Cruel Beauty
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Narrated by:
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Elizabeth Knowelden
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By:
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Rosamund Hodge
About this listen
Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom - all because of a reckless bargain her father struck. And since birth, she has been training to kill him.
Betrayed by her family yet bound to obey, Nyx rails against her fate. Still, on her 17th birthday, she abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, disarm him, and break the 900-year-old curse he put on her people.
But Ignifex is not what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle - a shifting maze of magical rooms - enthralls her. As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. But even if she can bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him?
Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.
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Six of one, half-dozen of the other
- By B on 06-04-14
By: Cassandra Clare
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Exquisite Captive
- Dark Caravan Cycle, Book 1
- By: Heather Demetrios
- Narrated by: Erin Mallon
- Length: 13 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Jinni. Empress. Warrior. Slave. Nalia is a jinni of tremendous ancient power, the only survivor of a coup that killed nearly everyone she loved. Stuffed into a bottle and sold by a slave trader, she's now in hiding on the dark caravan, the lucrative jinni slave trade between Arjinna and Earth, where jinn are forced to grant wishes and obey their human masters' every command. She'd give almost anything to be free of the golden shackles that bind her to Malek, her cruel master, and his lavish Hollywood lifestyle.
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Interesting Story
- By Ess Bee on 11-09-14
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The Glass Spare
- By: Lauren DeStefano
- Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Wilhelmina Heidle, the fourth child and only daughter of the king of the world's wealthiest nation, has grown up in the shadows. Kept hidden from the world in order to serve as a spy for her father - whose obsession with building his empire is causing a war - Wil wants nothing more than to explore the world beyond her kingdom, if only her father would give her the chance. Until one night Wil is attacked, and she discovers a dangerous secret. Her touch turns people into gemstone.
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Story doesn’t finish (and a warning for parents)
- By GLENNO on 03-17-22
By: Lauren DeStefano
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Curse of Shadows and Thorns
- The Broken Kingdoms, Book 1
- By: LJ Andrews
- Narrated by: Stina Nielsen
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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As niece of the king, Elise Lysander cares about two things: sneaking into gambling dens, and avoiding an advantageous marriage at all costs. When her uncle holds the life of her deathly ill father over her head, reluctantly, Elise puts her fate into the hands of Legion Grey, the handsome and mysterious dowry negotiator. He may be arrogant and infuriating, but soon Legion incites a blistering, forbidden passion she can’t ignore.
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Great concept, poor execution on the writing side
- By Kel on 11-24-22
By: LJ Andrews
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House of Furies
- By: Madeleine Roux
- Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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After escaping a harsh school where punishment was the lesson of the day, 17-year-old Louisa Ditton is thrilled to find employment as a maid at a boardinghouse. But soon after her arrival at Coldthistle House, Louisa begins to realize that the house's mysterious owner, Mr. Morningside, is providing much more than lodging for his guests. Far from a place of rest, the house is a place of judgment, and Mr. Morningside and his unusual staff are meant to execute their own justice on those who are past being saved.
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One of the characters is Satan..lots of the occult
- By Angela Briggs on 07-25-19
By: Madeleine Roux
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Spindle Fire
- By: Lexa Hillyer
- Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Half sisters Isabelle and Aurora are polar opposites: Isabelle is the king's headstrong illegitimate daughter whose sight was tithed by faeries; Aurora, beautiful and sheltered, was tithed her sense of touch and voice on the same day. Despite their differences, the sisters have always been extremely close. And then everything changes with a single drop of Aurora's blood, a Faerie Queen who is preparing for war, a strange and enchanting dream realm - and a sleep so deep it cannot be broken.
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Lovers of fairy tale romance rejoice!
- By Elley Murray on 11-23-17
By: Lexa Hillyer
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The Waking Land
- By: Callie Bates
- Narrated by: Erin Spencer
- Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Lady Elanna is fiercely devoted to the king who raised her like a daughter. But when he dies under mysterious circumstances, Elanna is accused of his murder - and must flee for her life. Returning to the homeland of magical legends she has forsaken, Elanna is forced to reckon with her despised, estranged father, branded a traitor long ago. Feeling a strange, deep connection to the natural world, she also must face the truth about the forces she has always denied or disdained as superstition - powers that suddenly stir within her.
