Who doesn't love a retelling of Beauty and the Beast??? "Spellbound Lies" is definitely worth the read.

This book left a touch to be desired. Spellbound lies was an interesting take on the Beauty & the Beast troupe that has been popular lately but there was something lacking. The characters where decently strong but left like something was missing for them to be in love.

And the best YA fantasy of 2022 goes to...

[arc review]
I would first like to extend my thanks to NetGalley, Catherine Downen, and Xpresso Book Tours for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a honest review! Spellbound Lies is out October 11th!!

I'm struggling to articulate how incredible this book was. I encourage everyone who is even slightly interested in the Young Adult, fantasy, and/or romance genres to pre-order this book.

Spellbound Lies follows Jessamyn, Commander Finn Silver, and Prince Nikolaus in their quest to break a curse that causes the Prince of Pulvium to turn into a beast named Nik from the hours of 9pm to 3am every night.

I could not put down all 600+ pages of this masterpiece of a novel. The pacing was perfect, there were a plethora of attention-grabbing quotes, and the writing style of this author was one of the best I've seen in years.

And don't even get me started on how this book includes illustrations of some of the more prominent scenes!!

Aside from the pacing and plot, the characters of this book were unforgettable. Jessamyn is the female protagonist I've been begging for years for. She has agency, follows her heart just as much as her mind, and has a strong moral compass. Jessamyn is also plus-sized, and the way Downen wrote about Jessamyn's body/her feelings about her body were some of the best plus-sized representation I've seen.

If any of this statements apply to you, you should definitely buy this book :
⭑ You thought the archery scene between Mia and Nicholas in The Princess Diaries 2 was swoon-worthy
⭑ You love Six of Crows's Nina
⭑ You fall for the villain/angsty love-interest
⭑ You want more plus-size representation in your books
⭑ You want a book where you can't predict what will happen next
⭑ You're looking for a Fall read that has witches and curses
⭑ You loved books such as A Court of Thorns and Roses or A Curse so Dark and Lonely
⭑ You love scenes where the female m/c is talking about how beautiful the scenery is and the love interest agrees but is looking at her

I'm going to go buy a physical copy now.

I literally predicted everything by chapter 22.

Spellbound Lies is a Beauty and the Beast meets Jekyll and Hyde scenario. Essentially, in this world, we have a royal family, with a seventeen-year-old prince named Nikalaus. Every couple months or so, he holds a little party of sorts to scope out his potential suitors, and on one such occasion, he requests the party be catered by Jessamyn's family's bakery. Who is Jessamyn you ask? She is a seventeen-year-old baker's daughter, who is being sent off to cater the party by herself for the first time. Everything goes okay, but as soon as she's home, Jessamyn realizes she left her ring, her family heirloom, at the castle. So, naturally, she races back there, does some casual breaking and entering, and whilst trying to find her ring, she bumps into the prince. Yet, he doesn't quite look right; doesn't seem like the prince she briefly talked with that afternoon, either. After the two get into a cupcake throwing battle, the prince ends up taking her ring, sauntering away, and that is when the captain of the guard finds Jessamyn and tells her she has seen too much. At this point, Jessamyn is captured, but she is also told the full story of what happened to the prince: how he has been cursed by one of the evil witches that have been banished in their realm, the consequence being from 9 PM to 3 AM, a completely different person takes over the prince's body, referred to as the beast. Jessamyn, after hearing this story and the fact that she is not allowed to leave, decides to help Nikalaus and his commander break the spell... but what happens when the beast might not be the monster everyone believes him to be?

I want to get the positives out of the way before I start complaining. First, I love that Jessamyn is a baker's daughter, and she has the curves to show it. So many female protagonists are thin, in shape, following whatever BS beauty standards there are regardless of the character's lifestyle, but not Jessamyn. She is, as she calls herself, a heavyset girl, which makes sense since her job requires her to be constantly taste-testing recipes, sweets, and the like. It matches her lifestyle, and there is absolutely no shame in that, and Jessamyn does a good job of embracing that, but also having her moments of insecurity. I also love how her size isn't the focal point of her story, and it isn't something she feels like she needs to change throughout the story. Massive props there. We also get to see Jessamyn step into her confidence when addressing Nikalaus and commander Finn, which was a nice arc to follow, (although a bit overtly pointed out at times). Jessamyn goes from a shy, uncertain girl to a HBIC, and I love that for her. I also loved getting to read her time with the beast, also known as Nick. There are some adorable moments that come out of that relationship. Honestly, her friendship with Finn, too, is pretty great. I love me a romance where the love interest isn't just the love interest because he is the only decent man around. With that being said, though, I have some complaints I need to get off my chest.

