A review by ohwowbee
The Beast's Garden by Kate Forsyth

medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I picked this up after seeing Forsyth talk at a book festival and was interested in her career as a myth/fairytale interpreter. I wish I had selected another one of her books, because this retelling of Beauty and the Beast didn't do it for me in the slightest. From the outset, the heroine is fawning over the Nazi soldier. And while yes, towards the end of the book it is revealed that he is on the right side of history, the rest of the book is all about how he "isn't like other Nazis". Insertions of POV from the heroine's gay Jewish friend (doing double duty in regards to representation) in a concentration camp are likewise bizarre and unbalanced, and seem added to the novel as an afterthought.