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Enjoyable!
- By Joy on 06-08-23
By: Callie Bates
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Twin Crowns
- By: Catherine Doyle, Katherine Webber
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon, Ell Potter
- Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
Wren Greenrock has always known that one day she’d steal her sister’s place on the throne. Trained from birth to return to the palace and avenge her parents’ murder, she’ll do anything to become queen and protect the community of witches who raised her. Or she would, if only a certain guard wasn’t quite so distractingly attractive, and if her reckless magic would stop causing trouble. . . .
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it was ok, but it could have been better
- By UrbanMamma on 07-25-22
By: Catherine Doyle, and others
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The Autumn Castle
- By: Kim Wilkins
- Narrated by: Richard Aspel
- Length: 19 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
Berlin in autumn: Christine Starlight lives in an artists' colony with her lover Jude, whose patience and beauty have eased her battle with chronic pain. But Christine begins to be haunted by childhood recollections of a little girl's disappearance and the flapping of a blackbird's wings. Then her world is rocked by the return of a childhood friend... Mayfridh rules over a land where a wolf is the queen's counsellor, fate turns on the fall of an autumn leaf and mortals feel no pain.
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Great Story, Horrible Narration
- By KathyDB on 03-24-15
By: Kim Wilkins
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The Shadow Queen
- By: C. J. Redwine
- Narrated by: Khristine Hvam
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and her father's life. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common - magic. She'll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.
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I wish a had read the book.
- By Jennifer on 08-20-16
By: C. J. Redwine
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The Cerulean
- By: Amy Ewing
- Narrated by: Kim Mai Guest
- Length: 15 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Sera Lighthaven has always felt as if she didn’t quite belong among her people, the Cerulean, who live in the city above the sky. She is curious about everything - especially the planet her city is magically tethered to - and can’t stop questioning things. Sera has always longed for the day when the tether will finally break and the Cerulean can move to a new planet. But when Sera is chosen as the sacrifice to break the tether, she feels betrayed by everything in which she’d been taught to trust. In order to save her city, Sera must end her own life.
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It was ok
- By Kim on 12-16-20
By: Amy Ewing
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Story is okay, Male narrator almost ruins it
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Meh
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All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery - magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power. Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire.
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Enchanting, confident and thoroughly entertaining!
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What listeners say about Cruel Beauty
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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- Danielle
- 02-19-14
Beautiful Story
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes! The narrator was impeccable and the story was a perfect fairy tale for an adult who likes to think.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Cruel Beauty?
When Nyx returns to chase away his darkness.
Which scene was your favorite?
When the demon lord takes Nyx to the Heart of Air.
Any additional comments?
I LOVE this narrator! She has a beautiful, young, and sweet voice with perfect pronunciation.
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6 people found this helpful
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Performance
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- Christina
- 05-31-17
Whew! Intense!
Dark, but I definitely still enjoyed it. I went into it without realizing that it was a remake of Beauty and the Beast, though. I highly suggest that you do the same! This story is SO different, that I don't know why they are even compared. But I felt like this was such a good gothic version of fantasy! The protagonist and antagonists have dark personalities that you have to accept. This is cool simply because most people have a small dark side to them.
Anyways, I really like this book though the narrator WAS a bit interesting. By the end, I liked her, but it took me a while to really warm up to her voice.
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- Tiffany
- 02-22-16
Love Love Loved this twist on Beauty and the Beast
I loved this book. I loved the twist on Beauty and the Beast. I figured out early that shade and ignafex were of one person. but getting to the point of nix actually figuring it out really kept me engaged. I can't wait to read the twist on fair tales book.
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Performance
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- Kat L
- 05-24-20
Pretty good romance, awesome performance
I enjoyed the performance. The story reminded me of Phantom of the Opera as much as it did of Beauty and the Beast. The ending dragged on a bit too long. The main character's relationship with her sister was memorable.
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Performance
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- irishred507
- 04-30-14
It had potential but fell short
Any additional comments?
I agree with another reviewer who said it was hollow. The set up was great, the characters were great, but it lacked so much depth. I wish it would have developed the characters a lot more. To me it just seemed to abruptly move from scene to scene without much explanation and a lot of the time I was very confused as to what in the world was going on. Maybe I just wasn't able to pay full attention though because the narrator really seemed like she was reading the book to put me to sleep! She has such a soft, lovely voice that it would be perfect to lull anyone to sleep, but to tell a story, it wasn't good. There was hardly any emotion or inflection in her voice and it almost seemed like she read the whole book in a half whisper.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall
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- Kindle Customer
- 10-14-14
Beauty and the Beast takes a dark turn
What three words best describe Elizabeth Knowelden’s voice?
Lulling, Eloquent, but not as varying as I would have liked. She reads beautifully but there are only very subtle changes in inflection for the different characters and there are times when the main character of Nyx seems lacking in emotion. I think it was, in fact, part of the character but - not realizing that for a great deal of the beginning of the story - I did not enjoy the character as much.
Any additional comments?
I am a lover of Fairytale retellings and twisted versions and this dark, demonic retelling of Beauty and the Beast hit the mark for me. Both Nyx and her Demon Husband have been forced to live lives not of their own choosing and both have become bitter and resentful. Though they are enemies and their role is to destroy one another, their flawed, lonely lives are fulfilled by one another. I loved how this story came together. They were not the lovely, perfect, and incredibly-kind-despite-it-all couple but they matched each other in anger and passion. A deftly told story and an unlikely but beautiful love story.
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- Ellie Belly McShelly
- 04-05-18
Might be better reading it yourself
I think I would have liked the book a little more if I read it instead of listening to the audiobook. The reader has a beautiful soothing voice but does not give a lot of personality to the characters. Each one sounds the same with a soft soothing monotone voice so I did not much care for the characters. I found myself zoning out because it was so relaxing. Gorgeous voice but needs more variations.
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-14-16
where was the editor?
although I finally got caught up in the story..it was a struggle for the first third of the book. it seemed like endless repetitions of "I was born to save my country, I was raised for this task, oh I don't want my sister to hate me". it started to feel like the author was filibustering her own book, or trying to beat the reader over the head. fortunately the writing smoothed out and the plot moved on. throughout it all, with the description, phrasing and plot, it was apparent that this writer would become a good writer and her capability for interesting plots and twists would only get better
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- Katie
- 01-19-24
Dark and Charming
I felt the story was unique. Though inspired by beauty and the beast, both of the characters were “beasts” in their hearts, but able to find love because of it. The only thing that made me not “love” this story, was the time line. It got kind of confusing near the end as to if it went back in time or forward. Maybe I need to re-listen to that part, but it was hard to follow where they were in time.
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- Patty
- 01-30-14
Dark, Unexpexted, Not your average retelling
Would you listen to Cruel Beauty again? Why?
Definitely, its so much more than a retelling of a fairy tale, it is a story on its own with hints of a familiar tale, yet completely new. It left me wanting more of their struggle and their story... Sequel .... Please!!!
Who was your favorite character and why?
Nyx, I always find myself disliking a weak female protagonist, but not here i loved her she is not the all good, pure girl, take what life gives her in silence, NOPE not here, i loved it how human and real the author makes her seem, i think we can all relate
Which character – as performed by Elizabeth Knowelden – was your favorite?
"The Prince" such a good job with the task.. at the end of the book you realize that it was such a hard task to ... shall we say portray all of his personality
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, I did, the story grabs you and for a moment you think think you can let the computer alone ... only to immediately download it on your phone so you can keep listening while running errands
Any additional comments?
It id so worth one credit, but since i was out of them i spend money for this book and i do not regret it...
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18 people found this helpful