Mountains Made of Glass (Fairy Tale Retelling Book 1)

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Plotwise speaking, it wasn't the masterpiece of the century but I had tons of fun with it and the retelling aspect was so incredibly well done. Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White and Beauty and the Beast are only a few of the fairytales this story was inspired by, and damn, were they properly employed. i enjoyed the concept, found the world-building to be decent, and thought the cruel and spooky atmosphere very faithful to the origin of fairy tales. so when it comes to the retelling components, i think this works well. but as a romance, thats where it falls short for me. this just didnt have the depth to convince me that the characters really loved each other. i wanted more development, more connection, and a slower pacing to make the relationship progression be believable. That being said, I’d like to share some info about the controversial sexual situations in this book courtesy of: Sourcebooks Bloom Books 2023

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.I have very different feelings about this, I mean... this was ok, even good in some ways, alas not close in another, and took me too long to read too short. I liked Gesela as well, even if she was a little annoying and way too naive , with her rushed decisions in the beginning, especially for a person as smart as she was described to be. This woman has the potential to pull such a hero out of the abyss in which he passes his days and long nights, falling in love with him in spite of his stern demeanor, dark past, and sexual abuse. The reward? She is needed by him, more than she has ever been needed by anyone. And she thereby is “someone.” I recommend going in blind, don't even read the blurb. I read this mainly due to the author and I am so glad I skipped the blurb because it made it so much more enjoyable. If you must I'll include a bit below, but I suggest the skip. I’m really interested in Casamir’s brothers and am hoping that each will be the focus of future books. I have a feeling they will each have a unique story to tell, and I’m eager to see how all of their stories tie together and who will be crowned the king of Fairyland.

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

I have been on the fence with Scarlett St Clair for a while now. You better do not get me started on Hades and Persephone. The Vampire one was also not my cup of tea. I recommend this book to people who like sexy scenes and don't mind if it doesn't really make any sense. I screamed, thinking it was about to leap on me, but saw that it landed on a piece of stone jutting from the side of the well. 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. Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

The toad waited patiently nearby, and as I stared up at the pale, gray sky, I wondered if anyone was watching me from the warmth of their home. Would they inform Roland? Had he assumed I was dead? Ella isn’t much better at sharing her feelings and being courted, and she vacillates between being confused and angry, which makes for some tense and humorous scenes, as well as some heated arguments and misunderstandings. And the make-up time was super sexy. I loved every heated second! You really do get the fairy tale vibe from the story. Things happen one after another with little logic, and magic doesn’t have to make sense; it just exists. But what complicates this is the romance. Because the smut isn’t written like a fairy tale, it’s fantasy romance to its core (faes, instalove, and curses abound), and the juxtaposition between the romance and the narrative clash so awkwardly that I felt like I was reading two different books. Gesela is not the weak, fainting sort, and yet clearly there is in this book the association of sexual arousal with her subordination. At one point, we have the somewhat startling passage: 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.

The story started well enough. It even had promise. I liked that there were several fairytales mixed into one. I also liked that Gesela was no damsel in distress. Where I had a strong dislike for Persephone, Gesela was more a character to my liking. She wasn’t innocent nor naive, a perfectly morally grey character. This book is different than I expected. It's darker and more adult than I thought it would be. The more I read, the worse it got. I couldn't get into this book. This just wasn't for me. Gesela lives in the village of Elk. It’s inhabitants falling from curse to curse, a never ending vicious circle. When it’s Geselle turn to kill the toad in the well, she hesitantly takes action. The following night she is confronted by five fairy princes. She killed the sixth brother who she thought a toad. As a punishment she is sent to the seventh brother, who is a beast. Can they end the curse?! Beauty and the Beast PLUS Grimms' Tales PLUS some kind of Alice in Wonderland, but don't count on it much PLUS typical Clair Dark Erotica.