We returned to her kingdom where her father declared that we would wed,” he said. Then he asked, “Did you rescue your princess?” 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. We know how the story will go; this is a fairy tale retelling; there is a happy ending. But there is a reason why we read and don’t use those stupid book summary apps; we enjoy the path the author takes to get us there. St Clair builds a good worldbuilder! She grounds it things we’ve heard about and then takes it away from there to something magical and horrible at the same time. Wolf is the only decent thing there; everyone wants something and is constantly bartering to get it, whether that is the selkie or even the prince. Nothing is gentle and pretty; beautiful things are cruel, as is expected of them. On the one hand, this is a mash-up of fairytale retellings and a very hot romance, with explicit details. But to my mind, and more importantly, it is a stereotypical story from pre-Me-Too days of the appeal of the rapey bad boy. In addition to the spice, we also see both Casamir and Ella face their misgivings about love. Neither like being vulnerable and they resist fully opening up to each other. However, with all that chemistry zapping around, it proves difficult.

At the end of a dusty dirt road off California ’s Highway 395 lies a mountain made of volcanic glass, also known as obsidian. Located just north of Mammoth Lakes, the dome is part of the Mono-Inyo volcanic chain. 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. And I love how Casamir tries to get love and courting advice from anyone who will listen. The magic mirror, the house brownie, and even a prisoner is questioned, though Casamir is not good at following through with the advice he receives, and he fumbles and bumbles more than he succeeds. It’s so sweet to see this dark, brooding, and usually unfeeling male fall head over heels in love.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 also really enjoyed the different mythologies and fairytale creatures and traditional storylines woven into one short book, it was very impressive and quite interesting to read about!

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. 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. Choke me", FMC said at some point, and there I was, flying to the moon with heart palpitations and squeezed tighs. 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. Typically such plots involve a Byronic hero who is powerful and attractive, yet flawed in ways most notably exemplified in the life and writings of Lord Byron. This hero (often a vampire, but an Elven Lord works as well) is moody, dark, cynical, independent, masterful, and has a mysterious past that not only gives him much pain but has made “love” almost impossible for him. But he is also absolutely magnetic and sexually irresistible. He can be cruel, too, but who can blame him, given all the grief festering inside him? Not we readers, surely!

The romance was chef's kiss. The dual pov and enemies-to-lovers trope gave me a perpetual stomach tingle, and the smut was so so so so good. 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. Could you love me?” he whispered. The question stole my breath and burned my lungs in the silence that followed. PDF / EPUB File Name: Mountains_Made_of_Glass_-_Scarlett_St_Clair.pdf, Mountains_Made_of_Glass_-_Scarlett_St_Clair.epub 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.

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: There is a long history of men promulgating male privilege and sexual dominance, but this book was written by a woman. That isn’t a mystery; androcentric media has affected women on both conscious and subconscious levels, influencing what they have grown to believe is romantic and/or erotic, and what they define as “success” in life. Thus male domination is a turn-on for *both* men and women. [The dynamic is aided by women wearing sheer, revealing clothing (featured aplenty in this book) and assuming physical positions of submission.] Men can’t resist these women (no matter how surly), and other women want to emulate them. Being “hot�� is equated with success and self-esteem, just as Gesela feels being ravished by Casamir makes her “someone.” Second of all, this author can really make a unique and fantastic retelling of anything. The richness of the lores (some borrowed and some she comes up with herself) is the most compelling part of the book. We may want agency and importance, but these desires pale besides the attractiveness of enticing otherwise recalcitrant men and then wallowing in sexual submission to their uncontrollable desires; But it’s like with an addiction. You can’t stop. I had to press the request button. This sounded so fun and exciting. I do appreciate a good fairytale retelling. But I need my characters with a spine and a story in addition to the smut. I thought I give it another go!She makes me feel like it won't matter if I have a name or not. So long as I know her, I will know myself."

Furthermore, we know that only a very extraordinary woman [such as each of us secretly is] can get this guy to open up to her and let himself feel love. [The fact that the young woman is usually surly and obnoxious but beautiful adds to her appeal for the Bad Boy.]Could you love me?" he whispered. The question stole my breath and burned my lungs in the silence that followed.