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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
The four stars are mostly for the illustrations and pop up bits or moving bits. Made me feel like a child again ;)
The story is, as always, good. And strangely recognisable to Disney, given I always assumed it was drastically different. It’s mostly the ending and the fairies and the king that got me. It suddenly got quite confusing, not helped by the language being more old fashioned. Enjoyable but requires a bit of effort to follow. Beautiful though.
The story is, as always, good. And strangely recognisable to Disney, given I always assumed it was drastically different. It’s mostly the ending and the fairies and the king that got me. It suddenly got quite confusing, not helped by the language being more old fashioned. Enjoyable but requires a bit of effort to follow. Beautiful though.
As a foreword, this review is heavily biased. Beauty and the Beast is one of my all time favourite tales and films and to be honest there was never going to be a scenario where I disliked this book. Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve's original tale is beautifully written and if you're only familiar with the Disney classic, it deviates substantially from the source material so it definitely felt like new territory. I adored the twist on their relationship and how the tale added a sense of magic to their relationship as well as the castle they resided in.
Then came the last quarter which could honestly have been cut out, it added a backstory that wasn't needed and already felt as if it had been concluded 40 pages prior.
That said the MinaLima edition is so stunning, it made the whole book such a joy to read that I can't give it any less than 5 stars. This is a book that will always remain on my shelf.
Then came the last quarter which could honestly have been cut out, it added a backstory that wasn't needed and already felt as if it had been concluded 40 pages prior.
That said the MinaLima edition is so stunning, it made the whole book such a joy to read that I can't give it any less than 5 stars. This is a book that will always remain on my shelf.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Most importantly, are the french okay? Everyone wants to kill themselves.
I had high hopes but the pacing is atrocious and after the main obstacle has been resolved a singular person info dumps the backstory, motivations, ect. In the last 100 pages. All of this is not presented in a nice and neat retelling, instead it dragggs.
It's very obviously inspired by the original Cinderella but with the nice twist of... pro classism? As if a wattpad kid wanted to play the pauper and princess at the same time, but for every character...bc who dares to not be nobility.
I tried to like it and the first half wasn't even bad (still has story telling issues).
I think a story around the fairies would have been much more interesting. The author definitely put more thought into the fairy system than anything else.
"I can refuse you nothing; but it will perhaps cost my life."
*little edit: the worst illustrated book I've ever had in my hands. Illustrations lazily included, often disturbing the story or not fitting at all. The moving pieces were okay? Nothing special. Mostly unnecessary as well.
I had high hopes but the pacing is atrocious and after the main obstacle has been resolved a singular person info dumps the backstory, motivations, ect. In the last 100 pages. All of this is not presented in a nice and neat retelling, instead it dragggs.
It's very obviously inspired by the original Cinderella but with the nice twist of... pro classism? As if a wattpad kid wanted to play the pauper and princess at the same time, but for every character...bc who dares to not be nobility.
I tried to like it and the first half wasn't even bad (still has story telling issues).
I think a story around the fairies would have been much more interesting. The author definitely put more thought into the fairy system than anything else.
"I can refuse you nothing; but it will perhaps cost my life."
*little edit: the worst illustrated book I've ever had in my hands. Illustrations lazily included, often disturbing the story or not fitting at all. The moving pieces were okay? Nothing special. Mostly unnecessary as well.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It took me a while to understand this was the original story (I know), so it seemed to me too archaic in their gender role. But then it had some moments very progressive. And the lore. Such a deep lore. Disney could never. It's a pity most of that lore is info dumping at the end. The pacing is atrocious. Nonetheless, beautiful edition.
I was totally enchanted by this lusciously illustrated edition of Beauty and the Beast. I have never read the original unabridged version before and I am glad that my introduction was with this book because as much as I loved getting familiar with all of the ways in which the tale has changed since the original, the last few chapters were a bit tedious. I think I would much prefer the abridged version of the story but you won't regret picking up this version. I enjoyed the beautiful interactive inserts so much that sometimes I felt like I was reading faster just so I could discover the next one. I would have given this book 5 stars for the graphic design alone, but I had to knock off a star for the tediousness at the end of the story.
The story was lovely and the illustrations were beautiful. Such a unique way to read this fairytale. I loved it!
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love Beauty and the Beast, I really do. The interactive elements made me feel like a child again which was wonderful. But I have to admit I prefer the movies …
It was so interesting to read the original story of one of my all time favourite Disney movies. It's so different in nearly every way, other than the core 'prince being the beast' plot (but I have to admit, I do prefer the Disney Classic and it's 'Disneyness'.) If I'm honest, I did find this a little hard to follow, due to not being used to the 1700's language but the MinaLima edition is absolutely gorgeous! The interactive parts were such a fun edition and the illustrations and colours were stunning! It's definitely something that will be sitting proudly on my bookshelves for a very long time to come! (I'm still not over the beauty of its cover and spine...)