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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
You can’t have a rose without thorns. It wouldn’t be a rose.
This!! This is what I want out of a fairy-tale retelling. This was an absolutely gorgeous f/f rendition of Beauty and the Beast, one that moved with lyricism and power and really striking imagery. The style of the writing does lean towards poetic, but it's still simple and accessible. I loved the wintry motif, the setting, the animals, and just the way the author handled different points of view. This is fairly short, because it's written with a subtlety that gets us straight to the core of the story, while still adapting the tale for this unique world and situation. I loved that the Beast in this case is a Huntress, and her backstory is really unique and fitting. There's some mild body horror-esque stuff involving plants and flowers that I freaking adored. I really liked the romance, especially that there were a couple nods to the animated film. Beyond the B&B aspects, there are some extremely choice tropes in here, thanks to the wintry setting, and I ate it up.
I did find myself wishing this was paced a bit better; I wish we had more page time of Rowan and the Huntress growing closer. I mentioned that this was subtly-written, and perhaps that was to its detriment a little. There are certain things that we, the readers, will know because we're familiar with the original story, but a few times I had to wonder, "Well, I know X, but why isn't Rowan wondering about it?" Or, "Why did she take so long to question that?" Not a big deal, but I do think a few things could have been spoken about more plainly, and on page.
Still, extremely beautiful, dark and complicated. I would love it for the writing alone, and I loved it more because of the characters. Absolutely recommended.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
animal death, gore
Another solid story by Burke. This is the third book by Burke that I have read and probably my least favorite. Not because of the writing, it is still stellar, but more to do with the story being one that has never been my favorite. This book is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which was not one of the fairytales that captured me.
As previously stated, the writing is still very much top notch! The characters were well rounded and had good growth. If you know the Beauty and the Beast tale, then nothing will come as a surprise but I did enjoy the unfurling of the story.
While this is my favorite of hers, I would highly recommend this read to fans of retelling and Beauty in the Beast.
As previously stated, the writing is still very much top notch! The characters were well rounded and had good growth. If you know the Beauty and the Beast tale, then nothing will come as a surprise but I did enjoy the unfurling of the story.
While this is my favorite of hers, I would highly recommend this read to fans of retelling and Beauty in the Beast.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Quite enjoyed it, but I guess it just didn’t rock my world enough to get a 5 star rating.
solid 3.5/5
i liked this, but there were a few things holding me back from loving it. like other reviewers have mentioned, it seems out of place for the curse to have been put on the huntress, who is presumably a lesbian, because she rejected a man's love. yes, it was about her general arrogance, but that doesn't change the fact that the witch put the curse on her as a consequence of her apathy to Lockland. in my opinion, lesbians should be rewarded for killing men who can't take no for an answer, not cursed (in fiction of course *wink*)
i also struggled at times with the tone. i just felt like it took itself too seriously, and the forced poeticism of the prose made me roll my eyes a couple of times because of how unnatural it made the dialogue and the characters by extension (ex. "We were wrong. All flesh, all blood, all teeth and bone and grace." like alright. you can dial it back a bit). don't get me wrong, i do love poetic prose (like this is how you lose the time war - one of my all time favorites), but when it's appropriate. here, it just read as melodramatic.
finally, the characters. i wish rowan had a stronger personality, and i also wished that she wasn't a minor. like...why 17 :( you could've easily have written her to be in her early twenties without changing a single thing! and i liked her interactions with the huntress, and we did see some of their chemistry, but i wish that a larger portion of the time had been given to the cultivation of their relationship instead of to rowan just being alone and scared. i get that it's a gritter and darker take on beauty and the beast than disney had, but it is still a love story at its core.
critiques aside, i did enjoy reading this. i got through it in a day and a half, and it was definitely entertaining. i loved how atmospheric it was, and i felt like Burke really brought to life the freezing winter cold. while i do wish that we got to see more of the growth of rowan & the huntress's relationship like i said, i did really enjoy what we did get between them. i thought it was an interesting take on the fairy tale, and overall a pretty compelling read.
i liked this, but there were a few things holding me back from loving it. like other reviewers have mentioned, it seems out of place for the curse to have been put on the huntress, who is presumably a lesbian, because she rejected a man's love. yes, it was about her general arrogance, but that doesn't change the fact that the witch put the curse on her as a consequence of her apathy to Lockland. in my opinion, lesbians should be rewarded for killing men who can't take no for an answer, not cursed (in fiction of course *wink*)
i also struggled at times with the tone. i just felt like it took itself too seriously, and the forced poeticism of the prose made me roll my eyes a couple of times because of how unnatural it made the dialogue and the characters by extension (ex. "We were wrong. All flesh, all blood, all teeth and bone and grace." like alright. you can dial it back a bit). don't get me wrong, i do love poetic prose (like this is how you lose the time war - one of my all time favorites), but when it's appropriate. here, it just read as melodramatic.
finally, the characters. i wish rowan had a stronger personality, and i also wished that she wasn't a minor. like...why 17 :( you could've easily have written her to be in her early twenties without changing a single thing! and i liked her interactions with the huntress, and we did see some of their chemistry, but i wish that a larger portion of the time had been given to the cultivation of their relationship instead of to rowan just being alone and scared. i get that it's a gritter and darker take on beauty and the beast than disney had, but it is still a love story at its core.
critiques aside, i did enjoy reading this. i got through it in a day and a half, and it was definitely entertaining. i loved how atmospheric it was, and i felt like Burke really brought to life the freezing winter cold. while i do wish that we got to see more of the growth of rowan & the huntress's relationship like i said, i did really enjoy what we did get between them. i thought it was an interesting take on the fairy tale, and overall a pretty compelling read.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
anna burke's prose reads like absolute poetry and now i'm Yearning™ more than usual
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really enjoyed this reimagining of Beauty and the Beast which still managed to be unique and original. Though a simple tale it was effective and beautifully written. I wished there was more tension surrounding conflict and while the romance between Rowan and Isolde / Huntress was expected however it lacked some development and reason beside the inexplicable curse and thorn which bound them together. Overall great read!
I absolutely loved this book! It is a little slower in the beginning, building the world, but I was soon hooked. I don't usually enjoy books where a captor and their prisoner develop feelings for each other, but this book handled it really well and the power dynamic didn't really play a part in them developing feelings for each other. They earn each other's respect over time as they learn more about each other. I love the Huntress and Rowan and there are so many tense scenes!