A Ruin of Roses

A Ruin of Roses by K.F. Breene (Hazy Dawn Press, Inc, 2021) is the first installment of the Deliciously Dark Fairy Tales series, followed by A Throne of Ruin. The novel retells the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast through a modern lens, offering commentary on societal norms, gender roles, and trauma. K.F. Breene has appeared on the bestseller lists of The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, and Amazon. She has penned over 100 sweeping tales of romantasy and paranormal romance, many in her linked DDVN (Demon Days, Vampire Nights) universe. She currently lives in Northern California with her family, where she writes full-time. 

This guide is based on the 2021 Amazon Kindle edition.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of sexual content, cursing, illness, death, emotional abuse, physical abuse, suicidal ideation, and bullying.

Plot Summary

Sixteen years prior to the main narrative, the king of the land made a deal with the demon king, which brought down a curse upon the kingdom. While those in the villages live with the constant threat of illness and death hanging over them, those trapped in the castle are frozen in time in a world of demonic debauchery where they have their every sexual desire fulfilled. Twenty-three-year-old Finley lives with her four siblings and ailing father. In the last nine years, Finley discovered that she could use the mystical everlass plant to make medication for the curse’s sickness. With the full moon (ideal conditions for harvesting everlass) approaching, Finley prepares to venture back into the Forbidden Wood. The place is inhabited by demons and protected by a fierce beast, but Finley is willing to risk the dangers to help her father and village.

The people in the village are shifters: Prior to the curse, they could shift back and forth between their human and animal forms. In addition to the illness, the curse also locked away the ability of Finley’s people to shift into their animal forms. Finley was too young to shift when the curse went into effect, so she has never known her animal form. When she is attacked by the demons in the Forbidden Wood, the beast saves her, much to her confusion. The following night, the beast arrives at her home to offer her a choice: Come with him and pay for stealing the everlass, or refuse, thus putting her family in danger. Unwilling to risk her siblings and father, Finley goes and is shocked to learn that the beast is a shifter named Nyfain. Even more surprising, Nyfain retains his ability to shift.

At the castle, Nyfain locks Finley in a tower room and forbids her to venture out at night when the demons are strongest. Finley bristles at being told what to do and takes an instant dislike to Nyfain. Still, he has an interest in the everlass and using it to break the curse, and Finley can’t hold back her knowledge if it will help people. She and Nyfain form a tentative truce, which quickly turns heated as their attraction for one another flares. After a charged encounter, Nyfain pushes Finley away, telling her to stay away from him and to keep her inner animal under control. With help from other shifters in the castle, Finley learns that there are many secrets about the shifters as they relate to the demons, but she is unable to get more information because the demons have used a gag spell that suffocates anyone who tries to speak of the link.

Over the next few days, Finley and Nyfain continue to work with the plants and fight their growing attraction toward one another. Nyfain opens up about his relationship with his mother and how the plants were a bond between them. Likewise, Finley explains how feels like an outsider in her village and is constantly judged for not having traditionally feminine interests. One day, Finley explores a walled-off garden she can see from her tower window, only to learn it was the former queen’s private sanctuary. Inside the queen’s chambers, a rosebush grows from the floor. As Finley examines it, Nyfain arrives, and in a flash, Finley realizes he’s the prince. Feeling betrayed, Finley leaves the castle.

Out in the Forbidden Wood, demons attack Finley. Nyfain rescues her but is poisoned by the demons. Finley brings him to her home, where she and her siblings nurse him back to health over the next few days. As he recovers, he and Finley explore the attraction simmering between them. Finley is amazed at how well Nyfain fits with her family and questions whether she will return to the castle with him. One night after dinner, Nyfain makes tea for everyone. The next morning, Finley oversleeps and wakes to find Nyfain gone. The tea was a sleeping potion: Nyfain drugged the family so he could return to the Forbidden Wood to confront the demons without being followed by Finley. Knowing he won’t survive in his condition, Finley goes after him, bringing the novel to its cliffhanger ending.