This was a very spicy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and it did not disappoint. Scarlett St Clair always delivers!
This enemies to lovers romance features a strong lead, and it was surprisingly gritty. 💯 recommend if you like steamy fantasy romance.
4/5 ⭐️
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a really well developed short story! It is a darker fairytale, akin to the Grimm Brothers, and the love story is reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast. Our main character is Gesela, who is an outcast in her village. When she kills a toad who turns out to be an Elven Prince, she is forced to become a prisoner of the Elven Prince's cursed brother. It is a dual POV with both main characters. Even though the story was short but it felt well flushed out. I did still have troubles connecting with the main characters during our short time with them. I loved the mix of the fairy tales that the story is inspired by. All in all I think this is a great novella!

I find it so hard to get into short fantasy books. I feel like I either loose character development or world development when it happens. Overall not a bad book, just wanted more!!

This was a cool little diverting story to dive into! The world of this fairy definitely evoked the atmosphere of darker and harsher fairy tales of recent years, but also has the bearing of shorter tales you might find in Grimm Brothers tales. Which I know from the author's note is something that she was trying to aim for, so it was spot on.

I think it got right into business and we are introduced to what our heroine needs to do. We meet our prince and his scary prison castle full of dangers of all kinds. Pretty standard. There is a lot to like about it and I can see many romance readers enjoying it. The prince is mysterious and hot, bossy yet compelling. The heroine is feisty and refuses to fall under his spell while still wanting to understand the situation she has been thrust into.

The biggest issue for me is that I didn't track their love story. Their banter was great, but they are both saying "I hate you" in every other second and then soon enough tearing each others clothes off. I don't see how we made it to the HEA the way we did.

It was also written in a very confusing style for my personal taste. I believe this is also a nod to the fairy tales that inspired it, as that quality is there.... but still. It was awkward in a lot of places and I felt rushed.

I don't know if I can help myself from trying another in the series though, so I guess job well done.

3.5 stars

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Bloom Books (thank you!)

The good: I enjoyed this book, finished it in one sitting. It was entertaining and it was good enough that I would read the next one in the series. I think people that enjoy much spice, not as much plot will really really enjoy this and I know some people that I will definitely be recommending this book to. The author’s writing is blunt and clear and easy to understand. It was very obvious what fairytale the storyline was following.

The not so good: I felt there was a real lack of character development and relationship building. The romance wasn’t really believable for me, it didn’t seem like the couple really built any sort of connection before they were suddenly in love after 5 days after hating each other. The MC’s love interest was less of a lovable, misunderstood beast and more just an asshole, which was part of what made the whole thing fall a little flat for me.

I absolutely adored this book and I'm so glad to have been accepted for this ARC!
The world building was so amazing and the writing was perfect... Can't wait to read the next book in the series.

This was one of the best fantasy stories I have ever read, I fell in love with the world and characters and I can't wait for me. I was enamoured with every part of this, the unique storyline and beautiful descriptions with a mix of spice and some heart-warming cuteness too yet this was also a darker fairy-tale which just added to how much I loved tis because it's not your typical fantasy. Also the drawings throughout are so amazing and detailed, I also fell in love with them. This is my first book by this author but it definitely won't be my last because I can't say a bad word about this.

Thanks to Bloom Books, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this fantasy romance featuring Gesela, a young woman who has never been accepted by her village and an Elven Prince who is cursed. I don't want to give too much away by going into detail about the storyline but I highly recommend reading the Author's Note in the end which explains what fairytales and folklore stories were drawn from to build this interesting world.

I loved the chemistry between Gesela and Casamir - this author always, always gets the spicy stuff right while keeping you compelled by the story.

I can't wait to read more of this series.

I usually adore everything SSC. This one was not on my favourites list though. It did feel very different to normal writing's of Scarlett's - and I can't quite put my finger on what it is that makes me feel like I couldn't connect with this one enough to enjoy it.

Our FMC Gesela lives in the village of Elk, where all of the villagers are falling prey to curse after curse. Told that it would end the curse, it becomes Gesela's turn to kill the toad in the well. 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 the worst of all, to live out her punishment time with him. <i>Mountains Made of Glass</i> was a super fast, interesting read and would be perfect for lovers of;
- forced proximity
- captivity
- lots of spice
- dual POVs.

Mountains Made of Glass is very much a dark fairytale retelling. If I’m not completely mistaken it was a remake of beauty and the beast. The first part was a little heavy but from then on is was interesting. I LOVED the fact that it had beautiful drawing of various things all throughout the book and now I need every romance book to have them.

I absolutely ADORED this story. I’m glad to see it listed as Book 1 because St. Clair has managed to create a world where fairytales collide. A great mix of Beauty and the Beast, Rumplestiltskin, Princess and the Frog, and more. My only wish is that it had been a little longer. It was over too soon!

A dark, steamy retelling where one's true name holds all the power.

Gesela has been cursed her entire life and has taken everyone she loves from her. When her town of Elk is cursed with no water, she is volunteered to go into a well and get rid of the frog causing the curse. In her attempt to move the toad and spare it's life she accidentally kills it. In the next instant five fae princes of the forest whisk her away and doom her to being their final brother's prisoner. Being a prisoner is not as she expects and in doing her all to escape she may find she is where she is meant to be.

The idea for this one was fascinating and although the main fairy tale it follows has been overdone and retold way too much other tales were woven it to keep it interesting. This was just way too short, everything felt rushed and the world building needed more.

2.5 stars

I know I read an ARC, but this book feels like a really rough draft of a book proposal that has yet to be fleshed out, edited, and made whole.

You can see the faint outline of so many fairy tales and some wonderful aspects of folklore from around the world, but the focus is forced upon two deeply unlikeable characters instead of digging deep into the rich possibilities that St. Clair sprinkles throughout the background. Too long to be a novella, but too short to feel like anything was given the depth it deserved, Mountains Made of Glass feels unfinished and juvenile.

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.

This is, sadly, my first St. Clair read. I’ve heard such good things about her writing, but I may have to hold off a bit before trying again. I doubt I’ll continue with this series unless the next book has a much higher page count, hopefully signalling that more depth and complexity are worked into the narrative to develop a richer experience.

I can’t believe that I waited so long to read this! Scarlett wring is so amazing. I absolutely loved how this ended.

YES 1000 TIMES YES. Thank you Scarlett for gracing me once again with your writing, because I loved this.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Scarlett has done it again!! How she comes up with these stories I have no clue. I fell in love with her Hades x Persephone series when she was still indie publishing! Each book that she publishes she tops herself! I am bloody obsessed and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next

Loved this mixed up fairy tale. You had to pay close attention to how surroundings shifted and changed or you could get easily confused. You could tell the author wrote this book purely for fun and her love for writing. I really felt her personality really came through. The characters had great development, tension, and personalities.

Scarlett St Clair does it every time with the amazing stories and wonderful, glorious spice.

I really loved this story. Our characters, Gesela and the beast, were amazing. I really enjoyed how real the beast felt to me, like with the convos with the mirror. He did seem childish at times though. The side characters were wonderful and quite possibly my favorite part. Gesela was a bit of a dummy and brash at times getting herself in sucky situations that had me going "Oh my God you absolutely idiot" but she was pretty badass. I think that this has a really solid basis for a series with the other brothers. Like with most novellas, I wish that it was longer to help me connect with it more. I'm very eager to read more of the series!

*Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books, Bloom Books for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review*

This book was really good. The plot was excellent and the story overall was beautifully weaven. Aside from the insta-love and a lot of spice which I don't like, overall you will enjoy this beauty and the beast retelling.