Scan barcode
readingtheskyline's review
I wanted to read her Cinderella book more, so I'm skipping around a bit!
fmcfranny's review against another edition
5.0
This was so cool! I couldn't love the MC more! She was so brave, and her capacity for love and faith in people was fantastic. it is idealistic but the world would be a better place if everyone shared that empathy. She certainly made the beast a new man. This is also a good example of how power corrupts. I was not a fan of the religious undertones but it didn't bother me so much I won't read the rest of the series. MC's with disabilities is fantastic! Perfection is overrated and this shows that everyone has a place and something they can do.
cottonmouse42's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
melb876's review
5.0
Beauty and the Beast retelling
Very good Beauty and the Beast retelling. The selfish arrogant Leon, Lord of Whitecliff manor was well done. Anwen, is physically scarred, but beauty is more than perfect skin, and she was beautiful inside and out. I liked the connection of Anwen's scars and Leon's curse, it provided the momentum for why Leon's reasons for secrecy changed.
The mystery if who is killing villagers was a great driving force for the plot.
I think my only complaint is the age of Anwen and Leon. I think they could each have been a couple years older when the accident happened, so that they could be a little older when their paths cross again.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone younger than 12 or 13. There is are several instances of bodies being discovered mauled, with blood and injuries mentioned.
Very good Beauty and the Beast retelling. The selfish arrogant Leon, Lord of Whitecliff manor was well done. Anwen, is physically scarred, but beauty is more than perfect skin, and she was beautiful inside and out. I liked the connection of Anwen's scars and Leon's curse, it provided the momentum for why Leon's reasons for secrecy changed.
The mystery if who is killing villagers was a great driving force for the plot.
I think my only complaint is the age of Anwen and Leon. I think they could each have been a couple years older when the accident happened, so that they could be a little older when their paths cross again.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone younger than 12 or 13. There is are several instances of bodies being discovered mauled, with blood and injuries mentioned.
starlightsong's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
This is the first of Kendra Merritt's novels that I've read--I'd never heard of them before, but picked this one up when someone recommended her as an author who writes fairytale retellings (something I love) with disability rep (something else I love!). I heard they didn't need to be read in order, so seeing that this one was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, one of my favorite fairytales and Disney movies, it's the one I chose.
And I'm so glad I did. Too many BATB retellings are written in ways where the dynamic between the main characters is just... unhealthy, in my opinion, and I can't root for them to fall in love. But not Leon and Anwen. Anwen is fiercely determined, compassionate, and strong and staying with Leon to figure out how to break his curse is fully her choice. She's never made to feel like a prisoner and Leon knows he can't control her--in fact, he feels far more trapped than she does. I love Anwen's character. I love the choice of making her an enchanter, as a spin on Beauty and the Beast originally featuring an enchantress who curses the Beast, and I love how she's a beauty with a physical disability and a scarred face.
Leon annoyed me a little at first, with his comments about Anwen's scars especially, but given the type of story this is I just knew he'd shape up to be the kind of character I always love, and I wasn't wrong at all. He starts as an arrogant and selfish lord whose sole concern is breaking his curse and trying to make Anwen like him for that reason, all while keeping an incredibly important secret from her, but even from the beginning he has a soft side and seeing his inner thoughts goes a long way in showing that. He gets along with kids (and Emeline and Josselin are adorable!), he deeply fears hurting people as a bear, he loves to paint, he wrote an amazingly terrible poem for Fanny... and he grows and redeems himself in a beautiful way. Every single bit of his and Anwen's relationship development was so sweet but also so painful, knowing what he was keeping from her and just knowing that even though there's probably gonna be a happily ever after, this still all has to blow up in his face at one point.
And oh my god, I love the moment when it does. It's inevitable that the secret would have to come out, but also so, so heartbreaking to see Anwen's reaction. At the same time it takes a lot of strength from Leon not just to finally reveal the truth but to not betray Catrin simply because he feels that Anwen needs someone she can trust. He shows here that he really has changed, but in doing so he's chosen to lose everything that he's gained. But then if I thought that was heartbreaking, seeing him nearly give his life for her was a million times worse!
The ending was both exciting and beautiful. The way some things were resolved (like the mystery of the killings and the way Leon's curse was finally broken) weren't quite what I'd expected but that's not a criticism at all, because it was even better than I thought it'd be. Anwen and Leon both had such fantastic character development. However, if I had to give just one criticism for the book, it'd be that when I got to the last page I expected there to be at least a couple more, or maybe an epilogue of some sort, because it felt a bit abrupt. But maybe that's just because when it ended I immediately started missing the characters!
