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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
Thank you to Disney Books for sending me an ARC via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
4/5 stars.
This book takes place after the curse has been lifted, and Belle and Lio (the Beast) are married. But it’s 1789 and the revolution is beginning to get underway in Paris. It’s a dangerous time to be married to a prince.
We follow Bell as she tries to avoid bringing the revolution from France into Aveyon. Belle was such a strong character, and I admired her dedication to the people. She had to struggle against many obstacles as she tried to fight for her people and her kingdom. The doubts surrounding her, and the people pushing back against her, made it feel more realistic as she attempted to give the people a voice in order to prevent revolution from taking hold.
I enjoyed trying to figure out who to trust, and watching Belle learn to trust her instincts and navigate her new role in her kingdom. I thought her relationship with Lio was sweet, and they both showed a lot of growth by the end of the book. I wish we’d been able to see more of Lio himself, because I thought he was an interesting character.
The plot was fairly slow because the focus is more on the political aspects of the book than anything else (1789 and revolution in Paris), but it was still interesting and engaging. The last quarter of the book was the most exciting because the plot picked up. The whispers of revolution were becoming real, and things started to really happen! I also enjoyed the hints of magic, and the introduction of Orella as a character. I thought she brought some mystery and magic to the story, and it added nicely to the events that were happening.
Overall, I enjoyed this one and I’d recommend it to fans of Beauty and the Beast as well as to those who enjoy political history, and historical fiction with a hint of magic!
4/5 stars.
This book takes place after the curse has been lifted, and Belle and Lio (the Beast) are married. But it’s 1789 and the revolution is beginning to get underway in Paris. It’s a dangerous time to be married to a prince.
We follow Bell as she tries to avoid bringing the revolution from France into Aveyon. Belle was such a strong character, and I admired her dedication to the people. She had to struggle against many obstacles as she tried to fight for her people and her kingdom. The doubts surrounding her, and the people pushing back against her, made it feel more realistic as she attempted to give the people a voice in order to prevent revolution from taking hold.
I enjoyed trying to figure out who to trust, and watching Belle learn to trust her instincts and navigate her new role in her kingdom. I thought her relationship with Lio was sweet, and they both showed a lot of growth by the end of the book. I wish we’d been able to see more of Lio himself, because I thought he was an interesting character.
The plot was fairly slow because the focus is more on the political aspects of the book than anything else (1789 and revolution in Paris), but it was still interesting and engaging. The last quarter of the book was the most exciting because the plot picked up. The whispers of revolution were becoming real, and things started to really happen! I also enjoyed the hints of magic, and the introduction of Orella as a character. I thought she brought some mystery and magic to the story, and it added nicely to the events that were happening.
Overall, I enjoyed this one and I’d recommend it to fans of Beauty and the Beast as well as to those who enjoy political history, and historical fiction with a hint of magic!
Rebel Rose caught my attention by the cool cover and then the description of the story. Even though I knew it was based of Beaty and the Beast, I didn’t have many expectations so I was going open minded.
So putting aside, what we know of Belle from the movies, this Belle (for a lot of the story) is self questioning, very petulant about her new role as the wife of a prince aka a princess, and hard headed about putting herself in danger because she wants to be a commoner. That drove me nuts!!!! I think there was a better way to portray Belle in where she’s questioning her new role, not her values/opinions, but using the power that it comes with to help the commoners as she desperately wanted to.
While I understand that Lio (aka Beast, no real name ever given by Disney lol) and Belle are now navigating new territory after breaking the curse, I can’t see them going through all that and having Lio disregard Belle’s opinions/needs. The many many manny times when Belle wanted to have important talks with Lio and she just let him plow through her needs/wants put her in a very submissive role which bothered me because I can’t ever see Belle letting him treat her that way. Thankfully, way later in the story, with the support and reinforcement of Mrs. Potts Belle was able to get her act together and be the empowered young woman she is.
I’ll be honest for majority of the book I was so frustrated and annoyed by Belle and Lio but towards the end of the things did pick up. It was nice seeing old beloved characters and one not so beloved. And the new characters might not be loved now but could be as the series progresses.
Focusing on the last part of the book and how things ended, I would say it’s a really good book. Overall, I’d say it was decent with great potential.
So putting aside, what we know of Belle from the movies, this Belle (for a lot of the story) is self questioning, very petulant about her new role as the wife of a prince aka a princess, and hard headed about putting herself in danger because she wants to be a commoner. That drove me nuts!!!! I think there was a better way to portray Belle in where she’s questioning her new role, not her values/opinions, but using the power that it comes with to help the commoners as she desperately wanted to.