First, the world itself confuses me. We have oil lamps, wood stoves, they ride on horses... but then we have people wearing jeans and saying "okay," all the time? There is such an odd blending of modern and olden times that some people won't be phased by, but I found myself getting confused trying to pinpoint what exactly this world looked like development wise. Beyond that, though, the writing itself was getting on my nerves every now and again. I know this is YA, but it is written like the audience is in middle-grade: overexplaining every little detail, telling instead of showing the majority of emotions, and overall reading like the writer didn't have any faith in the reader's ability to pick things up on their own. Some people will once again not be phased by this, but this book could have been cut down substantially if all of the overexplaining was removed. Speaking of removing, though, Lucinda? Pointless in that climax. I seriously was struggling to understand her motive at some points outside of author motives. She was a weak villain.

Ultimately, Spellbound Lies is a book filled with adequate to solid character relationships. The plot was well-paced, with a good balance between relationship development moments and mystery unfolding/clue finding plot points. Again, I pretty much was able to predict the entire plot after chapter 22, which might have been a result of me knowing the fairy tale and consequently the themes that were going to be played with, or maybe it's just because I've read so much that predicting plots is a hobby of mine. I think there were definitely missed opportunities with this idea, but I can't be angry overall with how it was executed.

I received a free copy of this book, and this is my honest review.

*****5 Stars!

“Beast or not, my heart beats because of you.”


First I would like to thank Xpresso Book Tours and NetGalley for allowing me to read an arc of this book. I am honored to have been given the chance to read it and give an honest review.

Spellbound Lies is the story about a prince trapped in a constant battle with the beast lurking beneath his skin. The beast is not a creature to be slayed, but a man crafted from the darkest evils. The two shift between the body they share, threatening to unleash a destruction that would change their realm forever. It is only when a young baker, Jessamyn Elisdream sneaks into the palace in search of a lost family heirloom, she uncovered far more than she bargained for.

She must now keep Prince Nikolaus’s secret and becomes imprisoned in the palace until the witch’s spell can be broken. Now trapped inside the palace with the prince’s two changing forms, Jessamyn becomes caught in a war of good and evil. The prince versus the beast and a heart that betrays her.

This was such a creative Beauty and the Beast retelling with a clever Jekyll and Hyde twist to it! I was hooked from the first moment I started the book and I couldn’t seem to put it down after that. At the end of each chapter I was left with the need to know more and ended up devouring the book quicker than I expected. Throughout the entirely of the book I found myself collecting little details and storing them in the back of my mind for later, trying to solve the curse before the story reached its conclusion. The pacing of the story was very well done making the story flow smoothly and very easy to read and lose yourself within the pages. I also really enjoyed the magic system in the story, I found it all to be very interesting!

I absolutely loved the author’s way with words, her descriptions were beautiful and the gorgeous illustrations only further helped in immersing me deeper into the story! The banter and the romantic tension between Jessamyn and Nik was one of my favorite things about this book; the slow burn between them was so romantic and swoon worthy. I found myself eager to reach their interactions in the story. Jessamyn was a character that I also found very relatable. I loved the way the author brought the character’s insecurities to the surface, only to see them smoothed over by Nik who accepted her for all that she was.

The twist and turns within the story were perfect! Right when I thought I had it all figured out, there would be a twist and I’d be seconding guessing my original thoughts. I really enjoyed how engaged this book kept me throughout the story. It was so easy to lose myself in this world and the characters; Spellbound Lies was by far one of my top favorite reads this year!

If you’re a lover of Beauty and the Beast retellings with a creative twist and a swoon worthy romance, then this is a book that I would highly recommend! I absolutely can’t wait to read more from this author! I cannot wait for the sequel!

Thank you NetGalley and Catherine Downen for an ARC copy of this book.

This has been one of my favorite reads of the year. There are a ton of beauty and the beast retellings out there, so it was so refreshing to have the Jekyll and Hyde twist to this book. It worked together so well.

