Synopsis:
“Could you love me?” he whispered. The question stole my breath and burned my lungs in the silence that followed. 

I wanted to answer, to whisper yes into the space between us, but I was afraid.

All Gesela’s life, her home village of Elk has been cursed. And it isn’t a single curse—it is one after another, each to be broken by a villager, each with devastating consequences. When Elk’s well goes dry, it is Gesela’s turn to save her town by killing the toad that lives at the bottom. Except…the toad is not a toad at all. He is an Elven prince under a curse of his own, and upon his death, his brothers come for Gesela, seeking retribution.

As punishment, the princes banish Gesela to live with their seventh brother, the one they call the beast. Gesela expects to be the prisoner of a hideous monster, but the beast turns out to be exquisitely beautiful, and rather than lock her in a cell, he offers Gesela a deal. If she can guess his true name in seven days, she can go free.

Gesela agrees, but there is a hidden catch—she must speak his name with love in order to free him, too.

But can either of them learn to love in time?

Review:
I am so glad I gave St. Clair a second chance because this book is utter perfection. You’re dealing with dastardly fae, but we start with the folly of men. This book instantly pulls you in and sucks you into a world of fairy tales, where it feels as if you have always belonged. I loved the language of the book as that was a major part of what set the mood, Lady Thing, the creature, and her biases and issues with the fae and the forest. There were so many morals and lessons rolled into one brilliant story; not everything is as it appears. The gore and darkness, while frustrating and shudder inducing at the beginning, become something that must be expected and part of in order to exist in the forest. I loved all the various fairy tale elements/stories interwoven into one. Overall, the book was a quick read, but at no part did any of the relationships and connections seem forced, and the spice was just right. Would highly recommend this to anyone looking for an adult fairy tale retelling, and looking forward to reading the others.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