Once upon a time, a beautiful queen was cursed by a dark faery. That curse, inherited by twin princesses, Aura and Luna, binds their lives in the strangest of ways. At an early age, the girls were more than sisters. They were the strongest of allies until a combination of jealousy, anger and dark magic tore their relationship to shreds. Aura took everything from Luna: her home, her family, and … family, and her love by murdering the prince who’d chosen her instead of Aura.
Luna wants revenge, but she’s running out of time. She must sever the magical bond tying her life to Aura’s before their eighteenth birthday or be bound to her forever. In desperation, she seeks help from a dark fae prince, but the price is steep – a piece of her soul.
Fate is a real witch. Luna was willing to give up anything to stop her sister, until Prince Phillip of Grithim, the brother of the only man she’s ever loved, falls into her life. Neither of them can fight their attraction, despite their guilt.
With Aura hell-bent on destroying everything she holds dear, Luna must decide whether she wants revenge or Phillip. She can’t have both, and in the end, this may be a battle both sisters lose.
Savage Beauty is a re-telling of the original Sleeping Beauty story with a few magical twists. Those twists include two feuding half-fae witches and the handsome prince that finds himself caught up in their fight. There are also familiars, because what good witch doesn’t have one. If you love retellings like Cinder from Marissa Meyer or C.J. Redwine’s Ravenspire series… you might love this series as well.
“Cruelty and beauty mixed perfectly!” N.L. Greene, author of The MysticSeeker Series and Jill.
***Savage Beauty is part of a fairy tale retelling series, but can be read alone. If you want to read the others, here is a list, which will be updated regularly as the fairy tales are published:
Riches to Rags (Cinderella)
Savage Beauty (Sleeping Beauty)
(TBA 2018)
(TBA 2018)
more
I’d like to thank Lady Amber Tours for sending me an e-arc of this book! I have read from this author before I read Riches to Rags which was the Cinderella retelling so when I saw she was doing a sleeping beauty one. I was straight there. I knew I was going to be in for one hell of a ride. And boy was I in for a ride!
It was very interesting to read both sister’s point of view, I don’t know who I loved reading more from Luna or Aura, they were both very interesting and they were most definitely unreliable narrators, but each of the girls brought a part of the story and by the end of the story we did have the full story.
Through the start of the book, I had more sympathy towards Luna then I did Aura, I mean that changed when it got to the end then it all made sense but Aura was made to seem very unlikeable by the author until a certain point. I think it’s safe to say though I didn’t like either of the girls, just something about them I couldn’t connect to them.
The story has so much mindfuckery in it, so many times through the story I thought I had it all figured out there would be another twist or turn that throws me completely off guard and then I still don’t know where I stand with this book. It was one of the things I loved about it though. The story had me so confused and conflicted about who I was with and who I wanted to believe.
One thing was for sure in this story, I did not like Malex I thought he was dodgy from the start and I was glad it did, in fact, turn out true that he was dodgy. I loved that Aura protected her sister from the last moment even when she was mad at her, she was still willing to sacrifice herself for her. I loved that about Aura, it was nice to see by the end that both of these sisters had redeeming features about them.
Savage Beauty is a captivating recounting of a fairy tale that will have you reeling from the first page! I loved the climatic retelling of sleeping beauty. I couldn’t believe what I read, it was so real the world of Savage Beauty just engulfed my own reality.The characters are so real and alluring I was blown away. I was not expecting what awaited me at all in this story. If you want to look into a fairy tale retelling I highly recommend that you check out Savage Beauty and Casey L. Bond she is where it’s at!
I did like this story but it felt very predictable, aside from that it was an enjoyable read.
I loved this book and so did my daughter. We found it so easy to get lost in. I loved it so much i stayed up too late trying to finish it, didn’t want to put it down. Another fairytale retelling that you must read.
There is so much to Aura and Luna that you hate them one moment then love them the next. No simple standard personalities here. And the idea behind the sisters being complete opposite was an interesting read. I had no trouble flying through this interesting read.
This is by far one of the best fairy tale retellings I’ve read! In fact, I’m a much bigger fan of this version than the original (although it would definitely be too scary for a Disney movie). It’s like Briar Rose and Maleficent were twins, they were both able to practice magic, and neither were even close to the people you grew up thinking they were – in fact, the complete opposite.
What I enjoyed the most about this story is that there was so much depth to it. There were layers upon layers of emotions, relationships, character development, beautiful story development…the list goes on. I was completely enthralled from the moment I started reading. My heart broke for Luna time and time again, as we learned more about her story and her life. Yet at the same time, I admired her strength in continuing to take was thrown at her from those she didn’t know all the way to those she loved the most. Even with a heavy curse looming over her, along with these burdens, she found a way to build a life where she may be able to be happy. She didn’t give up finding ways to save herself.
I really loved how many layers there were to every character we met – even down to each sister’s familiar. I really got a great understanding of what Luna was dealing with, because even as a reader I never knew who I could trust. Also because the story was written from several different character perspectives, you start to wonder if any of them have all the right information, and if there’s a possibility that some events were misunderstood. It makes you want to sit them all down in the same room and have a chat, but at the same time know that’s a VERY dangerous idea – hence Luna’s entire predicament.
