Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for this ARC!

Of Scarlett St. Clair, this is my favorite of her books thus far. Not only am I drawn to a fantasy romance, but retellings are always my kryptonite. The chemistry between the characters, as well as the inclusion of fairy folklore, pulled me in. I read this impossibly fast because I was so invested. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a quick absolute snack of a book.

Can't wait for the rest of the series!

A fairytale retelling... and some spice??? Well... I had to ask for this book on Netgalley and damn I was happy I got it (thanks to the publisher and the author)!!! I loved it so much!!! The characters are so stubborn (just how I love them) and the mix of many different fairytales makes the story so exciting! I definitely recommend this book if you like fantasy, fairytales, spicy romance and enemies to lovers trope!

Thank you to Bloom Books, NetGalley, and Scarlett St. Clair for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a solid fairytale retelling. I found the initial premise very interesting and I loved that the ending left the world open for more visits in the future. Gesela was quite annoying to me, especially throughout the middle of the book. I had a really hard time connecting with her. Casimer was a really interesting character, who also made idiotic decisions so many times. However, by the end of the book they both had grown on me a bit. I do wish we had had more of a development to their love that didn’t involve sex, because I feel like the couple needed more of a foundation. I love that this story took and drew inspiration from so many fairytales to create a new and interesting story. The way the pieces were woven together were unique and fun for read!

3.5 ✨

Mountains Made of Glass was an enjoyable and fast read. As a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Scarlett St. Clair kept some common themes but truly put her spin to this and even incorporate some parts from other stories while she also did her research.

There's a lot of spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️ and this is a short book so it was pretty much everywhere and as with some smut some of the scenes were pretty ridiculous but still enjoyable.

I do usually enjoy retellings a lot and will plan to read the other 6 books the author is planning to publish for all the elven princes. 🧚🧝‍♂️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Thank you to Bloom Books for this ARC of Mountains Made of Glass for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was easy to read. It is a twist on Beauty and the Beast, with our main character, Gesela, forced to live with the seventh Elven prince, who they call the beast, after killing the toad that lives at the bottom of her village of Elk's well, which turned out not to be a toad at all, but a cursed prince. In Beauty and the Beast fashion, Gesela has to figure out the beast's real name in order to be set free, and if she can speak his name with love, he can be set free, too.

I like St. Clair's twist on this book, as additional elements are included. This book was short, so I shouldn't be surprised at how rushed it felt, but I honestly feel like the pacing was just so hard to keep up with. I really had to force myself to enjoy what I was reading. The spice scenes honestly made it worse, being everywhere. There's enemies to lovers, but again it was so rushed, it was like 0 to 100 instantly. It is dual POV though, so you get both sides but I don't know, it just didn't leave me satisfied but it all around felt clunky.

thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for this arc.

3 stars.

man. this is the third book i have read by scarlett st. clair, and the third book that i don't really like all that much– yet also don't hate. i just think her writing isn't for me, which is fine, i'm sure we all have those authors.

i liked the overall concept. i just didn't enjoy the execution too much. and again- i *am* a sucker for slow burn, so it's probably just that, but this felt so rushed. and don't even get me started on the unnecessary spicy scenes– i don't usually mind them but too much is too much okay. 😭 there has to be a balance between storybuilding and spice and the balance in this book was OFF. like dude!! give me the lore!! give me the legend!! the environment and the scenery and the atmosphere!!! i think she described this dude's looks in more detail than she did the actual world. which is a shame because there was such potential. 🥲

(and btw, i had correctly guessed his name by chapter 15, so i don't think gesela was really trying all that much, lol)

if you're looking for a quick, romantic fantasy read, you're into fast-paced stories and fairytale retellings (and don't mind smut every other page), then this is probably for you. 🫡

I was so excited to read the synopsis for this and see that Scarlett St Clair had a book available on Net Galley! I really love the Hades x Persephone series so far and absolutely adore Beauty and the Beats retellings (thanks ACOTR!) Anyway, when I saw that I was accepted to review this I gobbled it up in two days.

