Beauty and The Beast
Hated and feared, magic was banished from the land. But now, freed from the spells of the wicked bloodmages, magic-both good and evil-returns. And Aren of Fallbrook feels her own power of sight strengthen and grow…
Overcome by visions of mayhem and murder, Aren vows to save her village from the ruthless raiders who have descended upon it-and killed her family. With the return of wildlings to the hills and forests, she strikes a bargain with the Hob, a magical, human-like creature imbued with the power of the mountains. But the Hob is the last of his kind. And he will exact a heavy price to defend the village-a price Aren herself must pay…
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"I really enjoyed this fantasy novel and Briggs is a consistent, funny, smart writer. Some of her voracious fans liked this book the least of her works. Personally, I found it to be a little gem and will start her Dragon series next. Perfect summer reading."
— Vanessa (4 out of 5 stars)
" I really like the story, but the narrator is too....light. She pronounces some words oddly, and doesn't always put the right emphasis in the sentence to do justice to the humour. Not a fan. The story is 4 stars, but the narrator is 3. "
— Rene, 8/15/2018" slow, but a good story "
— Jaime, 2/20/2014" I love this. This is the first book i have read by this author and i am hooked. "
— Jeanille, 2/19/2014" A cute fantasy, with more of a "fairy tale" vibe to it. "
— Caroline, 1/29/2014" It was a fun read, and a well crafted story. :) "
— Janine, 1/28/2014" This is one of Patricia's books that got her recognized. I can tell why. Very good book again she developes neat charactures. "
— Dane, 1/25/2014" It was good, but not as well written as some of her others. This book was confusing at first and some threads still had me wondering near the end. Many of the secondary characters seemed to run together, but I'm just nitpicking. It was a quick fun read. "
— Kami, 1/24/2014" Booo! Read the Mercy series instead! "
— Toocrazycosmoyahoo.com, 1/19/2014" Another perfect novel by Briggs. Full of romance and lots of action. "
— Haley, 1/17/2014" Not my fav effort by Patricia Briggs, but still written with her magical sense of adventure & humor. "
— Sheri, 1/15/2014" Two stars seems low - the book wasn't bad but you can tell it was an earlier book and it's not as well done as her newer series. The story was interesting but seemed to miss something for me. I'd have liked a bit more between the main characters ... "
— Ban, 1/7/2014" A little slow moving at times, but enjoyable fantasy read. "
— Alisa, 11/23/2013" This is the book that introduced me to Patricia Brigg's books so it can do no wrong for me. It also took me literally years to track down a copy, but I am so glad I bothered... "
— Emy, 8/29/2013" Really liked it, kept me guessing, but where's the next book? Don't leave me hanging! "
— Anna, 7/8/2013" I wasn't able to finish this book, but honestly, not because it was bad. I just simply couldn't get into it. I still recommend to lovers a fantasy, especially high fantasy. "
— Snarky, 7/3/2013" Patricia Briggs writes about people coming to terms with their magical capabilities against adverse political backdrops. I like what she does and will probably read everything she writes. While there is a romance, it is very much in the background. "
— Natlyn, 6/21/2013" One of the sweetest fantasy love stories I've ever read!!Great detail - paints vivid mind pictures!! "
— Mia, 2/5/2013" A lot of fun, especially Caefawn and Duck. Aren was a likeable character and her progression through the story was good. "
— Deyara, 1/4/2013" Earlier effort. Interesting concept, not so great on character development. Safe to say that I like her modern material better than her fantasy. "
— Shamela, 10/21/2012" Briggs is a romantic without getting mushy. Or bodice busting, for that matter. "
— Debby, 6/8/2012" The seeds of her storytelling skill were there, but this isn't her best work. It's an early work, but I'm glad to say Ms. Briggs gets much better. I did enjoy reading it and about the odd little fantasy world of the Hob, but it was a little unfocused and ended too abruptly. "
— Paxnirvana, 6/6/2012" Love it. A short quick read, wish there was a sequel. "
— Charlotte, 5/3/2012" I don't know what it was but I just could not get into this book. It's a shame because I like the Mercy Thompson series but this was just torture to get through. Not enough character background for me I think, it was too focused on the world and it wasn't even an exciting world. "
— Heather, 3/4/2012" A weaker effort from Patricia Briggs...you can see that there are a lot of interesting ideas in this one, but for the most part, they were half-formed and rushed. Also? The relationship with the hob was always kind of creepy to me. "
— Lorena, 2/15/2012Patricia Briggs is the author of the Mercy Thompson novels and the Alpha and Omega novels, which have been New York Times bestsellers.