Review | Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

Goodreads synopsis: When Rachelle was fifteen she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless— straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat.
 Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in an effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her find the legendary sword that might save their world. As the two become unexpected allies, they uncover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. In a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night? Inspired by the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Crimson Bound is an exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption.Published by: Balzer + Bray on May 5 2015Format: ARC

RATING: ★★★★✰

"She had won them the sun and moon, but she had become a monster."

Rachelle made a choice years ago which has damned her soul for all eternity, and thus spends her life attempting to atone for it. Feeling that she has nothing to lose, she will risk everything to save her world from the ancient evil that threatens it.

This gruesome and imaginative combination of Red Riding Hood and the Girl with no Hands is pulled off exceptionally well. Crimson Bound was an epic tale of blurred lines between good and evil, love and hate, redemption and damnation.  [...]

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Review | Gilded Ashes by Rosamund Hodge

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS: Orphan Maia doesn't see the point of love when it only brings pain: Her dying mother made a bargain with the evil, all-powerful ruler of their world that anyone who hurt her beloved daughter would be punished; her new stepmother went mad with grief when Maia's father died; and her stepsisters are desperate for their mother's approval, yet she always spurns them. And though her family has turned her into a despised servant, Maia must always pretend to be happy, or else they'll all be struck dead by the curse. Anax, heir to the Duke of Sardis, doesn't believe in love either—not since he discovered that his childhood sweetheart was only using him for his noble title. What's the point of pretending to fall in love with a girl just so she'll pretend to fall in love with him back? But when his father invites all the suitable girls in the kingdom to a masked ball, Anax must finally give in and select a wife. As fate would have it, the preparations for the masquerade bring him Maia, who was asked by her eldest stepsister to deliver letters to Anax. Despite a prickly first encounter, he is charmed and intrigued by this mysterious girl who doesn't believe in love. Anax can't help wishing to see her again—and when he does, he can't help falling in love with her. Against her will, Maia starts to fall in love with him too. But how can she be with him when every moment his life is in danger from her mother's deadly bargain?Published by: Epic Reads Impulse on April 1 2014Format: Epub

RATING: ★★★★✰

"My mother knew that wishes are always bought with pain. She thought she could shield me from the price, but she was wrong. Maybe I could do better. Maybe I could word my bargain carefully enough that nobody I loved would pay. But somebody would. And I know one thing my mother never did. I know what it is like to live every day and every hour by the fruits of someone else’s wretched bargain. To see people suffer and know, They suffer because I am loved."

Maia lies every single day. She lies to herself, her family and all those around her because the truth is too deadly to reveal. She pretends to be happy because if she is not, the consequences are disastrous. Upon undertaking the task of helping her stepsister marry the Prince, she unintentionally becomes close to him, forming a bond which she had never wanted with anyone.

This novella was fantastic, eerie and dark. I adore Rosamund Hodge in every way; her retellings, her writing style, her plot. Just, wow. The shadow of menace and fear hung over every page like a cloud.[...]

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