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A review by cyanide_latte
The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty's Prince by Serena Valentino
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Honestly I have really mixed feelings about this one. My hopes had been a little bit higher than I was expecting, but I had admittedly been iffy on The Beast having an installment in this series, so I suppose I'm not too horribly disappointed.
But this book is definitely a disappointment. I think this review by Sarah on GR (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2278127200) is perhaps a good overview of many of the aspects of this book I took issue with, as well as a few of the small things I did appreciate. But ultimately it feels like this book really didn't need to happen. Everything here felt forced.
To be fair, there's a lot of set-up going on. The introduction of Circe is curious (I'm vaguely reminded of the way "Hocus Pocus and The All-New Sequel" set us up with a random younger fourth Sanderson sister who was the good counterpart to Winifred, Mary and Sarah, though in fairness I know this book came out first.) Again I do have some vague annoyance because if she's supposed to be THE Circe, that character already exists in Disney canon (she's in the Hercules TV series, she's voiced by Idina Menzel and her song is amazing.) Either way, her purpose in the whole thing just feels like it's going to be a lot of build-up for not a lot of payoff. Same with the Odd Sisters. We do get a couple of hints and nods to the rest of the series here, particularly in the inclusion of Ursula, as it's set-up for the third book, which is hers. (There's also a single brief mention of Hades, which is absolutely deliberate, now that I know he has one of the latest books in this series.) Very curious to see what exactly is done with Gaston's book, given the way he was handled in this one.
I don't think I'll be keeping this book. Much as I want to continue with the series, I get the impression all of this is going to be quite hit-or-miss for me, so it's going to be a catch-22 with which books I keep and which I don't.
Also I know every other review has said it already but the way this book constantly calls him "Prince" or "Beast" got old fast. I understand why the narrative did that, but all the characters just addressed him as "Prince", even those who could have called him by name. Like damn, his name is Prince Adam. It's semi-common knowledge for most Disnerds. You can find it out with a quick Google.
But this book is definitely a disappointment. I think this review by Sarah on GR (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2278127200) is perhaps a good overview of many of the aspects of this book I took issue with, as well as a few of the small things I did appreciate. But ultimately it feels like this book really didn't need to happen. Everything here felt forced.
To be fair, there's a lot of set-up going on. The introduction of Circe is curious (I'm vaguely reminded of the way "Hocus Pocus and The All-New Sequel" set us up with a random younger fourth Sanderson sister who was the good counterpart to Winifred, Mary and Sarah, though in fairness I know this book came out first.) Again I do have some vague annoyance because if she's supposed to be THE Circe, that character already exists in Disney canon (she's in the Hercules TV series, she's voiced by Idina Menzel and her song is amazing.) Either way, her purpose in the whole thing just feels like it's going to be a lot of build-up for not a lot of payoff. Same with the Odd Sisters. We do get a couple of hints and nods to the rest of the series here, particularly in the inclusion of Ursula, as it's set-up for the third book, which is hers. (There's also a single brief mention of Hades, which is absolutely deliberate, now that I know he has one of the latest books in this series.) Very curious to see what exactly is done with Gaston's book, given the way he was handled in this one.
I don't think I'll be keeping this book. Much as I want to continue with the series, I get the impression all of this is going to be quite hit-or-miss for me, so it's going to be a catch-22 with which books I keep and which I don't.
Also I know every other review has said it already but the way this book constantly calls him "Prince" or "Beast" got old fast. I understand why the narrative did that, but all the characters just addressed him as "Prince", even those who could have called him by name. Like damn, his name is Prince Adam. It's semi-common knowledge for most Disnerds. You can find it out with a quick Google.