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City of Ruin: A Dystopian Beauty and the Beast Retelling (Ruined Lands) Kindle Edition

by Lindsey Pogue (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.1 381 ratings

Part of: Ruined Lands (3 books)

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#1 in Romantic Fantasy
#1 in Dystopian Science Fiction

“Gripping, gutting, and beautifully gothic.” - Lindsey Sparks, bestselling author of the Echo Trilogy

A broody landowner. A feisty governess armed with a fire-poker. A mysterious manor beyond a gritty, reimagined London.

Centuries ago, the skies turned black, and for 300 years, Londoners survived in the dank, underground tunnels of the city. Until one day, a stranger from a faraway land offered to save them. Though it wasn’t without cost . . . and he has come to collect.

When Selene is taken to Master Blackburn’s infamous estate, she fears she and the orphans she’s sworn to protect will meet a gruesome end, like so many others before them. But the beastly landowner is not all there is to fear, and Selene soon learns nothing in Briarwood is as it seems.

Travel beyond the City of Ruin, through secret passageways and haunted woods, to a land shrouded in secrets in this atmospheric retelling of Jane Eyre and Beauty and the Beast.

This is the first book in the richly imagined Ruined Lands, a collection of historical fantasy and dystopian fairy tale retellings. Ruined Lands is a Forgotten Lands sister series.

**Visit author website for signed paperbacks, exclusive swag, and trigger warnings.**
lindseypogue.com/ruinedlands

RUINED LANDS (Interconnected stand-alone Retellings):
City of Ruin (Greyson & Selene - Beauty and the Beast)
Sea of Storms (Killian & Brynn - Njord + Skadi, Norse Mythology)
Land of Fury (Thora & Zander - Snow White and the Huntsman)
Tides of Fate Prequel Novella (Locklin Blackburn 2024)
Borne of Salt and Sea prequel novel (2024)

OTHER FORGOTTEN WORLD SERIES

FORGOTTEN LANDS (Interconnected standalones):
Suggested Reading Order
Dust and Shadow
Borne of Sand and Scorn (prequel novella)
Earth and Ember
Tide and Tempest

From the Publisher

fairy tale retelling romance romantasy dystopian adventure viking mythology historical fiction

"It’s sooo good! The character development and world building are spectacular!" - SR, Amazon Three women. Three epic love stories. Three soul-stirring adventures.

Steeped with courageous, beautifully flawed characters and sweeping landscapes, you will white-knuckle through the pages, one dystopian fantasy after another as these three stories weave a historically rich, engrossing world of fairy tale and mythology retellings, perfect for Sarah J. Maas and Adrienne Young fans.

Visit author website for signed paperbacks, exclusive swag, and trigger warnings. "Oh my goodness!! A must read!! Lindsey has done it again. I love all of Lindsey's stories!" - Melinda L., Amazon

Editorial Reviews

Review

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "Gripping, gutting, and beautifully gothic!"

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "The world building and characters were flawless." -Booksandchatt

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "A devastatingly beautiful story." - Michelle Zeplin, Goodreads

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "Will draw you in and keep you hooked." - Holly Hill Mangin, Author

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "A stunning Beauty and the Beast retelling!" - Lindsey Sparks, Bestselling Paranormal Romance Author

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09JT4GTG5
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Roar Press LLC (June 14, 2022)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 14, 2022
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 6643 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 354 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #4,725 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #9 in Gaslamp Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- #60 in Fairy Tale Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- #68 in Romantic Fantasy (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.1 381 ratings

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Lindsey Pogue

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Lindsey Pogue is a genre-bending fiction author, best known for her soul-stirring survival adventures and timeless love stories. As an avid romance reader with a master’s in history and culture, Lindsey’s series cross genres and push boundaries, weaving together facts, fantasy, and romance set in rich, sweeping landscapes of epic proportions.

Lindsey is a dyslexic, taco loving nature girl who enjoys sunsets, bonfires, and a nice cold gin lemonade on a warm summer night. When she’s not plotting her next storyline, or dreaming up new, brooding characters, Lindsey is wrapped in blankets watching monster flicks with her own leading man. She and her husband live in Northern California with their rescue cats, Beast and Blue.

“[Lindsey] mastered what it is to be human, and the connections we build with one another.” - Amazon (Author Unpublished)

"Lindsey Pogue is a master storyteller!" -Tome Tender Book Reviews

"Lindsey Pogue does it again!! I absolutely love her writing style."

FOLLOW LINDSEY'S SHENANIGANS:

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★ Facebook Group: Lindsey Pogue Reader Group

★ Instagram: @authorlindseypogue

★ Goodreads: Lindsey Pogue

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5

381 global ratings

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helenbk1

Excellent world building, brooding heroes and gothic castles

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2023

Verified Purchase

What a great story! Gothic romance in alternative history steam punkish England. A brooding complicated hero, a brave and loving heroine and lots of mystery. Complete with a happy ending. I look forward to reading the next one!

Helpful

WyoGal

Definitely dark and heavy

Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2023

Verified Purchase

There are thematic elements that may be triggers for some readers: implied sexual abuse, grief and loss, murders, natural disaster trauma, and human trafficking and slavery. Due to the dystopian setting, there is little joy to be found.