I loved that the FMC was a curvy character, not many books out there feature larger female characters. I think a lot of readers could so part of themselves in Jessamyn. She was insecure of her weight and looks because she was different than the others girls around her.

I was so conflicted at first because I was falling in love with both Prince Nikolaus and Nik. Going in, I knew I was going to like the Hyde side of their personas because I always love the misunderstood, morally grey guy in books.

I guessed at a lot of the major twists… but that’s because I read a lot of fantasy books. But Catherine wrote these twists in such a captivating way that even though I knew it was coming, I was still on the edge of my seat reading them.

Also, the cover is beautiful and I need it on my shelf!

The prince has been in a constant battle with the beast lurking beneath his skin. When Jessamyn Elisdream sneaks into the palace in search of a lost family heirloom, she uncovers more than she bargained for. The middle part feels a little slow, but other than that I adore this book. It was an easy read although a long one.

I feel like the story was good. I wish the characters had more depth and more emotions. I enjoyed most of the storyline however there were some things that did not make sense with the curse and how they kept the castle up and running so that was kind of hard to get past IMO.

I feel like some things were out of place like the cursing and her wearing denim and always commenting on her weight. I haven't read a book were the main character kept referencing their weight.

Either way it was not a bad story but I feel it needs some smoothing out and rounding.
I liked Finns character the best actually.

Beauty and the Beast meets Dr. Jekyll and Mister Hyde. 3.5/5

I think this would have been better if it was about a hundred pages shorter. There were times when I found myself being forced to turn the page. But all in all, this was a relatively fast-paced, well done twist on the childhood classic.

My favorite thing about Spellbound Lies is the treatment of the 'Beast'. The idea that this hostile prince has two almost polar opposite personalities between himself and the Beast is brilliant, and can lead to intriguing plotlines. I will admit though, for a man who is self-proclaimed to be "crafted from the darkest evils", he really just has a massive temper problem. Taking some anger management classes would solve a lot of that.

Spellbound Lies is set to be published on October 11, 2022. Thank you to Catherine Downen and NetGalley for the ARC.

3.75/5 ⭐️
I was really intrigued by the description of this. For me, it did read a little more lower ya (especially in the beginning) despite the characters being 17-19 years old. Not necessarily in content, but in the feel of the writing.
This book is somewhere around 650 pages but very easy to read. The chapters are the perfect length to keep you flying through. There’s also cute character art throughout!
—
This dives into the plot pretty quick and we learn a lot about the prince really early on which made me wonder what was left to be revealed for the remainder of the story.
It really picked up for me around the 40-50% mark and I finished from there in one sitting.

I did really enjoy the relationships in this. The romance was slow burn and so good! There were so many sweet moments! And Finn was one of my favorite characters. His friendship with Jessamyn just tugged at my heartstrings.

I really enjoyed the buildup to the ending and I’m curious to see where it all goes from here!
—
*I did pick up on a few things that just screamed SJM to me. (The story is definitely different! I am not comparing the two, I just picked up on these few similarities throughout.)

For example:
- “I am Jessamyn Elisdream and I am not afraid”
- The crest is 3 mountains with thorns and roses surrounding it (Different? Yes, but same vibes.)
- There’s a moment where the fmc and mmc are coated in flour and he brushes his fingers over her face and tells her she should laugh more
- A deal is made that results in hand tattoos

There are a few more but they didn’t feel as direct.

I love it! It was like a mix between Beauty & The Beast but also Jekyll & Hyde with (a lot of) angst and plus-sized heroine with strong personality! The middle part feels a little slow, but other than that I adore this book. Have a sense of how it's going to go since the "curse" revealed, and I'm glad to see how it plays out in the end! Team Beast-Nik from the very very start!! Finn is a dear tho, and we don't have to talk about Jessamyn because she is AMAZING.

P.S The ISBN didn't matched Goodreads's one so I'm unable to post review directly from the provided button. But I posted on Goodreads and provided the link along with this review.

tl;dr
A fairy tale romance with a great twist on the Beauty and the Beast formula. MC can be frustrating at times.

