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A review by ibara94
Beastly Beauty by Jennifer Donnelly
4.0
This is Beauty and the Beast reimagined in a way I've never seen before.
Beau is on the run, part of a band of thieves that have just finished their latest job. On a foggy night, they find refuge in a castle where the drawbridge is left down. Inside, they find no one, only a feast laid out before them. They eat their fill, and take what valuables they can, before being run out by some sort of beast. Beau is the last in line, and before his eyes the bridge crumbles, leaving him abandoned at the castle. His attempts to leave the thieves in the past, to get out and find his brother, were all thwarted. He was too valuable to them. Now, they barely blink as they ride away.
Beau is certain there must be another way out, some sort of tunnel that avoids the moat - which is filled with horrors just waiting for someone to get too close. Inside the castle, Lady Arabella is waited on by her court, who seem to advise her in restraint. The servants and the courtiers are at odds, and everyone makes sure to be locked behind closed doors by the time midnight strikes.
Arabella has been told her whole life to make herself smaller, quieter. That no one wants the girl who speaks her mind, who's intelligent and passionate about architecture, who wants to create a society that works together and benefits itself, instead of taxing people and putting them down. A marriage is arranged, and Arabella's binds grow tighter.
Now, this charming thief is trying to draw out the Arabella she's forgotten. To use her knowledge, her old passion, to build a bridge so he can get back to his ailing brother. Will it be enough for this stranger to fall in love with her, for her to love him? Or is there more to the curse than she ever thought? Clues right in front of her, both the ones around her every day, and the ones that have been forgotten and locked away.
This was a beautiful retelling, and the twists on the curse were brilliant. The journey to finding their way, the importance of never losing hope in a better tomorrow. The power in becoming who you are, instead of what you are told to be.
My one complaint were the chapters. I've always had a pet peeve about small chapters. At times, they were useful to change the direction of the narrative, but other times they seemed a little frivolous. A source of annoyance, and one that did at times draw me out of the story a little. For those of you who also dislike short chapters, be warned, but the story is worth it!
Beau is on the run, part of a band of thieves that have just finished their latest job. On a foggy night, they find refuge in a castle where the drawbridge is left down. Inside, they find no one, only a feast laid out before them. They eat their fill, and take what valuables they can, before being run out by some sort of beast. Beau is the last in line, and before his eyes the bridge crumbles, leaving him abandoned at the castle. His attempts to leave the thieves in the past, to get out and find his brother, were all thwarted. He was too valuable to them. Now, they barely blink as they ride away.
Beau is certain there must be another way out, some sort of tunnel that avoids the moat - which is filled with horrors just waiting for someone to get too close. Inside the castle, Lady Arabella is waited on by her court, who seem to advise her in restraint. The servants and the courtiers are at odds, and everyone makes sure to be locked behind closed doors by the time midnight strikes.
Arabella has been told her whole life to make herself smaller, quieter. That no one wants the girl who speaks her mind, who's intelligent and passionate about architecture, who wants to create a society that works together and benefits itself, instead of taxing people and putting them down. A marriage is arranged, and Arabella's binds grow tighter.
Now, this charming thief is trying to draw out the Arabella she's forgotten. To use her knowledge, her old passion, to build a bridge so he can get back to his ailing brother. Will it be enough for this stranger to fall in love with her, for her to love him? Or is there more to the curse than she ever thought? Clues right in front of her, both the ones around her every day, and the ones that have been forgotten and locked away.
This was a beautiful retelling, and the twists on the curse were brilliant. The journey to finding their way, the importance of never losing hope in a better tomorrow. The power in becoming who you are, instead of what you are told to be.
My one complaint were the chapters. I've always had a pet peeve about small chapters. At times, they were useful to change the direction of the narrative, but other times they seemed a little frivolous. A source of annoyance, and one that did at times draw me out of the story a little. For those of you who also dislike short chapters, be warned, but the story is worth it!