Although I’ve already mentioned it, I can’t express enough how incredible the depth of this story is. This isn’t a story that was rushed through when it was written. It was well thought out, it was far from cut a dry, and because the relationships were so complicated, I was both happy and sad about the ending – and it was poetically beautiful. It was truly everything you would look for in a good story. It was way more than a fun fairy tale retelling. It was moving, it certainly wasn’t black and white, it was unpredictable, and it was a story that overall sucked me in from beginning to end.
Princess Luna despises everything about her twin sister, Aura, and for good reason! With one of them living in the outskirts of their kingdom and the other trapped inside the palace, these two princesses still manage to fight and pester one another through the use of magic. I found the heroine dark and compelling, but also delightfully charming. Even though Luna is a powerful fae witch, and a complete baddy to boot, she is not without compassion. In fact, beneath her cool exterior is the heart of a romantic. Her relationship with Phillip has a tenderness that immediately draws you in, anticipating what will become of their budding romance.
I loved everything about this story and can’t wait to read the next book in Mrs. Bond’s fairytale series. The world and characters she creates are exactly what a fairytale needs to thrive: imaginative, intellectually compelling and magical. I wish she could whisk me away in one of her tales as well, so I could enjoy the glittering world she so expertly crafted
Twin princesses, born of the curse of a dark faery, bound to each other as well as to the seasons, sun and moon. As girls, they were closer than most thought possible. The bonds to each other making them stronger when together and inseparable, or so they thought.
When a prince comes between the sisters, their jealousy and anger tear them apart. When Aura, princess of light and summer takes everything from Luna, princess of the night and winter, including the man she loves and murders him in front of her, their bonds of love are irrevocably torn apart even though they are still bound together through magic.
Luna now lives for revenge on her sister and vows to end her and her murderous sprees. When a dark faery prince offers his assistance, Luna is willing to pay whatever price he asks to be forever free of her bonds to her sister. Things begin to change for Luna, however, when Philip, brother to the only man she had ever loved, arrives at her cottage.
Though both are ruled by guilt, their feelings cannot be denied. However, are those feelings true or have they been manipulated by Aura so that she can exact her own revenge on Luna. Luna must decide what is more important to her . . . revenge on her sister or her love for Philip. And, in the end, will she be strong enough to win the battle before there’s nothing left to win?
While Savage Beauty is a retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty, it is a completely unique and extremely complex storyline. The dichotomy of Aura and Luna is breathtaking. So blinded by jealousy and rage, they continually lash out at one another, unable to sever the bonds that force them together. As a reader, it’s easy to be drawn in and want to choose a side . . . it’s clear that Luna has been wronged by her sister. However, Casey L. Bond is such a master storyteller, that every time I thought I had things figured out, a new twist appeared pulling my feelings and emotions towards another desired outcome for these characters.
Luna’s relationship with Philip allowed her to grow in many ways. He’s completely unexpected and very different from the brother she loved and lost. They both know they cannot have a happy ever after, yet they both yearn for one. It’s gorgeous watching Philip do everything he can to support Luna in her quest and watching Luna learn what love really means.
Add in a Dark Fae Prince whose motivations for helping Luna are not as clear as they seem, two witch’s familiars that battle on their mistress’ behalves, a quest to sever a bond not meant to be broken and a handsome young prince caught in the middle and you have yourself an incredible fairy tale that will enthrall you page after page. 5 stars!
This book is so darn good. I am loving this authors fairy tale retellings. They are such a twist on what we know, or think we know. Casey created a world with these characters in it and the way she writes it is just amazing to say the least. It comes to life as you are reading it, and frankly it becomes imagine-able. I could literally vision myself in the middle of this twisted tale.
I really liked these characters and at the same time was kinda hanging there wondering about them. I mean who is evil and who isn’t? Who’s up to no good? But I have to say I really loved the cat, Ember,
I have said it once and I will say it again, Casey never ceases to amaze me with the twists and turns her book takes. I couldn’t figure out what was going to happen till it did. and I love that about her writing. Its not just one twist though, there are multiple ones.
I have only good things to say about this book. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like in it. Totally a 5 star read. If you like fairy tales or fantasy books you should pick this one up and give it a try. By the end of this book I really wanted more.
This is the first fantasy book I have read by Casey L Bond. I usually read her RomCom or Contemporary Romance stories, however, this fantasy fairy tale retelling was amazing. I loved the twist she puts on fairy tales. It’s a backwards way of thinking things with the retelling. I loved reading both POVs from the sisters and also the other characters involved. The world Casey L Bond built inside Savage Beauty is incredible, I don’t know where she comes up with this stuff. What I do know is that Casey Bond is a magician when it comes to her writing and you can see it play out on the pages as you go along with the characters. Their adventures are your adventures, and when an author entrances you from beginning to end you know they have done a phenomenal job with weaving their words.