What immediately struck me is the writing style. It was extremely drab and unimaginative. The characters would just "do" things and it was written in such a way that was absolutely boring, nothing was every really described in detail - there was just no heart anywhere in this book. The characters (especially Casimir) were not developed enough. He lived in his realm for 10 years with piece of a magic mirror and a brownie as his closest friends (as far as I could tell), but they were just side characters meant to carry a scene along - no dive into why the mirror or the brownie (I forget her name) were eager to have Casimir break the curse. It's mentioned how much he loves plants which is why his castle is overrun but it's literally never discussed again - I want to know why damn it! Explore that more!

Immediately the book starts with a glossary of creatures in the book and how St Clair perceives them. I wish this had been in the back of the book as it was less exciting when the selkie was revealed and the red caps, etc. I had already read all the things I was going to see so when they were introduced it was not special.

Overall, a disappointment since my hopes were high from loving Hades x Persephone so much but since this is a one-off character story and it won't extend any further, it was just very dry for me and missed the mark.

However...I will read the rest...!

Mountains is an intriguing fantasy, but feels like it doesn't quite know where it's going.it was a quick and easy read with all the elements of a beauty and the beast retelling, but for some reason just didn't work for me.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy.

This relatively short retelling of Beauty and the Beast features a true enemies to lovers dynamic, interesting fae lore and lots of spice!

Gesela has lived in the cursed village of Elk her whole life. The curse is never ending and constantly changing - being broken and broken again by various folks who live there. When Gesela is chosen to be the next curse breaker she never dreamed that it would consequently make her the prisoner of the Prince of Thorns, Casamir. To win her freedom she must discover his true name in 7 days time, or she’ll be his captive for 7 years.

This book was pretty short and could easily be knocked out in a day. It had a strong start, but I found my interest waning as time went by. The lore and setup for this world was excellent. I particularly appreciated the glossary included at the beginning. However, I felt that it was too insta-lust for my particular tastes and I also felt it was just too short for the enemies becoming lovers.

Gesela and Casamir are both instantly attracted to each other. And the sparks that flew weee good but I just wish that the relationship didn’t go from ‘GRRR I hate you!’ to ‘Wow I love you!’ as quickly as it did. As I stated already, I think it could be due to the book being relatively short. I think if the book was longer the change in their feelings towards each other wouldn’t be so stark.

There’s are a few pieces of art included throughout the novel which I loved! The art style is sketch-y and I loved having a visual for a few scenes. I wish more books did that!

On the whole if you want a shorter insta-lust fantasy with definite enemies to lovers then pick this book up! Thanks very much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A very special thank you to NetGalley and the author Scarlett St. Clair for giving me this book. I shall give an honest review. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 *Fairytales Retelling*
I want to say many things about this book: first of all, how much I loved it! It was really entertaining and something really refreshing. The mix of the fairytales (Snow White, the Beauty and the Beast,..), and myths from various countries (as Irish, Greek..) was a total win for me. Mostly because she used my favorite one to this story, which is “The Devil and Three Golden Hair”. 😂
There is a very good mix of curses and enchantments, beautiful Princes and magic creatures. It has everything!
This was actually what we liked to read from the Grimm brothers 😂 and even better, with spicy 🌶🥵
It has all the best tropes ~ enemies to lovers, forced proximity ~
It has a dual POVS ~ I really really like!
It is funny and at the same time has some horror in it 😏
And the art inside the book was GORGEOUS!! And out too! This cover is stunning!
The plot:
Ella is a woman whom has lost everything in her life, and when a curse comes in, she needs to pay the price. So she ends a a prisoner in the castle of a beautiful Beast. To get her freedom, she must learn the name of the Beast in only six days or she will be held as his prisoner for six years.

There was loads of smut, of course. Aside from that, there wasn't much else story-wise. The characters were dry and lacking. I was excited by the map, glossary, and illustration at the beginning but after I got past that I found it hard to feel enthused about the book.

This was an ARC book from Bloom Books/Sourcebooks.

I have read Scarlett St. Clair before and I have loved her writing style so this was lucky for me that I was able to get this book from Netgalley.