This is definitely a character driven story, but I also love the worldbuilding of it! I felt so immersed in it from the beginning, learning about enchanters and where their power comes from, about the religion practiced by the people of this world, their culture and the holiday of LongNight (the parts where they were all celebrating it together were so cute!), about the Zevryn, a species of shapeshifters which includes Anwen's companion Brann, and about the interesting way that Leon's curse functioned and the mystery of how to break it. There were also several moments and lines that made me laugh out loud. This was a great read and I desperately wish more people knew it existed so there could be a fandom for it and I could get more of Leon, Anwen, Brann, and the rest of their found family! I read it for free on Kindle Unlimited but I plan to buy an actual copy soon because the cover design is gorgeous and I want it on my shelf.
And I'm so glad I did. Too many BATB retellings are written in ways where the dynamic between the main characters is just... unhealthy, in my opinion, and I can't root for them to fall in love. But not Leon and Anwen. Anwen is fiercely determined, compassionate, and strong and staying with Leon to figure out how to break his curse is fully her choice. She's never made to feel like a prisoner and Leon knows he can't control her--in fact, he feels far more trapped than she does. I love Anwen's character. I love the choice of making her an enchanter, as a spin on Beauty and the Beast originally featuring an enchantress who curses the Beast, and I love how she's a beauty with a physical disability and a scarred face.
Leon annoyed me a little at first, with his comments about Anwen's scars especially, but given the type of story this is I just knew he'd shape up to be the kind of character I always love, and I wasn't wrong at all. He starts as an arrogant and selfish lord whose sole concern is breaking his curse and trying to make Anwen like him for that reason, all while keeping an incredibly important secret from her, but even from the beginning he has a soft side and seeing his inner thoughts goes a long way in showing that. He gets along with kids (and Emeline and Josselin are adorable!), he deeply fears hurting people as a bear, he loves to paint, he wrote an amazingly terrible poem for Fanny... and he grows and redeems himself in a beautiful way. Every single bit of his and Anwen's relationship development was so sweet but also so painful, knowing what he was keeping from her and just knowing that even though there's probably gonna be a happily ever after, this still all has to blow up in his face at one point.
The ending was both exciting and beautiful. The way some things were resolved (like the mystery of the killings and the way Leon's curse was finally broken) weren't quite what I'd expected but that's not a criticism at all, because it was even better than I thought it'd be. Anwen and Leon both had such fantastic character development. However, if I had to give just one criticism for the book, it'd be that when I got to the last page I expected there to be at least a couple more, or maybe an epilogue of some sort, because it felt a bit abrupt. But maybe that's just because when it ended I immediately started missing the characters!
This is definitely a character driven story, but I also love the worldbuilding of it! I felt so immersed in it from the beginning, learning about enchanters and where their power comes from, about the religion practiced by the people of this world, their culture and the holiday of LongNight (the parts where they were all celebrating it together were so cute!), about the Zevryn, a species of shapeshifters which includes Anwen's companion Brann, and about the interesting way that Leon's curse functioned and the mystery of how to break it. There were also several moments and lines that made me laugh out loud. This was a great read and I desperately wish more people knew it existed so there could be a fandom for it and I could get more of Leon, Anwen, Brann, and the rest of their found family! I read it for free on Kindle Unlimited but I plan to buy an actual copy soon because the cover design is gorgeous and I want it on my shelf.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Death
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
cassanette's review
5.0
*I*, a person who doesn't like fairytale retellings, absolutely LOVED this book! It's a beautiful tale about love and redemption and forgiveness and it gave me all the warm and fuzzy feelings.
Skin Deep is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, except Beauty is a scarred and disabled young enchantress, and the Beast is a bear. Who's actually the arrogant young lord whose carelessness and cruelty caused the woman's accident and almost killed her. The main cast also includes a snarky shapeshifter, a devoted servant, and his girlfriend, a best friend who's also a healer, and two adorable children a.k.a. the found family I needed and deserved.
This was seriously such a treat and now I'm very much excited to read more from the author.
Skin Deep is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, except Beauty is a scarred and disabled young enchantress, and the Beast is a bear. Who's actually the arrogant young lord whose carelessness and cruelty caused the woman's accident and almost killed her. The main cast also includes a snarky shapeshifter, a devoted servant, and his girlfriend, a best friend who's also a healer, and two adorable children a.k.a. the found family I needed and deserved.
This was seriously such a treat and now I'm very much excited to read more from the author.
More...