Saturday, July 29, 2023

Today's read... Craving Beauty by Jennifer Silverwood

 



CRAVING BEAUTY
Wylder Tales #1
by Jennifer Silverwood
YA Fairy Tale Fantasy









A dark tale of enchantment and woe, perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson and Holly Black, Craving Beauty is the first installment of the epic Wylder Tales Series!

Nineteen-year-old Vynasha's life is no fairy tale. The fire that killed her sisters was her fault, and the magic that saved her nephew cannot heal their scars. They shouldn't have survived, and the villagers either fear or loathe them. Until a mysterious stranger saves her, giving Vynasha the key to finding the only family they have left.

With nothing to lose, Vynasha dares the journey into the forbidden Wylderland. Through dangers untold, she makes her way to the forgotten city, but more than ghosts linger in the castle. A wicked curse shadows the land, shadows whisper that the one to break their curse has come, and a beastly prince makes a bargain Vynasha cannot refuse.

Become the beast's bride or become a monster herself.




MY TIDBITS

The writing is as beautiful as the dangerous world and lures in with just as much grace.

Usually, I start off with a short description of the plot as I saw it, but this time, the blurb says it all. Vynasha lives a solitary life thanks to her magic, and she holds secrets to match the gossip swirling about her. She's an intriguing character, who also grabs sympathy right away, not only because of her lonely situation but due her to desire to protect her nephew, too. 

The world is crafted with as much poetic beauty as the writing. It's a treat to visit each scene and simply sink into the moment. It weaves with Vynasha's journey to form a vivid atmosphere and makes the tension, worries, struggles, and hopes dig deep. While lovely, though, some passages need to be read more than once to understand what is being brought across. This isn't my favorite style, but it'd be wrong to say that it's not well done.

The plot follows the main flow as described in the blurb. However, there is quite a bit happening on the side as well. It's layered with so many secrets and surprises. While these captured my interested and curiosity, many of them are left open-ended and unanswered, while others simply brought a little confusion. There is a second book on the way, which I'm expecting will clear much of this up. While I did enjoy diving into this tale and found the twist to Beauty and the Beast more than intriguing, I'm going to bow out after this first book, since it's simply not quite my thing. Still, I'm glad I had the chance to visit the enchanting world.


And here she is...

Jennifer Silverwood has been involved in the publishing world since 2012 and is passionate about supporting the writing community however she can. After studying traditional art at university, she began helping Qamber Designs bring authors’ books to life. In real life, she’s a mom of two, a passionate reader, and an occasional artist. Jennifer is the author of three series—Wylder Tales, Heaven’s Edge Novellas, and the Borderlands Saga—and the stand-alone romance titles Stay and She Walks in Moonlight.

Author links:
– Website
– Website book page
– Facebook
– Twitter
– Goodreads
– Books2Read
– Newsletter



1 comment:

Jennifer Silverwood said...

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about Craving Beauty! I'm so happy you came on the journey :D Happy reading!