A review by rene_gade
Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I love this book too much and can't wait until I forget the details so I can reread. The humour is there and the female main character is funny, resourceful, and has realistic flaws that don't make you roll your eyes and want to bash her over the head with a rutabaga. It is a lovely and fresh retelling of a classic story without reducing the characters to caricatures. The

naming of the first victim as Beauty was a bit too on the nose but in the moment I squealed happily

. I came to really love

House and I got a bit teary when it started falling apart while still trying to help them

. The secondary characters were a bit lackluster and I'm not sure why they were there as the inclusion didn't add to the story in a significant way. 
The ominous moments were written quite well and the love story was more show not tell which was nice. Looking back I suppose it's not very clear as to why

they would fall in love

but it still felt believable. 
Critiques: I wish the story would have leaned into the dark aspects a bit more bc they were so well done and teased. There is also no major character development as both main characters were pretty well rounded to begin with.
 I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that

Beast remains a beast in the end and that Bryony isn't specifically gorgeous

. I felt that really conveyed the point of the classic tale. While I was hoping for some more romance I understand that in this case it might not be everyone's cup of tea. I would suggest not trying to figure out the mystery and to just go along for the ride!