Series: Standalone
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Release Date: March 5, 2024
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / FantasyFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Cruel Beauty comes a darkly romantic and subversive new standalone fantasy twist loosely inspired by the classic Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.
A rich and romantic new standalone fantasy perfect for fans of These Violent Delights and The Shadow Queen.
Centuries ago, the heretic sorcerer Ruven raised a deadly briar around Runakhia's palace, casting the royal family into an enchanted sleep—and silencing the kingdom's gods.
Born with a miraculous gift, Lia's destiny is to kill Ruven and wake the royals. But when she succeeds, she finds her duty is not yet complete, for now she must marry into the royal family and forge a pact with a god—or die.
To make matters even worse, Ruven's spirit is haunting her.
As discord grows between the old and new guards, the queen sends Lia and Prince Araunn, her betrothed, on a pilgrimage to awaken the gods. But the old gods are more dangerous than Lia ever knew—and Ruven may offer her only hope of survival.
As the two work together, Lia learns that they're more alike than she expected. And with tensions rising, Lia must choose between what she was raised to believe and what she knows is right—and between the prince she is bound to by duty...and the boy she killed.
Rosamund Hodge's What Monstrous Gods could be the author's personal journey to address her conflict with her faith. From Cruel Beauty, a re-imagined Beauty and the Beast, to Gilded Ashes, a re-imagined Cinderella, to Crimson Bound, a re-imagined Little Red Riding Hood, and Bright Smoke, Cold Fire, a re-imagined Romeo and Juliet, all the way through this latest book, Rosamund is building a brand as an author who reinvents classic tales—and does it extremely well.
Centuries ago, the heretic sorcerer Ruven raised a deadly briar around Runakhia's palace, casting the royal family into an enchanted sleep—and silencing the kingdom's gods. 17-year-old Lia Kurenava has grown up an orphan, raised by nuns in a world where the royal family has been deep in an enchanted sleep for hundreds of years. It's Lia's destiny to breach the enchanted hedge circling the palace and break the curse, unleashing a new golden age for Runakhia.
But when she succeeds, she finds her duty is not yet complete, for now, she must marry into the royal family and forge a pact with a god—or die. To make matters even worse, Ruven's spirit is haunting her. As discord grows between the old and new guards, the queen sends Lia and Prince Araunn, her betrothed, on a pilgrimage to awaken the gods. But the old gods are more dangerous than Lia ever knew—and Ruven may offer her only hope of survival. As the two work together, Lia learns that they're more alike than she expected.
And with tensions rising, Lia must choose between what she was raised to believe and what she knows is right—and between the prince she is bound to by duty...and the boy she killed. Rosamund infuses the classic story with fresh twists including sorcery, a fascinating pantheon of gods, a lush and courtly setting, and a romance that will take your breath away. While the story takes its initial inspiration from Sleeping Beauty, it then spins off into something gloriously dark, romantic, and thought-provoking—in short, something that only Rosamund Hodge could write.
Readers love a great enemies-to-lovers romance—and this is one for the books! Lia is a complex protagonist who deals with timeless universal challenges that will resonate with teen readers, such as questioning authority and the faith one has been brought up to believe in and carving out your own path in life. While the old world prayed to a pantheon of Gods, this new world believes in something else entirely. Ruven may not be a POV co-lead, but he is a major play nonetheless. He is in every way Lia’s foil. What she considers blasphemy, he considers truth, and vice versa. In a curious twist, the author states that she likened this story to Kylo Ren and Rey in The Last Jedi.
Ooh nice! This one is on my TBR pile! I loved Cruel Beauty by this author and am excited to give this one a try! Her fairy tale retellings do tend to be different but enjoyable. Glad you liked this one! Nice review!
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