This is a story about the Prince of Thorns and the vicious creature (Gesela). She is put to stop a curse from her town, where she didn't feel like she belonged. Then she is sent by the 5 Elven brothers to their 7th brother to go stop his curse where then she could be free.

This story has lots of elements in this. I personally loved the author's note about where she got all of her inspiration and ideas from. There was so much going on within this short novella. I loved all of it and how fast it moved.

She stated that she will be writing about all of the others brothers in other novellas. I can't wait to read some more about them.

There are drawn pictures within this story which I loved since it is hard for me to picture what is going on. It helped with telling the story for me.

Three stars for Mountains Made of Glass!

I enjoyed this retelling. I think it had a great premise and was exactly as advertised, a short spicy retelling. The largest issue I had with this story was the character development. I don’t think at any time I liked the romantic lead and I understand he is meant to be morally grey but I didn’t find anything redeeming about him and he kind of came off as dumb. I wished the main characters ancestry was explored a little more and overall I think the story could’ve done with more robust world building. This was a solid story and I hope that the next instalment is a little longer so I feel a little more connected to the characters.

Ways you can turn this book into a drinking game and be drunk before reading 50 pages:
1. drink every time someone is called creature
2. drink every time someone is called vicious
3. drink every time something is called a "thing"

Thank god this was short because what was even the point? I expected nothing of this and *still* had my expectations drop-kicked to the floor. The dialogue? Terrible. The story? C minus for effort. The world? Just for the hell of it, apparently. The characters? Could not care any less. The spice? Lol

The overall potential to actually be good? OVERWHELMING AND UNDERTAPPED.

The only reason this is two stars is because it made me laugh, except I don't think it was supposed to. Why do I keep giving Scarlett St. Clair a go when I'm currently batting one for four of her books that I actually liked? Homegirl saw the discourse around Lightlark and how everything was described as an adjective + "thing" and said hold my wine.

I'm so frustrated that she never *digs* into anything. Just throws details out there because they sound good and then never does anything with them. Oh, she has fae blood? Just take my word for it because I shan't explain it and have lackluster sex scenes to write instead for no reason other than vibes. Gesela's home life, her parents, her sister, her guilt--St. Clair literally expects you to just forget about it because she's so fierce and hot and has a vocabulary that is half "fuck" and "you." The elven prince is literally no different. No characterization, only thinking about his dick every other paragraph.

I know there are editors at Sourcebooks. Like, people are acquiring these books. But at this point I am begging those people to do literally one single thing because this is what? Book five in a row I've read from one of your imprints that I wish I had not spent the time on? *Begging* you to actually help shape these books into something I don't regret reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book.

A solid 3.5 stars, a nice quick read and a spicy romance (as expected!) It delivers exactly what it promises.

I enjoyed this one, and if you like her other books I'd give this one a go!

I loved this book. The writing was a lot better then some of the other books I am reading currently. I loved the length, the pictures, the characters (mostly Gesela, the mirror, and Naeve (spelling?)). I have read all of Scarlett St. Clair's work and I have to say this is my favorite. She gets so much done in such a short page count it's amazing.

I will be recommending this to my friends!

A sexy, dark fantasy retelling with a fae prince cursed to forget his name and the young woman he needs to fall in love with him who hates him above all else. Or does she? Delicious in its wickedness and the devious fae always looking to make a bargain that never works the way you imagine adds another layer of thrills. Shortish and well worth the read if you like your men beastly and unforgiving in their desires!

Gesela, who has a bit of fae blood, is scorned and isolated in her village of Elk. She is believed to have been cursed, and thus villagers are just waiting for an excuse to get rid of her. In particular, Sheriff Roland of Elk wants revenge because Gesela has repeatedly rejected his sexual advances. Thus when the town needs a “sacrifice” to break the curse of the well having run dry, Gesela is “chosen.” She has to kill the toad at the bottom of the well, but it turns out the toad was an Elven prince under a curse of his own, and his brothers want retribution.

Five of the brothers take Gesela and banish her to live with the seventh brother, whom they call The Beast. The Beast, whose human name is Casamir, was cursed by the Glass Mountains. He only has five more days for someone to guess his real name, or he will forget it, and then he will cease to exist. Moreover, the person who guesses has to be in love with him. And if he ceases to exist, Gesela will never be free, so their fates are tied together.