While I understand that Lio (aka Beast, no real name ever given by Disney lol) and Belle are now navigating new territory after breaking the curse, I can’t see them going through all that and having Lio disregard Belle’s opinions/needs. The many many manny times when Belle wanted to have important talks with Lio and she just let him plow through her needs/wants put her in a very submissive role which bothered me because I can’t ever see Belle letting him treat her that way. Thankfully, way later in the story, with the support and reinforcement of Mrs. Potts Belle was able to get her act together and be the empowered young woman she is.
I’ll be honest for majority of the book I was so frustrated and annoyed by Belle and Lio but towards the end of the things did pick up. It was nice seeing old beloved characters and one not so beloved. And the new characters might not be loved now but could be as the series progresses.
Focusing on the last part of the book and how things ended, I would say it’s a really good book. Overall, I’d say it was decent with great potential.
Rebel Rose caught my attention by the cool cover and then the description of the story. Even though I knew it was based of Beaty and the Beast, I didn’t have many expectations so I was going open minded.
So putting aside, what we know of Belle from the movies, this Belle (for a lot of the story) is self questioning, very petulant about her new role as the wife of a prince aka a princess, and hard headed about putting herself in danger because she wants to be a commoner. That drove me nuts!!!! I think there was a better way to portray Belle in where she’s questioning her new role, not her values/opinions, but using the power that it comes with to help the commoners as she desperately wanted to.
While I understand that Lio (aka Beast, no real name ever given by Disney lol) and Belle are now navigating new territory after breaking the curse, I can’t see them going through all that and having Lio disregard Belle’s opinions/needs. The many many manny times when Belle wanted to have important talks with Lio and she just let him plow through her needs/wants put her in a very submissive role which bothered me because I can’t ever see Belle letting him treat her that way. Thankfully, way later in the story, with the support and reinforcement of Mrs. Potts Belle was able to get her act together and be the empowered young woman she is.
I’ll be honest for majority of the book I was so frustrated and annoyed by Belle and Lio but towards the end of the things did pick up. It was nice seeing old beloved characters and one not so beloved. And the new characters might not be loved now but could be as the series progresses.
Focusing on the last part of the book and how things ended, I would say it’s a really good book. Overall, I’d say it was decent with great potential.
So putting aside, what we know of Belle from the movies, this Belle (for a lot of the story) is self questioning, very petulant about her new role as the wife of a prince aka a princess, and hard headed about putting herself in danger because she wants to be a commoner. That drove me nuts!!!! I think there was a better way to portray Belle in where she’s questioning her new role, not her values/opinions, but using the power that it comes with to help the commoners as she desperately wanted to.
While I understand that Lio (aka Beast, no real name ever given by Disney lol) and Belle are now navigating new territory after breaking the curse, I can’t see them going through all that and having Lio disregard Belle’s opinions/needs. The many many manny times when Belle wanted to have important talks with Lio and she just let him plow through her needs/wants put her in a very submissive role which bothered me because I can’t ever see Belle letting him treat her that way. Thankfully, way later in the story, with the support and reinforcement of Mrs. Potts Belle was able to get her act together and be the empowered young woman she is.
I’ll be honest for majority of the book I was so frustrated and annoyed by Belle and Lio but towards the end of the things did pick up. It was nice seeing old beloved characters and one not so beloved. And the new characters might not be loved now but could be as the series progresses.
Focusing on the last part of the book and how things ended, I would say it’s a really good book. Overall, I’d say it was decent with great potential.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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
What drew me to Rebel Rose was Belle. I love her story. A fierce, independent woman who isn’t afraid to be herself. And a book to continue her story? Yes please!
What I didn’t expect was version of Belle. She was unsure, easily intimidated and almost shy. At first I thought it was her adjusting to her new life, but as the story progressed she questioned her ideas, opinions, and decisions constantly. This isn’t the Belle I loved and admired.
However, the history was great! I loved how it was lined up with France’s revolution. My favorite was when Lio came back from touring the noble’s estates and told of King Louis and Marie Antoinette’s downfall.
The story has great potential, but it lacking the pull to keep a reader focused and story moving.
Thank you to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for an eArc in exchange for an honest review
What I didn’t expect was version of Belle. She was unsure, easily intimidated and almost shy. At first I thought it was her adjusting to her new life, but as the story progressed she questioned her ideas, opinions, and decisions constantly. This isn’t the Belle I loved and admired.
