Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I will always read Beauty and the Beast retellings (for better or worse..) and this one had a spin that was really unique.
I’m not sure if this was the author’s intent but this book demonstrates the internal family systems method of therapy/counseling SO WELL.
I’m not sure if this was the author’s intent but this book demonstrates the internal family systems method of therapy/counseling SO WELL.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is Beauty and the Beast reimagined in a way I've never seen before.
Beau is on the run, part of a band of thieves that have just finished their latest job. On a foggy night, they find refuge in a castle where the drawbridge is left down. Inside, they find no one, only a feast laid out before them. They eat their fill, and take what valuables they can, before being run out by some sort of beast. Beau is the last in line, and before his eyes the bridge crumbles, leaving him abandoned at the castle. His attempts to leave the thieves in the past, to get out and find his brother, were all thwarted. He was too valuable to them. Now, they barely blink as they ride away.
Beau is certain there must be another way out, some sort of tunnel that avoids the moat - which is filled with horrors just waiting for someone to get too close. Inside the castle, Lady Arabella is waited on by her court, who seem to advise her in restraint. The servants and the courtiers are at odds, and everyone makes sure to be locked behind closed doors by the time midnight strikes.
Arabella has been told her whole life to make herself smaller, quieter. That no one wants the girl who speaks her mind, who's intelligent and passionate about architecture, who wants to create a society that works together and benefits itself, instead of taxing people and putting them down. A marriage is arranged, and Arabella's binds grow tighter.
Now, this charming thief is trying to draw out the Arabella she's forgotten. To use her knowledge, her old passion, to build a bridge so he can get back to his ailing brother. Will it be enough for this stranger to fall in love with her, for her to love him? Or is there more to the curse than she ever thought? Clues right in front of her, both the ones around her every day, and the ones that have been forgotten and locked away.
This was a beautiful retelling, and the twists on the curse were brilliant. The journey to finding their way, the importance of never losing hope in a better tomorrow. The power in becoming who you are, instead of what you are told to be.
My one complaint were the chapters. I've always had a pet peeve about small chapters. At times, they were useful to change the direction of the narrative, but other times they seemed a little frivolous. A source of annoyance, and one that did at times draw me out of the story a little. For those of you who also dislike short chapters, be warned, but the story is worth it!
Beau is on the run, part of a band of thieves that have just finished their latest job. On a foggy night, they find refuge in a castle where the drawbridge is left down. Inside, they find no one, only a feast laid out before them. They eat their fill, and take what valuables they can, before being run out by some sort of beast. Beau is the last in line, and before his eyes the bridge crumbles, leaving him abandoned at the castle. His attempts to leave the thieves in the past, to get out and find his brother, were all thwarted. He was too valuable to them. Now, they barely blink as they ride away.
Beau is certain there must be another way out, some sort of tunnel that avoids the moat - which is filled with horrors just waiting for someone to get too close. Inside the castle, Lady Arabella is waited on by her court, who seem to advise her in restraint. The servants and the courtiers are at odds, and everyone makes sure to be locked behind closed doors by the time midnight strikes.
Arabella has been told her whole life to make herself smaller, quieter. That no one wants the girl who speaks her mind, who's intelligent and passionate about architecture, who wants to create a society that works together and benefits itself, instead of taxing people and putting them down. A marriage is arranged, and Arabella's binds grow tighter.
Now, this charming thief is trying to draw out the Arabella she's forgotten. To use her knowledge, her old passion, to build a bridge so he can get back to his ailing brother. Will it be enough for this stranger to fall in love with her, for her to love him? Or is there more to the curse than she ever thought? Clues right in front of her, both the ones around her every day, and the ones that have been forgotten and locked away.
This was a beautiful retelling, and the twists on the curse were brilliant. The journey to finding their way, the importance of never losing hope in a better tomorrow. The power in becoming who you are, instead of what you are told to be.
My one complaint were the chapters. I've always had a pet peeve about small chapters. At times, they were useful to change the direction of the narrative, but other times they seemed a little frivolous. A source of annoyance, and one that did at times draw me out of the story a little. For those of you who also dislike short chapters, be warned, but the story is worth it!
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
Wasn't really in the mood for reading when I read this, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I probably would have if I read it at later date, though the allegories and literary prowess was on par with what I've come to expect from Donnelly. Loved the idea that it wasn't romantic love that she needed to heal the curse, but self-love of all her pieces and parts. Loved the allegory of despair and how we must never give into it. Loved that she didn't get turned into a beast because she wasn't feminine enough, or that she killed a man (to be honest, he deserved it), but that she had cast off her "negative" emotions and created the schism inside herself. Loved how death was portrayed as kind and coming for all, but hopefully not before our time. Loved that she became a architect after. Loved the gender swap of the boy being used for his looks instead of the girl. The romance was a little stilted, and forced rather too soon for my liking, though I liked them together at the end. All in all, a beautiful book about loving ourselves and defeating misery.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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:
Complicated