Blinding Beauty by Brittany Fichter
Fantasy. 544 Pages. 5 Stars
Synopsis:
Beauty might have married the Beast, but vows never promised anyone a simple life, least of all, the king and queen of Destin.
It has been only five months since their wedding, but Ever and Isa are already being torn apart. Duty to the kingdom keeps Ever occupied, while Isa struggles to master the Fortress’s mysterious fire. So when the young couple is invited to an ally’s betrothal ceremony, they go in hopes of enjoying the honeymoon they never had.
Upon arrival, however, something is sorely amiss. A glass hill, an ancient enchanter, and the mysterious tribute paid to Isa’s younger brother, Launce, quickly dash their hopes of rest, and it’s not long before Ever and Isa must fight to protect the Fortress, their neighbors, and even the very love that binds them.
Blinding Beauty, the second book in the Becoming Beauty Trilogy, is a retelling of The Princess and the Glass Hill. It is also the second book in the Classical Kingdoms Collection, a series of fairy tales retold to return readers to the long lost world of magic and destiny. Rediscover today the fairy tales that taught you to wonder as a child.
My Review:
There are several things to love about this enchanting sequel to Mrs. Fichter’s Before Beauty. This retelling of The Glass Hill/The Glass Mountain/The Princess and the Glass Hill/whatever you wanna call it XD was creative and a whole lot of fun, honestly.
The plot loosely followed the Glass Hill fairy tale, but I found this a more satisfying retelling than others I’ve read. Usually, I find the Glass Hill part of the tale a tad confusing, but I thought Fichter’s take on the Glass Hill was really neat, and crystal clear. She managed to wiggle in a new princess and twist the tale into Isa’s, keeping Isa prominent, but giving us a glimpse of another intriguing couple (one I really, really hope we get to see more of!). The pacing was perfect! I was certainly enthralled by the plot, watching eagerly as it unfolded. I’ve never found Fichter’s work boring, but I found the pacing especially well-done in this book. I love seeing how she folds in layer after layer of plot, character, and world development to create a tale that draws you in and holds you captive.
The characters always make me smile. I very much enjoyed seeing more of Isa’s little brother Launce. I loved watching him grow from a boy into a man. The transition was expertly handled and fascinating (it’s an area of character development that has always garnered my attention). He was a fun character and I really do hope there’s more to his story–and Olivia’s for that matter! She seemed like a big ball of mischievous fun! Garin, of course, was a complete treasure to come home to, and I relish his moments in this story! Our villain was truly menacing. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was always giving him the stink-eye and trying to figure out just what he was up to. For the record, I never trusted him! But he made the story all the better and I loved the part he played until the very last page.
But the true spellbinding characters in this for me were actually Ever and Isa. (Shocker, they’re the MCs XD) But, truly, I really loved watching the relationship between them. It was tested and it grew. So many stories portray the “happily ever after” at the wedding and never go past that. I think it’s so cool that Fichter delves into marriage and shows that it isn’t the end-all-to-be-all. It isn’t the “answer” the “end of the story.” Marriage is just the beginning. And it certainly isn’t easy. It takes hard work, consistent work, and repeated commitment. I could really see how the two characters complimented each other, and how those differences threatened to tear them apart. They had to learn about each other, how to love one another in a way that the other understood, and how to work together as a team.
Futhermore, I truly appreciated Ever’s struggle to trust the Fortress (and Isa). Despite the last book, learning to trust is a lifelong struggle. And I can personally relate to Ever’s doubts and fears, his disposition and struggle to let go. I found it refreshing to see that he hadn’t just learned his lesson and moved on with his life. Sometimes it’s easy to know something in one’s head and entirely different to live that knowledge out in your life. He’s a genuine character and he showed us that he is trying, but that he isn’t quite there yet. It’s nice to see characters who have the same struggles we do and who don’t unrealistically defeat such ingrained issues in an instant. I think some readers were upset by Ever in this book, but I found it realistic. He’s worked hard to come as far as he has. He’s spent his entire life learning how to love (and how not to love) one way and cannot honestly be expected to suddenly understand and implement a completely different nature. He’s fighting his entire life’s worth of experiences and trying to relearn what he’s always known. You try learning a completely different language after you’re a fully grown adult! It’s not easy!
Anyway, the character lines in this book were clearly a favorite part for me. The plot drove me on, and the seeing more of Fichter’s world unfold (and more of the history!) is always a treat. I did find a few boo-boos, typos mostly, nothing inconsistent in the story itself. But those were easy to overlook for all the positives in this story.
The romance was sweet, clean, and heartwarming. Nothing more detailed than a kiss. There was no foul language, but there was some mild violence, a little blood here or there, but not much and nothing very graphic. There were beautiful, deep themes woven throughout the story–one of the things I love most about Fichter’s writing. Themes of love, commitment, hard choices, etc. But nothing I would consider mature or objectionable for young readers. I’m looking forward to book three!
More:
Book 1 in the Becoming Beauty trilogy is Before Beauty (5 Stars)
Book 3 is Beauty Beheld (5 Stars)
Note: These are also a part of the Classical Kingdoms series; for that order, click here and scroll down to the bottom.
I have rated and reviewed the above on Goodreads. Click the links above to find out more.
This trilogy should be read in order.
On Gracebought:
If you missed it, be sure to check out the reviews for the previous books in the series here on GraceBought! And stay tuned next week for my thoughts on the next book!