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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this retelling. There were similar moments to the original story but it made it more enjoyable in my opinion.
Also I think I like this second series better than the first one. The first series were also good but something in these series males me like this one more.
Also I think I like this second series better than the first one. The first series were also good but something in these series males me like this one more.
I loved this next Four Kingdoms book! There's something about the Beauty and the Beast fairytale that I just love, and this book was amazing. It was really fun to find all the little references and connections to the original fairy tale plus the Disney movie(s), and I just loved Sophie and Dominic. Highly recommend! 11+
Reread June 2023.
4 stars. Overall a solid fairy tale retelling! There wasn’t anything inherently bad about this book or the writing, but it didn’t hook me the way the first book did. Maybe it’s just hard to adapt/change Beauty and the Beast or it’s not a fairy tale that I gravitate towards as much? She did still have some original touches and I still enjoyed the characters and the twists she added to how the curse worked.
4 stars. Overall a solid fairy tale retelling! There wasn’t anything inherently bad about this book or the writing, but it didn’t hook me the way the first book did. Maybe it’s just hard to adapt/change Beauty and the Beast or it’s not a fairy tale that I gravitate towards as much? She did still have some original touches and I still enjoyed the characters and the twists she added to how the curse worked.
3 stars
A Tale of Beauty and the Beast was my second try at a book by Melanie Cellier. The first book of hers that I read I did not end up finishing, so I had pretty low expectations going into this one. However, I am a huge fan of the Beauty and the Beast fairytale and subsequent literary trope, so the bar was pretty low. I am glad that I did end up finishing - and liking - this one much more, and though it doesn't stray from the familiar tale, the original story is one that is done so well, it's hard to fault this book for not trying to go above and beyond.
The plot and premise is very similar to Disney's retelling of Beauty and the Beast, with some almost identical scenes. And while the first third of the book was a bit slow and made me rather frustrated, since we all know how this story goes and I wanted to just get to the good part already, this is really a story that I will never get sick of reading. Sophie and Dominic's relationship is exactly as you would imagine the Beauty and Beast's is: contentious at first before developing into mutual respect and then eventual love.
Sophie was a very unlikable heroine for me, at least in the first half of the book. Perhaps it's because I already know how the book ends and the truth about the Beast's nature, but I just could not get behind how she tried to paint him in a horrible and villainous light. I get that it's part of the story, I get that they are not supposed to like each other in the beginning, but we never see the Beast truly do anything to deserve Sophie's ire besides being curt in a few instances (and if that is enough to get her spitting mad and for her to run away, then maybe she is the one who is arrogant and with a temper problem and not the other way around).
I think one of the problems that made me feel like Sophie's anger was unjustified, is that the book leans heavily on the plot of the first book in the series (of which there was a Tourney that took place that landed Sophie in this situation with the Beast) to fuel her hatred. Specifics of what occurred in the previous book is delayed until about two-thirds of the way through. The omission was never egregious enough to cause major frustration. It is only a pity that perhaps if I understood the trials Sophie had to go through, I would be a bit more sympathetic to her emotions.
The second and third part of the book picks up, in terms of plot and their relationship and that’s when I started enjoying it much more. Sophie redeems herself a bit towards the middle of the book, and addresses the double standards that she's placed on the Beast that I felt was her major flaw in the first half. The prince’s curse and how it came to be in this story is a bit different from the Disney tale, which made it exciting to discover along with Sophie as she tries to solve the curse.
Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite fairy tale and thus, I am a sucker for its happy ending (of which there was never any doubt). I have a very soft spot for the Beast, and Prince Dominic is truly the character that carried this book for me. His development and revelations redeemed any of Sophie's shortcomings, and I teared up especially towards the end as he grows much more tender.
This is a decent retelling of a much beloved tale; and anyone who really adores Beauty and the Beast like I do will enjoy it for the familiar plot, relationship and ultimately the lesson that anyone, no matter what they may look like, is deserving of and capable of love.
A Tale of Beauty and the Beast was my second try at a book by Melanie Cellier. The first book of hers that I read I did not end up finishing, so I had pretty low expectations going into this one. However, I am a huge fan of the Beauty and the Beast fairytale and subsequent literary trope, so the bar was pretty low. I am glad that I did end up finishing - and liking - this one much more, and though it doesn't stray from the familiar tale, the original story is one that is done so well, it's hard to fault this book for not trying to go above and beyond.
The plot and premise is very similar to Disney's retelling of Beauty and the Beast, with some almost identical scenes. And while the first third of the book was a bit slow and made me rather frustrated, since we all know how this story goes and I wanted to just get to the good part already, this is really a story that I will never get sick of reading. Sophie and Dominic's relationship is exactly as you would imagine the Beauty and Beast's is: contentious at first before developing into mutual respect and then eventual love.
Sophie was a very unlikable heroine for me, at least in the first half of the book. Perhaps it's because I already know how the book ends and the truth about the Beast's nature, but I just could not get behind how she tried to paint him in a horrible and villainous light. I get that it's part of the story, I get that they are not supposed to like each other in the beginning, but we never see the Beast truly do anything to deserve Sophie's ire besides being curt in a few instances (and if that is enough to get her spitting mad and for her to run away, then maybe she is the one who is arrogant and with a temper problem and not the other way around).
I think one of the problems that made me feel like Sophie's anger was unjustified, is that the book leans heavily on the plot of the first book in the series (of which there was a Tourney that took place that landed Sophie in this situation with the Beast) to fuel her hatred. Specifics of what occurred in the previous book is delayed until about two-thirds of the way through. The omission was never egregious enough to cause major frustration. It is only a pity that perhaps if I understood the trials Sophie had to go through, I would be a bit more sympathetic to her emotions.
The second and third part of the book picks up, in terms of plot and their relationship and that’s when I started enjoying it much more. Sophie redeems herself a bit towards the middle of the book, and addresses the double standards that she's placed on the Beast that I felt was her major flaw in the first half. The prince’s curse and how it came to be in this story is a bit different from the Disney tale, which made it exciting to discover along with Sophie as she tries to solve the curse.
Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite fairy tale and thus, I am a sucker for its happy ending (of which there was never any doubt). I have a very soft spot for the Beast, and Prince Dominic is truly the character that carried this book for me. His development and revelations redeemed any of Sophie's shortcomings, and I teared up especially towards the end as he grows much more tender.
This is a decent retelling of a much beloved tale; and anyone who really adores Beauty and the Beast like I do will enjoy it for the familiar plot, relationship and ultimately the lesson that anyone, no matter what they may look like, is deserving of and capable of love.
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated