Book Review | Demon Beauty

Demon Beauty by Stefanie Simpson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I went into this knowing the basic premise of it being a Beauty and the Beast style tale, but I did not expect how it unfolded. Possible light spoilers.

Rosalin, a tough woman who can stand on her own and work a sword like an expert, flees war. She loses everything and hardens her heart in order to survive, but she never expects to meet a demon who ends up helping her, especially after she intrudes in his peaceful home. His presence in her life brings her many more challenges, but she can't stay away from him. The world is much more magical than Roslin realizes, and she becomes capable of harnessing that magic herself.

Rosalin is an amazing woman that was refreshing to see. She can fight and face soldiers head-on, and she knows how to survive without anyone else. She was never the damsel in distress, which had me falling in love with her even more. I don't want to give away too much, but it really is nice to see a woman save a man instead of the other way around.

The story as a whole had a very fairytale feel to it, as did the writing. It was different in a good way, and although Crawt's, her demon companion's, dialogue was a bit difficult to wrap my head around sometimes — mostly when he was explaining his past -- it always became clearer as I read more.

Crawt, though. He was visually stunning and equally frightening, but he's kind. As much as I like my beasts scary, intimidating, and a bit cold, Crawt was a nice change from that. When he interacted with Fox and Crow, his animal companions, like he did, it warmed my heart. And they were a special part of this book, too. I was really happy with the ending they got, and we do get to see inside Crow and Fox's heads at least once, which was fun and confirmed that they truly were more than just pets.

Overall, with the intense action and the interesting take on demons, as well as having a strong leading female character and a softer beast, I really liked this story. It kept moving and didn't get caught up with any slow points, and as mentioned above, the fairytale feel came out in the writing as well. I'm really glad I got the opportunity to read it, and I already have another of Stefanie's books I plan on reading very soon.