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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
3.5 stars rounded up because I have a soft spot for Beauty and the Beast.
I love Beauty and the Beast and I've read a number of retellings and adaptations, but this was a version unlike any I've read before. First, there is a gender swap and "Beauty" is Beau, a handsome rogue and a thief, forced into his life of crime by many circumstances not completely in his control. "Beast" is Arabella, a duke's daughter and one who has been cursed to become the beast at night. This story definitely fell into the category of "dark" as Bella was surrounded by these creepy court women with strange names (you'll find out what their names mean later in the book). I believe that Beau was a sympathetic character from the start, partly because you learn fairly early on why he is such a good thief, and what drives him. Bella was portrayed as cold at the beginning, but as the story unfolds, you start to learn why she is the way she is. What was very different about this version from previous versions that I've read was what/who turned out to be the source of the curse. The story was honestly confusing at first, because there were jumps in time and the changing point of view left me wondering what was going on. I don't want to say more because it might spoil the story for people. But it took me more than half the book to start figuring things out. Despite the confusion, I ended up really liking this story and I appreciated the psychological complexities the author wove into the book.
If you are a fan of the author or of Beauty and the Beast, you should give this version a try. It was a bit more of a gothic mystery than it was your typical fairytale and I definitely enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on. The author has written another Beauty and the Beast retelling geared towards middle school children, and this makes me want to check that out for what should be a very different tale.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I love Beauty and the Beast and I've read a number of retellings and adaptations, but this was a version unlike any I've read before. First, there is a gender swap and "Beauty" is Beau, a handsome rogue and a thief, forced into his life of crime by many circumstances not completely in his control. "Beast" is Arabella, a duke's daughter and one who has been cursed to become the beast at night. This story definitely fell into the category of "dark" as Bella was surrounded by these creepy court women with strange names (you'll find out what their names mean later in the book). I believe that Beau was a sympathetic character from the start, partly because you learn fairly early on why he is such a good thief, and what drives him. Bella was portrayed as cold at the beginning, but as the story unfolds, you start to learn why she is the way she is. What was very different about this version from previous versions that I've read was what/who turned out to be the source of the curse. The story was honestly confusing at first, because there were jumps in time and the changing point of view left me wondering what was going on. I don't want to say more because it might spoil the story for people. But it took me more than half the book to start figuring things out. Despite the confusion, I ended up really liking this story and I appreciated the psychological complexities the author wove into the book.
If you are a fan of the author or of Beauty and the Beast, you should give this version a try. It was a bit more of a gothic mystery than it was your typical fairytale and I definitely enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on. The author has written another Beauty and the Beast retelling geared towards middle school children, and this makes me want to check that out for what should be a very different tale.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the lore and worldbuilding in some aspects, but felt very let down by it in others.
The setting felt, at times, completely out of sync with the portrayal of the characters. It felt confusing to have characters wearing frock coats and corsets while they used modern slang.
I do think a gender swapped Beauty and the Beast can be interesting, and in some ways this was, but I don’t think Donnelley went far enough with it. Why not make Arabellapermanently a talking beast like in the original , or if you really need her to be beautiful, why not make her ‘perfect’ but completely uninteresting (i.e. the misogynistic view of an ideal woman) by day but retain her actual personality as a beast by night? That way there would actually be some stakes in Beau falling in love with the ‘real her’. Overall, I just felt there was not enough difference between cursed and uncursed Arabella’s personalities.
Finally, I would have respected Arabella more if she hadactually killed that awful prince.
In conclusion, some good worldbuilding and I like a lot of the magical aspects, but it fell flat in other places due to anachronistic characterisation and a lack of committing to a true beauty and the beast retelling.
The setting felt, at times, completely out of sync with the portrayal of the characters. It felt confusing to have characters wearing frock coats and corsets while they used modern slang.
I do think a gender swapped Beauty and the Beast can be interesting, and in some ways this was, but I don’t think Donnelley went far enough with it. Why not make Arabella
Finally, I would have respected Arabella more if she had
In conclusion, some good worldbuilding and I like a lot of the magical aspects, but it fell flat in other places due to anachronistic characterisation and a lack of committing to a true beauty and the beast retelling.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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:
Yes
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This bin was so hard to get through. I loved the idea. The execution not so much.
dark
mysterious
slow-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
Release Day: 07May2024
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Beastly Beauty is the first book I've read by Jennifer Donnelly. She did a very interesting reimagining of Beauty and the Beast that is also a gender swap. The beauty is a young man trying to get back to his sickly brother who happens to end up in an enchanted castle. The Beast, a woman stuck in time with a deadline to find love or sentence all in her castle to death.