About
All Jessamyn Elisdream wants is to keep her family's bakery running. The latest job catering for the prince seems like an amazing opportunity until she loses a family heirloom and has to sneak back into the palace to retrieve it. The prince she meets that night seems an entirely different person - because he is. He's been cursed by a witch to become the most evil version of himself when night falls. Jessamyn is now imprisoned in the castle to keep the prince's secret, but the longer she stays, the more she finds herself torn between the prince's two forms.

Thoughts
I love a fairy tale retelling, especially the kind that dig a little deeper into gray morality, so I enjoyed this book's exploration of Prince Nikolaus vs. the version of himself that he most feared becoming. The use of a Jekyll/Hyde transformation was really effective. His character arc is really nicely paced, and I found myself rooting for the romance the entire time. I have mixed feelings about Jessamyn. First off, hooray for curvy girl rep, hooray for someone who isn't a doormat, and I always love a character who bakes. But she often blurs the line between "I don't feel like I fit in," and "I'm not like other girls," which was kind of a letdown. She also doesn't seem great about considering consequences for her actions, which is fine for an individual, and not a good idea if the entire kingdom is going to be rocked because of a single choice. The final major character Finn is a very rare, and very appreciated, male friend who isn't there to make a love triangle happen. He is easily my favorite character in the entire thing, and I appreciated the emotional foundation that he brought to the story. I worried early on that he was going to wind up not nearly as cool as he seemed, but he is, in fact, as cool as he seems.

The romantic aspects are direct from a fairy tale, with messages to follow your heart and lines about being the most beautiful girl in the whole kingdom. Romance is largely spice-free. Readers will find a lot of cute interactions and banter along with some passionate kisses and <spoiler>one fade-to-black style sex scene</spoiler>.

Extra thoughts that I couldn't fit anywhere else:
-The book includes several small sketched illustrations which are absolutely lovely. I found myself looking forward to them.
-I'm having trouble placing the (imagined) time period. Characters live in a castle, ride horses, and the best weapons tech are swords and bows (and magic). But indoor electricity exists (albeit, it's rare), and characters of all genders regularly wear jeans, sweaters, and tank tops.

To be honest, I was hoping for more out of this. It was quite a long book and the story did just not keep me hooked. I found that the plot twists were a bit predictable and I just didn't really find most of the characters to be very likeable. However, I did like the idea of the story in general, with the beast/prince concept. Overall, I was disappointed and got bored quite a bit, but it has a lot of promise concept-wise.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

4.5 stars
This was such a fantastic story.
Had me hooked from the very beginning- trying to put all the pieces together.

>> Romantasy
>> Beauty and The Beast meets Jekyll and Hyde twisted retelling
>> Curse that must be broken
>> Magic
>> Witches
>> Finding Strength in Yourself
>> Stuck in a Castle
>> Lively Games of Chazz

This was such a joy to read. The characters were great and the story flowed well.
I really resonated with Jess and her struggles- there were times I was in tears because I felt heartbreak.

Overall, 4.5 stars
Would recommend to all my fantasy loving friends who enjoy a good retelling.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read Spellbound Lies by Catherine Downen before publishing.
All thoughts spoken are my own.

GR rating: 5 ⭐'s
My rating: 5 ⭐' s

Spellbound Lies is a Jeykll & Hyde/Beauty and the beast retelling with a twist. Jessamyn is your average bakers daughter, working towards taking over her mothers bakery when a chance encounter with the Prince of Pulviam after am event catered by her turns her world upside down. Secrets are learned about a brutal curse and Jessamyn is now a prisoner of the castle. As she works to not only break the curse to secure her freedom, she's caught up in the palace with Nikolaus's ever changing form. Prince by day, and a beast by night.

I will not lie, the initial page count made me nervous. It was much longer than I expected. Since finishing, I would not have changed a single thing. The story translated beautifully, and the length was needed to tell the story. Catherine has a way with words that hooked me from the beginning, and time seemed to just fly by (as each night it was suddenly 1am). The illustrations mixed in were such a great touch!

The banter and tension between Jessamyn and Nik was so well done I couldn't wait for their scenes together. I have a major soft spot for the "bad boys" (who doesn't) and Nik did not disappoint. The slow burn was beautifully done, and had me hook line and sinker.

Overall I struggled to put the book down. It was such a good, fun read! Some of the twists I figured out half way through, but sole left me guessing until close to the end.
I can't wait to see what Catherine has in store for the sequel!