However, the history was great! I loved how it was lined up with France’s revolution. My favorite was when Lio came back from touring the noble’s estates and told of King Louis and Marie Antoinette’s downfall.
The story has great potential, but it lacking the pull to keep a reader focused and story moving.
Thank you to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for an eArc in exchange for an honest review
This book’s rating falls somewhere between 3.5 and 3.75 for me.
I've read Disney's twisted tales series and liked them. They ranged from ok-good. So I was really excited to find out about the queen's council series. Especially, since the first book was about Belle, my favourite Disney princess! I was also really intrigued by the idea of a continuation rather than a retelling. Now, 3 stars is an ok book for me, leaning towards good. So obviously my excitement for this book was not lived up to. I was dissapointed by a couple of things in this book, but other things I liked. To make things easier, I'll make a pro and con list.
Pros:
- LOVED the historical setting of the French Revolution, especially since I'm currently studying it. This book just brought the era to life for me.
- I really liked many side characters like Cogsworth, Lumiere, Chip and Mrs Potts. Oh and Marguerite!
- Overall, it was enjoyable to read about.
Cons:
-The Belle in this book is not the one I know and love. At times, she would act exactly how I expected (ie. her headstron, stubborn, intelligent self) but others she would act completely out of character and once in the book downright selfish!
- The villain in this book was sooooo obvious. I know that it was not meant to be a mystery book, but seriously? Belle having a gut feeling that something was off about him for no reason? I literally thought this was a red herring done on purpose, but it was seriously him? Felt rather kiddish.
- I HATE THE BEAST/PRINCE ADAM'S NAME!!!!!! LIO? REALLY?
- Read a bit slow, especially the first 100 pages. Writing style was rather plain, but that was to be expected.
Pros:
- LOVED the historical setting of the French Revolution, especially since I'm currently studying it. This book just brought the era to life for me.
- I really liked many side characters like Cogsworth, Lumiere, Chip and Mrs Potts. Oh and Marguerite!
- Overall, it was enjoyable to read about.
Cons:
-The Belle in this book is not the one I know and love. At times, she would act exactly how I expected (ie. her headstron, stubborn, intelligent self) but others she would act completely out of character and once in the book downright selfish!
- The villain in this book was sooooo obvious. I know that it was not meant to be a mystery book, but seriously? Belle having a gut feeling that something was off about him for no reason? I literally thought this was a red herring done on purpose, but it was seriously him? Felt rather kiddish.
- I HATE THE BEAST/PRINCE ADAM'S NAME!!!!!! LIO? REALLY?
- Read a bit slow, especially the first 100 pages. Writing style was rather plain, but that was to be expected.
for a while, i thought i was going to dnf this book because i wasn’t getting into it, but like after 150 pages, it really started to pick up. i enjoyed it although the plot twists were predictable and i lowkey called all of them except for one. but yeah, pretty great book.
I can understand why some people would love this. It just wasn't for me. Belle didn't feel like Belle to me and the villain was painfully obvious from the very beginning. I could see young teenagers loving it, just not for me.
Picking up about 6 months after the events of the original story, we meet Belle and Lio (the Beast) as they begin a tour of the continent starting with a stop in Paris. Belle has been looking forward to returning to Paris, but not to meeting the king or being part of the court in Versailles. When she inadvertently gets caught up in a protest and witnesses firsthand the anger and violence of the mobs, she knows it will get worse before it gets better. In an attempt to prevent revolution from taking hold in Aveyon as well, Belle and Lio return home to their castle instead of continuing their continental tour. But trouble is brewing at home, too, and danger seems to be everywhere. Who can Belle trust? Family? Friends? She's not even sure she can trust herself!
I really enjoyed this continuation of Belle's story. She's always been my favorite princess because she has a brain and because she doesn't fall in love after 2 seconds. (Plus, I'm a librarian, how can I not love a girl who honors books and intelligence over looks and brawn?) :) There are twists and turns, some of which I saw coming and a few I didn't. I figured out the main culprit before the big reveal, but the how and the why were surprises. I definitely recommend this book for fans of fractured fairy tales, adventure, strong female protagonists, and YA lit.
Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this continuation of Belle's story. She's always been my favorite princess because she has a brain and because she doesn't fall in love after 2 seconds. (Plus, I'm a librarian, how can I not love a girl who honors books and intelligence over looks and brawn?) :) There are twists and turns, some of which I saw coming and a few I didn't. I figured out the main culprit before the big reveal, but the how and the why were surprises. I definitely recommend this book for fans of fractured fairy tales, adventure, strong female protagonists, and YA lit.
Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.