Arabella is stuck and has lost almost all hope. She tried over the years to find love and failed each time. She was resigned to her fate, that is until Beau showed up and with him the glimmer of hope that perhaps, just perhaps this thief might be able to steal her heart and break the curse that is just days from killing everyone in the castle. As the story unfolds the reader gets to see not only through Arabella's but also through Beau's eyes the story of the past and an inkling of how Beau might be able to save the future.
I really enjoyed this re-imagining of one of my favorite fairytales. It was interesting how Arabella was the Beast and who all of her ladies in waiting were. Beau is just as broken in so many ways. He has traded on his looks to survive and while he hates the life he is in an wants an escape he is stuck with some feelings of worthlessness that are hard to overcome. Arabella and Beau understand each other in their feelings of inadequacy, how they have let down the people they love and how they aren't sure how to break the chains that bind them.
This is a story of redemption and breaking all of the odds against you. It had enough going on that I was always engaged and really loved the idea of the magic of the curse that was on the castle and how Arabella was supposed to break it. There is some great imagery and tender moments to awe over without going too overboard. Really a great read for those who enjoy Beauty and the Beast retellings.
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Beastly Beauty is the first book I've read by Jennifer Donnelly. She did a very interesting reimagining of Beauty and the Beast that is also a gender swap. The beauty is a young man trying to get back to his sickly brother who happens to end up in an enchanted castle. The Beast, a woman stuck in time with a deadline to find love or sentence all in her castle to death.
My story isn’t for the heroes out there, for the shining knights and perfect princesses. My story is for the screwups. For those of us who never seem to get it right. The ones who say too much, or not enough.
Arabella is stuck and has lost almost all hope. She tried over the years to find love and failed each time. She was resigned to her fate, that is until Beau showed up and with him the glimmer of hope that perhaps, just perhaps this thief might be able to steal her heart and break the curse that is just days from killing everyone in the castle. As the story unfolds the reader gets to see not only through Arabella's but also through Beau's eyes the story of the past and an inkling of how Beau might be able to save the future.
I really enjoyed this re-imagining of one of my favorite fairytales. It was interesting how Arabella was the Beast and who all of her ladies in waiting were. Beau is just as broken in so many ways. He has traded on his looks to survive and while he hates the life he is in an wants an escape he is stuck with some feelings of worthlessness that are hard to overcome. Arabella and Beau understand each other in their feelings of inadequacy, how they have let down the people they love and how they aren't sure how to break the chains that bind them.
“Do not speak for love, Lady Espidra,” she said, her eyes blazing. “Do not hold that word in your mouth when you do not hold it in your heart.” She swept her finger in front of her, pointing at all the ladies in turn. “Not one of you knows anything of love. Love does not run. It does not turn tail. Love never, ever gives up.”
This is a story of redemption and breaking all of the odds against you. It had enough going on that I was always engaged and really loved the idea of the magic of the curse that was on the castle and how Arabella was supposed to break it. There is some great imagery and tender moments to awe over without going too overboard. Really a great read for those who enjoy Beauty and the Beast retellings.
“You must do one thing and one thing only— become the person you were meant to be. No matter how daunting that task may be. Otherwise, your life is not a life; it is merely a long, protracted death.”
Beauty and the Beast with a twist. I like how the beast in this story was a woman. A young woman raised as an aristocrat who is meant to be sweet and compliant so that she can marry well, Arabella is anything but. Arabella has her own mind and own ambitions that are frowned upon. As a result in an attempt to suppress her emotions things take a turn for the worse.
A curse is placed upon Arabella and all of the inhabitants of her family's castle and only an act of true love can break the curse. The author did a great job by portraying Arabella’s emotions as lady's of her court. Her emotions were so strong that they manifested into the physical embodiment of the emotion represented. It's clever how her strongest emotions: Despair, Rage, Fear etc were described as women but her emotions that she gave up on: Hope, Faith and Love were little children.
A failed robbery put Beau in her path. Beau is a thief and he just wants to get back to his little brother who is sick. Of course the castle inhabitants are thrilled to have him there as they feel he may be the one to break the curse.
