Truth in the Dark is for anyone who loves fairy tales and loves to see them re-imagined, fractured and then reconstructed into something familiar yet wholly new. This tale is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and I don’t mind telling you that even though I knew what was coming, when it finally happened it cut to the quick with the precision of an author whose words are as keen as the knives Naef uses to carve his creations.
This story scrambles what is beautiful, what is beastly, and shows that true monsters are often those disguised behind the mask of humanity. Through the ordination of the Fates and the whims of chance, Naef was assigned the burden of physical imperfection upon his birth, though as he grew, he recognized what beauty was and was able to translate it into his art, the perfect masterpieces he created with his imperfect hands. And though his body knew pain from his very first steps, it was his soul that came to know what true pain meant when the cruelty that lies within the hearts of man bled Naef of the gentleness he’d possessed, fracturing his belief in good and crippling his heart to match his body. He becomes “Knife”, serrated and steeled, ready to impale the world that has never shown him an ounce of compassion.
But this is a fairy tale, and in every fairy tale, there is a hero—in this case there are two heroes—one whose curse was unavoidable, and one whose curse far outweighed the infraction for which he was being punished. Aerie-Smith is a man who made the mistake of stealing a kiss from a faerie, and we all know there is always a price to be paid when dealing with the wee folk. And when dealing with the fae, we also know that that price often includes great sacrifice and that sometimes that price is paid with blood, even when tears would be enough.
With eyes wide shut, Naef and Aerie-Smith discover the truth in the dark; they navigate with touch, feel with guarded hearts, and find that love and kindness and kinship are all it takes to transform.
Beauty can be beastly and the beastly utterly beautiful, and the truth itself can be the light in the dark.
Buy Truth in the Dark HERE.
I must read this next :) It sounds divine.
Oh, Laurie, you might want to have a tissue handy, especially if you’re a fan of Amy’s writing.
She gets me just about every time, even when I can see what’s coming. :)
Oh no, I’ll have to read this one when no one’s looking and sans mascara!