At first, Gesela detests Casamir. Or at least, she claims she hates him. She also feels irresistible lust for him, especially after he repeatedly sexually harasses her. Under his heated gaze and with his heated thrusting into her, she feels like “someone.” But can she love him *and* guess his name in time? Can he love her? After all, neither of them has known love in their lives - only loss and cruelty.

Well, we can see where this is going. But all that lust and angst and tension keeps us turning the pages anyway.

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.

Typically such plots involve a Byronic hero: strong 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 gives him much pain and 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, surely!

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.]

This woman has the potential to pull such a hero out of the abyss in which he passes his days and long nights, and love 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.”

Look at what this fantasy says about the women who find it appealing:

1. We may want power and importance, but these desires pale besides the attractiveness of enticing otherwise recalcitrant men and then wallowing in sexual submission to their uncontrollable desires;

2. Besides, then we not only realize the power of having broken through the man’s supposedly impenetrable barriers, but we also have power conferred upon *us* by being *his* woman (and the one who finally conquered him!);

3. We find his sexual violation, especially if it involves “ravishment” erotic and irresistable rather than traumatic and horrific;

4. Only we can provide redemption for this tortured man.

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:

“As much as I hated to surrender to this creature, lying beneath him right now, it only seemed right. ‘Choke me,’ I said. He did not need encouragement. . . I thought I might die from the rush of pleasure that blossomed throughout my body, only growing in intensity as he continued to press on either side of my neck.”

After this fiery encounter, Gesela asks (or rather, “moans”) “What kind of magic is this?” “This is not magic,” he responds, “This is *need.*”. She thinks, “If this was need, I had never known it before, but I was certain I could not live without it….”

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 and what they have grown to believe is romantic and/or erotic, which has made male domination a turn on for *both* men and women. [The dynamic is aided by women wearing sheer, revealing clothing (featured aplenty in this book) and 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 self-esteem, just as Gesela feels being ravished by Casamir makes her “someone.”

What about the fact that these women almost always have unpleasant personalities, being rebellious, stubborn, and often insufferable? I would guess this is the author’s way of establishing the “independence” of the woman, as well as giving the male hero more of a challenge to “conquer.”

Evaluation: Fairytale retellings are generally appealing; after all, there is a reason they have remained part of culture for so long. And if you are looking for hot sex and have never been sexually abused or harassed in any way so you aren’t offended by the social dynamics of the story, you will find this story entertaining.

4.5/5 ⭐
2.5/5 🌶️

I really loved this fairy tale novella. Scarlett wasn't joking when she said this wasn't a retelling of one tale, but a mash up of lots of different ones, and she spun them together so beautifully. There were so many little elements here and there that made me go OH OH THAT'S XX and I loved it. Don't forget to read the author's note at the end where she explains a lot of them, it was really fun to hear her inspiration.

The beginning felt a little staccato to me, it wasn't super smooth story-telling... But as we moved along and got Gesella and Casamir together, it really started flowing well and the pace was really great. The world-building and imagery was incredible, I loved picturing the fauna and flora in my mind. And then the illustrations that accompanied the story were just stunning.

I loved Gesella and Casamir; their chemistry and banter were so good. I loved how much they tried to hate each other and how dense Casamir was about love and flattery, only for them to slowly fall for each other. I really enjoyed Gesella and her attitude. She had so much gumption and wasn't afraid of anything but wishes. Her interactions with the selkie and Wolf were some of my favorites.

I'm really excited we are getting a story for each brother. I'm loving this world and can not wait for more.

A steamy multi-fairytale retelling with morally grey characters with a rumplestiltskin/beauty and the beast style vibe- I was here for it.

The first half was a bit rushed, I mean, girl has seven days to fall in lurrrrve.

But- it panned out well in the end, and Scarlett has said she will write other stories for all of the brothers, which I’ll look forward to!

Thank you NetGalley for my arc in exchange for an honest review- this book is out now!