The female protagonist is a caring person who attempts to protect those she loves, but her negative outlook and distrust of others delays her ability to see the male protagonist in a positive light. He is described as a beastly person by reputation. The author could have done more to reveal his fearsomeness via the protagonist hearing rumors, as opposed to the the protagonist just knowing what she knows.

My main complaint regarding this book is that too much of it is internal dialog instead of external dialog and unfolding events via action. There are numerous comma errors, some awkward sentences, a few confusing details, and some mistakes like plants blooming at the wrong time of year. Also, some plot details are omitted—how is the protagonist highborn? What are the laws regarding betrothals? How are women selected for breeding? The political power situation is fuzzy at times. The calamitous ending seems too easily overcome emotionally by the characters.

On a positive note—There are some passages with vivid sensory imagery. The male protagonist is described frequently (in more detail than the female protagonist). The portrayal of the daughter is insightful. The female protagonist is good about owning her mistakes.

One person found this helpful

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oknazareth

Not bad, but expected more

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2023

Verified Purchase

I saw Beauty and the Beast retelling and didn’t hesitate to one-click this book.
I was impressed with the first half, the plot was something I’ve never encountered before, and it was very interesting.
The second half was not bad, but fell flat when the characters changed. Apparently, people fall in love and become a different person.

In this retelling, London crumbled and it’s habitants moved underground to survive. For 300 years they stayed below London because the air was toxic. Until someone from the North came and told them how to survive above ground. See? Exciting premise!

Now, the new society of above is in shambles. Slaves exist again and women are sold as breeders to repopulate the country. Selene runs away from home when she finds out her father sold her as a breeder at 11yo. She is accepted at the orphanage where she’s victim of verbal, physical and sexual abuse until she’s 20. Only to be bought by the worst slaver known in society: the collector.

The story captures your attention and makes you want to know more. By mid book Selene turns into a brat, immature and obnoxious. The dark, brooding collector is just a man with a permanent frown.

The rest of the book turned to be predictable. I liked it, but I would’ve liked the haunted elements to be explored more, more insight about the magical forest people (not magical at all, btw), character growth that didn’t feel rushed.

Still, I enjoyed it and it was a 3 out of 5 stars.

One person found this helpful

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BookDragonGirl

A heart wrenching and yet enchanting romance.

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2023

Verified Purchase

This book was a gift from a friend on TikTok, and when I saw it was a Gothic Dystopian/Romance, as an atmospheric retelling of Jane Eyre and Beauty & the Beast I was THRILLED!!! Genres I love, and two of my favorite classics, what could be better?!

Well it was even better than I imagined! Rich and lush characters and world building, an engrossing plot and very hard to put down. My emotions went through the gamut, as I fell in love with these enchanting characters, with their hard lives and unhappy backgrounds. Seeing their character growth was emotional and endearing!

I’m so happy to have received this and it is definitely going on my shelf of favorites!!

One person found this helpful

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Jennifer Rice

Lots of Twists and Turns Leave You Guessing What Will Happen Next

Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2023

Verified Purchase

I have read almost all of Lindsey's books over the past few years. I love the way she writes and never want to put her books down. This one was no exception. The first half of the book was learning about Selene's life and how she coped with being in an orphanage especially as she was there until she was 20 and could have been sold to be a breeder. She understandably was afraid when The Collector came and bought her and the children she watched over. The children were sent to one place where rumor had it many died each year. And she was kept in The Collector's, Greyson, house. She didn't know what her role was to be and she turned sassy, which I didn't care for. (Probably because I'm one to ask a lot of questions! Ha, ha!) I did like that she was strong-willed enough to fight for her life when she needed to. The ending came quickly and left me wanting to know more about several parts of the book. There are 2 more books to the series, so maybe that will answer some questions. As per usual, it was a well written book and I look forward to reading the next one!

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Mark

Interesting take on the well known story

Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2023

Verified Purchase

Was intriguing and interesting. Made me want to know more about how the world came to be ruined and in what "era" it did happen causing everyone to live underground for hundreds of years.
Even though I've never seen the entire movie - thanks to the pervasive "Disneyfication" of the story I couldn't help trying to associate characters in the story to characters in the movie...

Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024

Three and a half
I found this definitely had more in common with Jane Eyre than Beauty and the Beast so expect female orphan somehow becoming a governess. As for the Collector well his initially dark and distant, almost brooding personality certainly has shades of Mr Rochester particularly with the secrets surrounding his wife. I did find this less dystopian and much more a gothic tale and a lot of what is here revolves around secrets and lies that have been told. Sadly this just wasn’t exactly what I had hoped for although I did finish it I don’t think I particularly warmed to either of the main characters which is a shame. I think I perhaps expected something a lot different based on the synopsis and the villain here whilst obnoxious was a bit too much of a caricature for my taste but at least he got his comeuppance !

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Top reviews from other countries

Nxxx

Amazing!!

Reviewed in the Netherlands on August 31, 2023

Verified Purchase

Did not expect a lot from this book but I LOVED IT! I loved the tension between the characters, the world they were living in, the character development etc. It was so hard to put down :)

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City of Ruin: A Dystopian Beauty and the Beast Retelling (Ruined Lands) Kindle Edition

From the Publisher

RECOMMENDED READING ORDER

Jane Eyre meets Beauty and the Beast

Vikings meets Black Sails meets Robin Hood

Vikings meets Snow White and the Huntsman

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Lindsey Pogue

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