Ruth Long (1)

Seven years ago Jenny and her brother were walking home one evening when the trees moved, and took her brother. Ever since she has had to deal with that fact, a fact that no one really believes. But now, she has decided, it is time for closure. To let the past be the past, to mourn and to move on. So she returns to the very spot where Tom vanished in an attempt to say goodbye.

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"He dreams of it, dreams of a future. Few creatures in the Realm are so cursed as to live in hope. Poor Jack o' the Forest, Jack in Green. He only longs to be free."

First things first: the most enthusiastic and awed applause for the setting, because the world was absolutely a dream come true for me. I hadn't read genuine, nonsensical, fairy-tale fantasy in years and was on the hunt for the past few months, and finally. FINALLY, I FOUND IT. Fairy courts, illusions, tree spirits, names of creatures I can't pronounce. A spectacular mix of beauty, the wicked, and playful viciousness. Queen of the Realm. Seriously stunning.

The format leaned into this and I was so grateful it did - while plenty of creatures were just set-pieces, the events started to line up, something like Alice in Wonderland...one trial after another, each highlighting a new challenge and a new creature. The travels through the Realm were genuinely gorgeous and surprising at every turn.

Not to mention the prose itself. Perfect balance of description and action that was pretty, evocative, and dreamy.

So I was very quickly and eagerly invested in the world, but I wish that came a little easier for the characters. I didn't dislike any of them even a little bit, but sometimes I felt like I was fighting for a clear image of their personality and stakes, leaving the tension feeling heartless and the turns feeling cold.

The book is stuffed with twists, and the majority of these are in people's motivations and alliances - explained mostly in dialogue. That's definitely fascinating and quite a balancing act in writing, but most of the time, it didn't feel all that rewarding to me. Sometimes I wasn't sure where we had even started with the character so I couldn't keep track of all the paths they were taking. It wasn't even a problem of tell-not-show - the second half of the book is brimming with sacrifices and drama that would surely have tugged on my heart if I'd known simpler things about these characters and their relationships beforehand. Like, okay, was I...not supposed to trust Puck?

Tom is the simplest version of this. I know that Jenny's motivations since the start relied on getting Tom back, but I had no idea who Tom was besides a musician (and, later, an exposition-bot). I understood Jenny's love and yet had none for myself. Similar situation with Jack (who luckily I cared for because he had POV chapters). I think that they can make all the dramatic sacrifices and declarations of love that they want, but if I don't know if they get each other's jokes or have something in common then I'm not likely to buy their romance as completely. I felt like I was left behind somewhere between their awkward alliance and their heartfelt quest for each other, invested and enjoying their romance, but not to the degree that it was demanding.

That problem unfortunately extended to Jack's alliances with Titania and Oberon. I was told practically in every chapter that Jack was turning on SOMEONE, but I had no idea how and sometimes didn't even know why. Eventually I felt that the crux of the drama was holding on to nothing, which was unfortunately icy and while I got and thoroughly loved the scene-to-scene tension, I wasn't too stressed about the outcome.

To come back around...from what I understood of the motivations and situation, they were very creative and fascinating. Jack's identity was not at all what I expected and I loved it all the more for it. The book used its set-pieces to make some really awesome, stunning scenes with straight-up Hollywood effects with words alone. I wasn't ever bored even if emotionally, I faded away rather than became more invested as it went on.

So in summary - while it didn't set a convincing or charming enough foundation for its cast before trying to yank at my heart, it was a solid adventure with an incredibly lush world that I was continuously excited to keep exploring.… (lisätietoja)

(This review can also be found on my blog The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl).


I had been wanting to read this book since I had first heard about it. I was lucky enough to win it in a blog competition. I'm so glad I did because I loved every second of this book!! It reminded me a little bit like Snow White; not the Disney version but the Grimm's Fairy Tales version.

Jenny is 10 years old when she sees the forest swallow her older brother into the ground. She tries to tell everyone around her that the forest took her brother, but yet, no one believes her. Seven years later, Jenny is walking by the forest when she hears flute music like her brother used to play. Thinking she may be able to find him, she ventures into the very same forest. Little does she know what danger lurks in the forest. Will she be able to save her brother or will she be too late?

The Treachery of Beautiful Things is such a wonderful title for this book! Beautiful things can be dangerous despite their beauty, and how right that is!! The forest is full of beautiful creatures, but not everything is as it seems.

The cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous!! Instead of being just some random picture on the cover, the cover is from a scene in the book, and it fits in beautifully with the title. Well done to the cover artist and the author for choosing this cover. I am entranced by it!

The world building and setting of the forest where the majority of this story takes place is done really well. The author uses great descriptions to make the reader feel as if he/she is a part of it. I easily lost myself in this book and in the forest thanks to the fantastic world building.

The pacing in The Treachery of Beautiful Things is absolutely fantastic! Not once in the story did I feel my attention waning. I was enthralled in the story from the very first page. I reluctantly had to put the book down to do real life things. However, when I had free time, I was devouring this book!

The dialogue is perfect for readers of teen years on up. The dialogue between the characters was very interesting. I especially loved the dialogue between Puck and Jenny.

The author does a great job with character building. I felt the characters were well-developed, and each had their own unique personalities. I loved the character of Jenny. I loved how determined she was to stop at nothing to protect those she loved. Jack was a fantastic character as well. I love how the author made him out to be conflicted but in a believable way. Jack comes across as being a real person instead of a character in a book. Puck was definitely my favourite character by far. He was the one who interjected a lot of humour into this story. I'm thinking the author got the inspiration for Puck from A Midsummer's Night's Dream by Shakespeare. Puck was loyal to a fault to the king, yet he has a heart of gold. Tatania/Mab made an excellent baddie. She reminded me a lot of the queen from Snow White. Oberon was a great baddie as well although he didn't feature as much as Tatania/Mab. We don't learn much about his character until towards the end of the book.

The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long is a fantastic story of romance, fairy tale, and suspense. It will keep you wanting more long after you've finished the book.

I'd recommend this book to everyone aged 13 . It's such a lovely read!… (lisätietoja)