Book Style: Cruel Beauty

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast mixed with a healthy dose of Greek mythology. It's gorgeous and unique and rather sadly not the beginning of a series. I wrote about the plot (and my love of several other fractured fairy tale type reads) over on The Ship's (B)log so you go there and read that and we'll stick with the wardrobe over here. (I do hate repeating myself).

This outfit is clearly my vision of how Nix should be dressed. Greek sandals and a gown which calls to mind the elegant draping of an ancient Greek chiton (the Romans wore togas, not the Greeks, something to bear in mind). That door knocker ring is meant to symbolize all the doors in Ignifex's home. I wanted Nix's wedding ring to be impressive and decided a fire opal was a great way to represent one of the elemental hearts: Fire. Water gets a nod with that water crystal necklace, which I am so drooling over. And wind gets attention with the feather ear jewelry, which also serves as a reminder of Nix's bird friend. That Gwen Stefani for OPI nail lacquer is called "In the Morning" which I find very appropriate for a story where night and day dictate so much of the plot's progress. The final touch is Nix's precious dagger, meant for Ignifex's heart, which I included via those killer dagger earrings.

This book is magic. Read it now and come fangirl with me. And Rosamund Hodge - if you're reading this - I want more!

Book Style: The Winter People

Figured I should probably get to this book before Winter was actually completely over. I adore this new book from Jennifer McMahon! It's spooky, thrilling gothic horror set in present day Vermont. The story intertwines two tales of mothers and daughters and what that kind of love actually means. I actually wrote a review for my store's upcoming Booknotes, so we'll just go with it for a little bit of plot summary: 

Sara Harrison Shea died under ghastly circumstances in 1908, mere weeks after the death of her beloved daughter, leaving a haunting legacy behind. Over a century later sisters Ruthie and Fawn  wake to find that their mother, Alice, is mysteriously missing. Joining forces with two suspicious strangers to track down their missing mom, they begin to uncover shocking family secrets - Sara’s and theirs - as well as a tale of twisted motherly devotion. Jennifer McMahon weaves a tale of historical suspense and Gothic horror that seamlessly blends together two, not-so-disparate, tales of mothers and daughters in the small town of West Hall, Vermont.

For this outfit I wanted to dress Ruthie. I chose an outfit appropriate for stomping around a Vermont landscape, including a nice chunky sweater that is reminiscent of Alice's hand-knitted ones (if a bit less loud). The jewelry here tells the real story: A cupcake charm for Ruthie's bakery flashbacks, a spellbook necklace, a ring that looks suspiciously like it could be the metal version of Auntie's,  and a ring reflecting the unending bond between mothers and daughters. I kept everything in the icy winter palette of the cover (which actually shimmers!).

This book is seriously wonderful and I'm recommending it to everybody!