Of Beast and Beauty

In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret...

In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds.

Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.

As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love.


Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A great twist on a classic tale. A magnificent novel. Stacey Jay did a great job on rewriting a classic. Gem, a monstrous boy who will do anything to bring food to his hungry people. Isra, a blind princess who only wants to know what she looks like. They will meet and the destinies will be intertwined. But, Isra has a secret. She has the power to bring destruction on her home, but will Gem be there when the decision is made? Will they be lovers or enemies? A classic tale with a whole new twist! A must read for those who want a new twist in their ordinary life. WARNING: beware the roses!



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