. Nessa is the doe. She is lovely. Innocent. Perfectly at place in her natural environment. I’ll send my arrow straight into her heart. That’s my right, as the hunter.”

Heart Of Night And Fire by Nisha J. Tuli is the first book in a quartet of fantasy-romance novels inspired by Indian mythology. Her use of both Indian and South Asian culture across history give a beautiful and detailed visual of a magical story gripping from the first page. 20 year old Zarya, has lived near the southern ocean her whole life. Believed to be possessing a forbidden magic, she has been kept captive by the only father figure she has ever known. When he one day mysteriously goes missing, Zarya makes her big break, fueled by an unwavering desire to be free. While on this quest, her path is met by Lieutenant Yasen Varghese and Commander Vikram Ravana after saving them from the Naga. She is then escorted to the velocious city of Dharati where she finds the citizens in desperate need of help against the demons attacking the city. To save her new home, Zarya must discover her true identity or the city will be lost. Heart Of Night And Fire is described as a slow-burn, enemies to lovers fantasy romance. And while I will agree there is slow-burn, it’s not too slow where the book wasn’t enjoyable. My favorite part about the book was how easy it was to read and I literally couldn’t put it down. Tuli’s descriptive writing, worldbuilding, and character development will captivate readers attention from the first page and the conclusion will have them yearning to dive straight into the next book. Releasing on September 15, 2023, I anticipate Heart Of Night And Fire being one of the most anticipated fantasy books for September releases. I can’t wait for the release of the second book in the series to see where Tuli takes Zarya’s story next. Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

is one quote I would use to describe this book. AWZ has masterfully crafted a story that is powerful, writing that is lyrical, a plot that is adventurous, and characters that are heartfelt. I'm obsessed with the vivid mythology and tangible soul of this story. However there are a couple aspects that could use some work. AWZ has already written a pretty successful series before, however I am hopeful that this is going to be a series that will make her a well-known author. I feel she deserves a ton of attention and praise for this book. Overall, I would give this book 3.75 stars and I want to say a big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC! Here’s a few of my pro's and con's, except I'm having a hard time deciding if they are pro's or con's: Lan: I would say she’s most definitely an acquired taste. She's either the character you're going to love, or hate. I can imagine seeing a lot of readers enjoying her, but also a lot of readers not liking her. She doesn't make the best decisions but she grows on you and I liked her by the time I finished the book. Zen: I feel like Zen spoke similar to that of a robot half the time, I enjoyed what he brought to the story, however he definitely needs to see a therapist ASAP. Plot: Girl has no idea how to wield the insane power she has but she must save the Universe. I never know how to feel about these kinds of plots. Sometimes they have the tendency to be solid outlines, but they also have the capacity to be mediocre or possibly forgettable books. I truly enjoyed the author's previous trilogy so much so that I had hope that the end would pick up. One positive thing that I did enjoy was that there were more than the two “good” and “bad” sides. I would say the book picks up around 75-80%. This leads me to pacing. Pacing: This book was written as a first book in the series, which it is in fact and I sincerely appreciate that the story was thought out and sectioned into different books. However, the entire book felt like exposition! Yes, I now really want to know what will happen in book two, but at what cost. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting strong world-building, fantasy, and powerful female MC. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.