Craving Beauty
(A Wylder Tale, #1)
by Jennifer Silverwood
YA Dark Fantasy
Paperback & ebook, 239 pagesby Jennifer Silverwood
YA Dark Fantasy
October 31st 2015
Vynasha has spent the last four years tending her mother's roses and looking after her nephew. The fire that killed their family has left her scarred and put Wyll on the brink of death. Soon the first frost will come down from the mountains and she knows this winter will be his last.
Until a strange beggar appears on the road, telling her of the majikal Source that can heal her Wyll. With nothing left to lose, Vynasha braves the forbidden Wylder Mountains to seek out a cure and her fate.
A lost kingdom is uncovered by an equally lost girl, but the castle is not abandoned as she believes. Shadows cloaking unseen eyes watch. Tapestries whisper from the hidden corners, wondering if the one to break their curse has come. And a hungry beast waits, ready to devour her soul.
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Not Your Average Beauty
For centuries beyond count, mothers have passed down folk or fairy tales to their daughters.
Each tale contained a valuable lesson. Snow White worked hard to earn her keep and waited for her prince to finally rescue her. Cinderella was rewarded for being obedient in the face of
hardship. Sleeping Beauty waited for her prince to slay the beast before bringing her and the
kingdom back to life. And Beauty agreed to an arranged marriage with a monster to save her
father’s life.
If you look at the basic outline, it’s easy to be critical of classic fairy tales in today’s world. Most taught young girls lessons in submissiveness and obedience at all costs. If they were truly good at heart, their reward would come. The old world tales were part of the feminine tradition, a way for mothers to ease their daughters into the roles they would play out. Modern feminism teaches about the strength of women, our ability to rescue ourselves through independence and self-reliance. This is why most modern retellings of classic fairy tales spin the heroine’s role quite a bit. Today’s fairy tales teach girls to be strong, to take up arms alongside the men if needed, to create their own happy ever after.
“Craving Beauty” is a dark fairy tale retelling of Beauty & the Beast with elements of gothic
romance thrown in the mix. There is no singing and dancing clocks and teapots in our heroine’s
world, and Vynasha is no average “Beauty”. Like many modern fairy tale retellings, she displays a blend of classic and modern traits.
When we first meet our heroine, she has lost virtually everything in life except for her roses and nephew, Wyll. Her mother died when she was a little girl, and her father and brother, Ceddrych, have been away so long they may as well have died too. For a time she tried to make the best of things with her sisters, until a fire took their lives as well. She barely managed to pull her nephew out of the flames in time, leaving both of them horribly scarred. It took years for her to rebuild a life for her and Wyll, but her nephew never fully recovered.
Vynasha doesn’t care about the fact the people in their village fear them, or call her a witch
behind her back. She tends her mother’s rose garden and tries to keep Wyll alive each winter.
And she blames herself for the fire that took her sisters lives. The scars she carries outside don’t begin to match the ones she carries inside. With a new winter approaching and Wyll weaker than ever, she knows there’s little time left. She can’t wait anymore for her father and brother to return home to rescue them and decides to take action.
As I mentioned before, Vynasha is not your average “Beauty”. She was beautiful once, but now
is covered in scars. She has little interest in romance or personal goals but doesn’t consider
herself to be selfless. From an early age, like so many women today, she learned to get by on her own. Sometimes the prince doesn’t come in time and the damsel has to rescue them both. In “Craving Beauty”, Vynasha will discover that her inner beauty, like her bravery comes in many shapes and sizes.
The message of fairy tales is just as relevant today as it was centuries ago. Our culture and
perspectives may have changed in the meantime, but all of us crave beauty and love in our lives.
Like Vynasha, I went through times where I didn’t think myself worthy of love. But once I
stopped searching for it, once I focused on the things that mattered most, love found me. I hope
as you read Craving Beauty, no matter where you are in life, you are reminded how strong and
beautiful you are both inside and out.
Other Books by the Author
Book Trailer
About the Author
Jennifer Silverwood was raised deep in the heart of Texas and has been spinning yarns a mile high since childhood. In her spare time she reads and writes and tries to sustain her wanderlust, whether it’s the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania, the highlands of Ecuador or a road trip to the next town. Always on the lookout for her next adventure, in print or reality, she dreams of one day proving to the masses that everything really is better in Texas. She is the author of the Heaven’s Edge series, Stay and Silver Hollow.
Tour Giveaway
$20 Amazon eGift Card & ebook of Craving Beauty (INT)
Print copy of Craving Beauty + swag (Us Only)
Ends November 27th
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$20 Amazon eGift Card & ebook of Craving Beauty (INT)
Print copy of Craving Beauty + swag (Us Only)
Ends November 27th
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Lisa, thank you so much for hosting me on your blog today! I love meeting fellow bloggers & readers and hope you enjoyed hosting "Craving Beauty" :D I am expecting my first child soon and it always amazes me when I see super moms like you who are raising their kids and still following their dreams. Hope I'm able to do the same! Have a lovely week!
ReplyDeleteI liked this cover and this book sounds intriguing
ReplyDeleteIt seems like it's a story about finding strength. That mixed with the paranormal setting sounds intreaging.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like the sweetest coming of age story. I love a good book about someone overcoming "problems" and discovering themselves. So good!
ReplyDelete