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A review by spicycronereads
Beauty's Beasts by Alex Hanson
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
This was so good! It’s a queer, polyamorous retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Yet it does not feel derivative. The book is the first in a series (2 books so far) but they can be read as stand-alone. Do check the content warnings.
The nonbinary main character, E (Eve/Evan/Evangeline), is exiled from their town because of their gender identity. In the enchanted forest near their village they encounter not one, but four Beasts (Gryxen, from another world). The forest is under a curse and when E arrives, it becomes apparent that they may be the key to freeing the Gryxen as well as saving their village.
The writing is really easy to read; the world building is effortless. I laughed; I cried; I blushed. I had to do laundry. The themes of self-acceptance, queer community, and found family are beautifully done. Though the pacing does get a bit soggy at times and, I hate to say it, but the epilogue really dragged for me. It was a 38-minute read on my Kindle and I am a fast reader! I will say that every single loose end gets tied up.
Until that point the pacing issues were minor. And they were more than made up for by the characters being so lovable, including multiple secondary characters who have distinctive personalities. E is smart, brave, and kind. As is typical in a why choose, each of the Gryxen brings something different to the relationship (and the bedroom). They each have their own traumas and motivations that give them dimension.
The spice? 🔥🔥🔥 Sometimes in a why choose the spice can get kind of repetitive, and thus boring, but not so in this book. Based on comments from the Gryxen about past partners, they seem to be pan but the encounters in the narrative are all MNb or MNbM. Each of the Gryxen has a different seggsual dynamic with E, including one who is ace and alloromantic (I think; the characters do not use these terms). The 🐝DSM practices in one pairing seem to be represented with care. And whew! That Gryxen anatomy…All of them were hot in their own way (But Fenmire… 🥵 💦) 6 out of 5 chili peppers. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
There is a lot of diverse gender and seggsual representation - E is nonbinary and polyamorous. One of the Gryxen is ace and multiple of the others seem to be panseggsual (off page before the narrative). There are multiple gay male characters. There is disability rep too - characters that are maimed in battle but also some neurodiversity as well. As far as I remember, all of the human characters are white and living in a quiet village everyone seems to be from the same class background.
Overall, it was a lot of fun to read. I will read the next one (it’s Litttle Mermaid, y’all!) and I will definitely be going through the author’s back catalog, which includes erotica and 🐝DSM poetry. Yes, please! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
The nonbinary main character, E (Eve/Evan/Evangeline), is exiled from their town because of their gender identity. In the enchanted forest near their village they encounter not one, but four Beasts (Gryxen, from another world). The forest is under a curse and when E arrives, it becomes apparent that they may be the key to freeing the Gryxen as well as saving their village.
The writing is really easy to read; the world building is effortless. I laughed; I cried; I blushed. I had to do laundry. The themes of self-acceptance, queer community, and found family are beautifully done. Though the pacing does get a bit soggy at times and, I hate to say it, but the epilogue really dragged for me. It was a 38-minute read on my Kindle and I am a fast reader! I will say that every single loose end gets tied up.
Until that point the pacing issues were minor. And they were more than made up for by the characters being so lovable, including multiple secondary characters who have distinctive personalities. E is smart, brave, and kind. As is typical in a why choose, each of the Gryxen brings something different to the relationship (and the bedroom). They each have their own traumas and motivations that give them dimension.
The spice? 🔥🔥🔥 Sometimes in a why choose the spice can get kind of repetitive, and thus boring, but not so in this book. Based on comments from the Gryxen about past partners, they seem to be pan but the encounters in the narrative are all MNb or MNbM. Each of the Gryxen has a different seggsual dynamic with E, including one who is ace and alloromantic (I think; the characters do not use these terms). The 🐝DSM practices in one pairing seem to be represented with care. And whew! That Gryxen anatomy…All of them were hot in their own way (But Fenmire… 🥵 💦) 6 out of 5 chili peppers. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
There is a lot of diverse gender and seggsual representation - E is nonbinary and polyamorous. One of the Gryxen is ace and multiple of the others seem to be panseggsual (off page before the narrative). There are multiple gay male characters. There is disability rep too - characters that are maimed in battle but also some neurodiversity as well. As far as I remember, all of the human characters are white and living in a quiet village everyone seems to be from the same class background.
Overall, it was a lot of fun to read. I will read the next one (it’s Litttle Mermaid, y’all!) and I will definitely be going through the author’s back catalog, which includes erotica and 🐝DSM poetry. Yes, please! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Sexual content, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Animal death