The story started well enough. It even had promise. I liked that there were several fairytales mixed into one. I also liked that Gesela was no damsel in distress. Where I had a strong dislike for Persephone, Gesela was more a character to my liking. She wasn’t innocent nor naive, a perfectly morally grey character. From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes book four in her Blood and Ash series. It was not as if he were serious either. He had made many proposals to women under the guise that he would save them, only to shame them later for believing he was serious. We returned to her kingdom where her father declared that we would wed,” he said. Then he asked, “Did you rescue your princess?” Thanks to NetGalley & Bloom Books for an eARC of this book. The following review is my honest reflection on the text provided.

The only reason this is two stars is because it made me laugh, except I don't think it was supposed to. Why do I keep giving Scarlett St. Clair a go when I'm currently batting one for four of her books that I actually liked? Homegirl saw the discourse around Lightlark and how everything was described as an adjective + "thing" and said hold my wine. I mourned that I had not killed the toad during my fall. At least then it would have been an accident.I have very different feelings about this, I mean... this was ok, even good in some ways, alas not close in another, and took me too long to read too short. I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review. Roland’s face hardened, but he drew nearer, and it took everything in me not to push him away. I hated how he smelled, like wet hay and leather. Beauty and the Beast PLUS Grimms' Tales PLUS some kind of Alice in Wonderland, but don't count on it much PLUS typical Clair Dark Erotica. Besides, then we not only realize the triumph of having broken through the man’s supposedly impenetrable barriers, but we also have power conferred upon us by being his woman (and the one who finally conquered him!);

I recommend going in blind, don't even read the blurb. I read this mainly due to the author and I am so glad I skipped the blurb because it made it so much more enjoyable. If you must I'll include a bit below, but I suggest the skip. In short, the book is about a girl named Gesela who lives in a town called Elk which is riddled with curses. The town essentially sacrifices people in different ways to break these curses. Gesela is ostracized for certain reasons and when it's time to break a new curse, it's no surprise to her that she's next in line. While breaking the curse she ends up killing one of the seven elven princes. As retribution for their brother's death, Gesela is sent to the seventh brother to live as his prisoner. The seventh brother, Casamir, bargains with Gesela. If she can guess his name in seven days, he will set her free. Well, of course there is a catch, there's always catch.Mountains Made of Glass by Scarlett St. Clair is a fairy tale retelling that came out on the 7th of March. I was approved for an e-copy, courtesy of NetGalley, by Bloom Books when I requested it because anyone on bookstagram, or Goodreads, or literal or booktok has heard of Scarlett St. Clair at this point. That being said, I’d like to share some info about the controversial sexual situations in this book courtesy of: Sourcebooks Bloom Books 2023 A deep groan shook the ground at my feet, and I paused, lowering my ax, searching the darkened wood for the source of the sound. The forest seemed to creep closer, the grove in which my house was nestled growing smaller and smaller day by day. Soon, her evil would consume us all.

Ella isn’t much better at sharing her feelings and being courted, and she vacillates between being confused and angry, which makes for some tense and humorous scenes, as well as some heated arguments and misunderstandings. And the make-up time was super sexy. I loved every heated second! She has a Master's degree in Library Science and Information Studies and a Bachelors in English Writing. She is obsessed with Greek Mythology, murder mysteries, and the afterlife. On the one hand, this is a mash-up of fairytale retellings and a very hot romance, with explicit details. But to my mind, and more importantly, it is a stereotypical story from pre-Me-Too days of the appeal of the rapey bad boy. What am I supposed to do about it?” I asked, though her words carved out a deep sense of dread in the bottom of my stomach.Elsie was pale except for her cheeks which were rosy red. Her coloring made her eyes look darker, almost stormy. Her hair had come loose from her on the other hand, i wasn't sure how to feel about either character. maybe it's because the book was so short, but i just couldn't get attached to anyone. the MC was reasonably badass but also a little stupid, like i did spend a bit more time than i would've liked screaming at her... but hey, not everyone can be einstein. and at least i really liked a couple side characters, i honestly wish we got more of Wolf, Naeve and Mirror! You lost me when the main character, Gesela, popped into a fae prince's home who was kind of kidnapping her but wait, he's also sexy and is aroused by a random stranger popping up out of nowhere and Gesela is scared but also horny and I'm confused as to how it suddenly became a smut but also disturbingly similar to s*xual assault? It defies all logic and I simply cannot read anymore.

The fairy tale elements keep coming in with a sentient magic mirror and the beast’s acquaintances that remind him that the way to win a woman’s heart is probably not just through cruelty; you need to be gentle and have tact and patience and a bunch of other things. In that regard, I also felt for the prince and his role in this fairytale; a prisoner trying to return to a princess he does not love. But all in all I noticed that I fell into the St. Clair trap again. 🙄 though, the writing did improve since Persephone and Hades. It’s not cringe worthy this time around. There were no happy endings, that much I knew. Whatever I faced after this would surely lead to my death.

Mountains Made of Glass by Scarlett St. Clair PDF Details

And I love how Casamir tries to get love and courting advice from anyone who will listen. The magic mirror, the house brownie, and even a prisoner is questioned, though Casamir is not good at following through with the advice he receives, and he fumbles and bumbles more than he succeeds. It’s so sweet to see this dark, brooding, and usually unfeeling male fall head over heels in love. A now-familiar croak drew my attention, and I let my head fall in its direction, watching as the toad hopped onto the ledge of the well. A lot of sex scenes when there could have been more world building (especially if there are to be more) or conversations. We were told they fell in love, but a few forehead kisses and a picnic didn't really sell that fact.