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A review by victoriabooksaga
Beastly Beauty by Jennifer Donnelly
4.0
I have a soft spot for fairytale retellings, but especially Beauty and the Beast retellings. This version turns many of the typical plot points on their heads in the best way.
This book is set in France during the time of Voltaire and features a band of wayward backstabbing thieves on the run from the law. It's got so much of what I loved about Tangled but also has the gender swapped Beauty and the Beast. This book is just a fun ride beginning to end and has beautiful writing. The midpoint turn was fantastic.
The main characters are so good for each other!! They heal and learn and grow together. Both guarded their hearts and both learned to let each other in and work through and overcome their guilt and despair. Just an absolutely beautiful love story. Everything you'd want with this style retelling and so much more.
The premise for the curse is different than other iterations I've read. There's something about it that I don't quite like (hence the four stars), but her whole personality and self doubts are all very relatable.
TROPES/THEMES:
Gender swapped Beauty and the Beast
Cursed x Handsome Thief (a la Tangled)
Shrek style consuming of raw onions
Magical mirrors showing glimpses of past
Insta attraction, beautiful love story
THE invitation to dinner, complete with the fancy clothes and the dancing, *chef's kiss*
Beast only calms down for him
Fairytale commentaries nestled into story
Unique chapter style that grows on you
THE wolf attack, as every good Beauty and the Beast retelling must include
Overcoming negative self talk and doubts
They heal and grow together.
Content: unfaithful wealthy mistress, low spice, n*ked scene (makes plot sense, the *act* does not happen), accidental cleavage groping, kissing, shaming women for having ideas and wanting to do more with their lives, accidental m*rder
Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic Press for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.
This book is set in France during the time of Voltaire and features a band of wayward backstabbing thieves on the run from the law. It's got so much of what I loved about Tangled but also has the gender swapped Beauty and the Beast. This book is just a fun ride beginning to end and has beautiful writing. The midpoint turn was fantastic.
The main characters are so good for each other!! They heal and learn and grow together. Both guarded their hearts and both learned to let each other in and work through and overcome their guilt and despair. Just an absolutely beautiful love story. Everything you'd want with this style retelling and so much more.
The premise for the curse is different than other iterations I've read. There's something about it that I don't quite like (hence the four stars), but her whole personality and self doubts are all very relatable.
TROPES/THEMES:
Gender swapped Beauty and the Beast
Cursed x Handsome Thief (a la Tangled)
Shrek style consuming of raw onions
Magical mirrors showing glimpses of past
Insta attraction, beautiful love story
THE invitation to dinner, complete with the fancy clothes and the dancing, *chef's kiss*
Beast only calms down for him
Fairytale commentaries nestled into story
Unique chapter style that grows on you
THE wolf attack, as every good Beauty and the Beast retelling must include
Overcoming negative self talk and doubts
They heal and grow together.
Content: unfaithful wealthy mistress, low spice, n*ked scene (makes plot sense, the *act* does not happen), accidental cleavage groping, kissing, shaming women for having ideas and wanting to do more with their lives, accidental m*rder
Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic Press for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.