Releasing October 11th 2022

*review posted to Goodreads. Will also be posted to my instagram upon release day.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley, Catherine Downen, and Xpresso Book Tours for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Spellbound Lies releases October 11th.

Stop what you’re doing and pre-order this!!
Spellbound Lies is a YA Jekyll & Hyde x Beauty & The Beast retelling, and the first in a series. This does not leave off on a cliffhanger.

I’ll be transparent in saying that the page count on this was intimidating for me initially, ranging between six and seven hundred pages — but I can confidently say that it was well worth it and I don’t think it would have been able to translate as well in anything less. The writing was so fluid and it really did fly by.
The added illustrations throughout were amazing and added such a nice touch to this fantasy story. I wish more books of this genre did this!

I always tend to gravitate towards a villain in any story - so it was no surprise that early on I was rooting for “the beast”. A misunderstood character, who underneath all of the cunning smirks and remarks, was such a thoughtful person.
You’ll read about two characters that find solace and companionship with each other, in an otherwise lonely situation. Confidence will be found, happiness sought out, and above all else, balancing the lines between what or who is good and evil.

I really don’t want to give away much, but the pacing and plot twists were so good.
I had my suspicions about a few things. Whether you figure out every twist or not, it will get explained in a satisfying way in the end!
Can’t wait to see how the Prince of Pulvium and Jessamyn evolve from here with their new fates and discoveries!!

Read if you like:
- a baker and a prince
- retellings
- good vs evil
- a curvy fmc
- forbidden love
- passing notes through a dumbwaiter
- board games similar to chess
- witches and curses
- bonds


“To break the curse means someone knows you past the skin on your bones. Let your worst nightmare come out while you slumber and destroy everything in your unknown.”

“Jessamyn Elisdream, you have been the only light I’ve seen in the last two years.”

“I’m sorry he ruined this for you.”
“Why do you care?”
“Because I don’t want you to feel like you are worthless.”

“Our two fireworks entangle themselves and it hits me like their powerful explosion that I am not the only one who was pulled into the curse. I am not as alone as I sometimes feel because there is someone out there, standing right next to me, that is as much a prisoner as I am. To the people of Strize, the red and pink explosions look like fireworks, but to me, they look like flares. Like signals of distress calling out for someone to save them.”

“You’re missing the fireworks,” I tease him.
“I am already looking at the most beautiful sight in all of Pulvium.”

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of Spellbound Lies! This is the first book I’ve read by Catherine Downen, but after reading Spellbound Lies, I plan on picking up her other books. The cover first drew me in first. It’s gorgeous! And I plan on buying a physical copy of it, for my book shelf. I can’t wait to see how the illustrious inside the book look in physical format!

The story itself is beautifully written. As the author says, it’s a retelling. But it’s not just a retelling, it’s a mash up of two stories. Beauty and the Beast, and Jekyll and Hyde. Catherine Downen did an amazing job weaving Spellbound Lies into this unique love story.

The book kept my attention, and Nik…well Nik is swoon worthy. I loved Jessamyn and Nik’s banter right from the start. These too, had me cracking up at their first meeting. I love that Nik made Jessaymn realize that she’s beautiful and worthy of love. This was a five star read and I can’t wait to read more books by this author.

This was an entertaining read! I was constantly guessing who the actual prince was! Things I liked: were the Jekyll and Hyde character that was the prince, the quest to break the curse.
I didn’t care for the repeated emphasis that our main girl was curvy. And that she was so different from the others. We already know that- she is a baker. The ending did feel a bit rushed as well. Overall a fun story!

I had the immense privilege to read this book as an ARC reader, and to say I’m obsessed is an understatement. I loved witnessing the budding romances, the betrayals, discovery of oneself, as well as the moment that Jessamyn realized what’s been in front of her all along. I suspected the truth by halfway through the book, and while I was partially right, I was missing pieces of the puzzle too. I have fallen in love with this couple, and this book in general and cannot wait to see what comes next. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes romance novels, fantasy, sci fi, and or young adult novels. It’s an amazing read and while it’s a long book, it’s worth every second. I just wish I could read it again for the first time.

This was a retell story of Beauty and the Beast, and Catherine did such an amazing job. I was at the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. It was definitely UNPUTDOWNABLE. I need the next book asap. I didn't see the twist coming at all, and I am speechless. Totally recommended!!