Reviews

Beauty by Robin McKinley

amck's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

illusie's review against another edition

3.0

3,5 stars
I enjoyed this, but have read better versions of beauty and the Beast retellings

emiharpreads's review against another edition

2.0

I sooo loved the beginning of this book but as I hit the 70% mark and there was still no action or suspense or even the tiniest twinge of tension, I had to DNF. The lack of dialogue was so engaging at first but it was unbearable with little else to drive the plot forward as I reached the end.

The Beast rubbed me really wrong. He was 200 years old but acted more like a teenager with ever changing moods that shifted within a second.

lisamchuk's review against another edition

5.0

I read this book every summer as a junior high aged kid (it was my most favourite for a long time) and was a huge fan of the author back then. Picking it up now, as an adult, all these years later, I can happily say it retained its charm. Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite fairy tales, and the author does a great job retelling it, with her own minor twists and changes. I can see how I related to the heroine as a teen, as she’s not quite your regular princess - McKinley’s main characters are always strong females and this one is not the beauty of her nickname, which spoke to me as a plain, mousy reader. Highly recommended for those who like fairy tale retellings.

annashiv's review against another edition

3.0

A bit too slow. It lacks enough conflict to make it compelling or interesting and you don't even meet the beast until literally halfway through the book. It was fine, but it didn't add anything that special to the original tale. It's a faithful adaptation and well written, but I just didn't get really into it. It was too distant and mediocre. I'm not sure why so many other reviews think it's so similar to the Disney version. It's nothing like it. Anyway, maybe I would have liked it when I was younger, but it just felt like it wasn't anything special.

kabookworm's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.75

purps's review against another edition

lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This was a pretty standard retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I enjoyed it, but she didn't do anything particularly creative or interesting with the plot. I liked the characters well enough but the ending felt kind of anticlimactic. 

fmcfranny's review

3.0

so this had no beauty or beast connection. They barely talked or interacted. And none of the interactions they did have jump out at me as a moment of real connection. I liked the amount of detail when it describes beauty as a child but honestly, during this story, I kept going 'how are they in love they haven't spoken'! I am certain one of the other sisters interacts more with beast than with beauty. Also way to steal from disney. I hope they don't sue. Love the interaction between sisters.

erinrebecca922's review against another edition

lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

By this being a "slow" read, I mean it is for a children's book, as it has very deep imagery. 

This is a very beautifully written book. However, my main gripe is the chapters are very long with few breaks within the chapters. 

bookwoman1967's review against another edition

5.0

What a great retelling of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. The author develops and brings the characters to life, something that traditional fairy tales are weak at.