Best of the Bunch ~ August 2013

Posted August 31, 2013 by Stephanie in Best of the Bunch / 8 Comments

Best of the Bunch is a monthly meme hosted by Always Lost in Stories on the last day of every month. The aim of this meme is to share the best book that we have read in that month and give it our Best of the Bunch award.




August Reads:

Inside Out (Insider #1) by Maria V. Snyder ~ 5 Stars ~ My Review
Immortal Heart (Few Are Angels #0.5) by Inger Iversen ~ 5 Stars ~ My Review
Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer ~ 5 Stars ~ My Review
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux ~ 5 Stars 
Mind Games (Mind Games #1) by Kiersten White ~ 4 Stars ~ My Review
Dirty Lines (Blurred Lines #4) by Breena Wilde ~ 5 Stars 


The Wish List by Eoin Colfer ~ 5 Stars ~ My Review!
Perfect Lies (Mind Games #2) by Kiersten White ~ 5 Stars ~ Review to come!
Suit & Fangs by Marian Tee ~ 3 Stars ~ Review to come!


The Rise of the Hotel Dumort (The Bane Chronicles #5) by Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson ~ 4 Stars
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge ~ 5 Stars ~ Review to come!
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) by Michelle Hodkin ~ 3 Stars ~ Review to come!


Wait for You (Wait for You #1) by J. Lynn ~ 4 Stars ~ Review to come!
Irresistible Lines (Blurred Lines #5) by Breena Wilde ~ 4 Stars




And the Best of the Bunch winner of August 2013 is…




Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
ebook, 352 pages
Expected publication: January 28th 2014 by Balzer + Bray

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl’s journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.


Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.


Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.


With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she’s ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.


But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.


As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex’s secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

I have read so many amazing books this month but Cruel Beauty was without a doubt the best one. As a matter of fact it’s the best book I have read so far this year! And I’m even rereading it now, a few days after I finished. It’s THAT good!
Honorable mentions go to: Inside Out, Scarlet, The Phantom of the Opera, The Wish List and Perfect Lies.




What was the best book you’ve read this month?


8 responses to “Best of the Bunch ~ August 2013

  1. This is a cool meme! This is the first time hearing about Cruel Beauty, but looking at Goodreads, everyone seems to love it.
    Really want to read Inside Out and Mind Games!
    Thinking about it, I'd probably say Throne of Glass or Clockwork Angel were my favourites this month.

    ~Tilly @ Hardcore Heroines

  2. Okay- I loved, loved LOVED Scarlet and anything by Maria Snyder, so I definitely need to check out Cruel Beauty!!
    Graceling is one of my favourite ever books, and I love retellings of fairytales too (how have I never heard of this book before?!)
    One of the best books you've read so far this YEAR? I'm getting it now!!

    • Yes. I thought Scarlet would be my favorite book of the month or maybe Perfect Lies but that was before I read Cruel Beauty!
      And it's just not one of the best books I have read this year. It's THE best! 😀

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