Arabella and Beau had a rough go at things but once they started spending time together he was able to make her feel things which in turn was loosing the hold her negative emotions had on her.
This was a story of finding a love within in order to break the chains over one's feelings of vulnerability and worthlessness. The more time Beau spent with Arabella the more she opened her heart. The more her heart was open the more she allowed more positive emotions to enter. It was a hard fought battle because Despair, Guilt, Rage, Fear, Shame, Jealousy, Glee, Disdain, Sorrow and Remorse didn't want to release the reigns over Arabella's emotions but with Hope, Faith, Compassion, Pride, Vulnerability, Joy, Love and Beau’s love chiseling away at Arabella's heart only the strong will win.
Unfortunately, time is of the essence and the clock is ticking and if the curse isn't broken by death’s deadline all will be lost. It's a good thing that Arabella has a relentless thief and a couple of determined little girls named Hope and Faith working hard to achieve the impossible.
A curse is placed upon Arabella and all of the inhabitants of her family's castle and only an act of true love can break the curse. The author did a great job by portraying Arabella’s emotions as lady's of her court. Her emotions were so strong that they manifested into the physical embodiment of the emotion represented. It's clever how her strongest emotions: Despair, Rage, Fear etc were described as women but her emotions that she gave up on: Hope, Faith and Love were little children.
A failed robbery put Beau in her path. Beau is a thief and he just wants to get back to his little brother who is sick. Of course the castle inhabitants are thrilled to have him there as they feel he may be the one to break the curse.
Arabella and Beau had a rough go at things but once they started spending time together he was able to make her feel things which in turn was loosing the hold her negative emotions had on her.
This was a story of finding a love within in order to break the chains over one's feelings of vulnerability and worthlessness. The more time Beau spent with Arabella the more she opened her heart. The more her heart was open the more she allowed more positive emotions to enter. It was a hard fought battle because Despair, Guilt, Rage, Fear, Shame, Jealousy, Glee, Disdain, Sorrow and Remorse didn't want to release the reigns over Arabella's emotions but with Hope, Faith, Compassion, Pride, Vulnerability, Joy, Love and Beau’s love chiseling away at Arabella's heart only the strong will win.
Unfortunately, time is of the essence and the clock is ticking and if the curse isn't broken by death’s deadline all will be lost. It's a good thing that Arabella has a relentless thief and a couple of determined little girls named Hope and Faith working hard to achieve the impossible.
Arabella’s mother has plans for her. She will be sweet and quiet. She will also marry whomever her mother tells her. To do this, she must hide her real thoughts and dreams from everyone around her. She is doing her best but learns she can no longer stand quietly and let others be abused. When her anger is released … a curse is put upon her. After a time, Beau has been captured in Arabella’s castle and the servants think he may be able to break the curse. Beau only wants to get away. He believes there is no such thing as love. Is there a chance that Beau and Arabella can break the curse?
Beastly Beauty is a stand-alone fairy tale re-telling where the main characters' genders are reversed. Most readers will be familiar with the popular reincarnations of Beauty and the Beast and this version has everything a fairy tale fan would want. Donnelly did a wonderful job switching the roles and putting a fresh spin on a beloved tale. Beastly Beauty will be a hit for everyone who enjoys a good re-telling.
Beastly Beauty is a stand-alone fairy tale re-telling where the main characters' genders are reversed. Most readers will be familiar with the popular reincarnations of Beauty and the Beast and this version has everything a fairy tale fan would want. Donnelly did a wonderful job switching the roles and putting a fresh spin on a beloved tale. Beastly Beauty will be a hit for everyone who enjoys a good re-telling.
I’m a reteller lover and I enjoyed the fresh take on this one, especially the gender swap element! Arabella was pretty okay but I just didn’t feel she was… beastly enough to carry the same impact. Beau and Bells barely interacted, which made the romance feel a bit lackluster.
On the upside, I really enjoyed the courtly intrigue; that little reveal genuinely caught me off guard. And the ending was a nice surprise too. It definitely veered away from the original but still felt satisfying and true to the story’s new direction.
On the upside, I really enjoyed the courtly intrigue; that little reveal genuinely caught me off guard. And the ending was a nice surprise too. It definitely veered away from the original but still felt satisfying and true to the story’s new direction.