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A review by monetp
Rebel Rose by Emma Theriault
4.0
This is an ARC book review provided by NetGalley.
"Cogsworth raised his brow. 'I do not think an agent of the revolution would pass Mrs. Potts's scrutiny nor meet her standards.'" ~ [b:The Queen's Council Rebel Rose|52277788|The Queen's Council Rebel Rose (The Queen's Council, #1)|Emma Theriault|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1586961159l/52277788._SY75_.jpg|73626965]
4.5 stars
I can't wait for November 2020 when everyone will be discussing this lovely new book! [a:Emma Theriault|19616334|Emma Theriault|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1570490045p2/19616334.jpg] did a magical job with this retelling. Theriault neatly weaves her own story into the "Beauty and the Beast" classic. The writing is eloquent, imaginative, gorgeous, and wholly impressive. The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is because I wish there would be a sequel and I wanted the book to be even longer! However, there is something to be said for an impressive standalone novel, those are pretty rare. Some of my favorite aspects of this novel was Belle and Adam's relationship, the worldbuilding of Aveyon, the incorporation of magic, the diverse characters, and the nods to the Disney classic.
Okay, I have to start with Belle and Adam's relationship. Their dynamic is GOALS! Theriault depicted the couple's relationship exactly as I imagined it would be post-curse. Belle and the Beast are my favorite Disney couple so I had high expectations. Theriault did not disappoint! Adam is so supportive and thoughtful, even when Belle and he don't agree on everything. They balance each other out so well! #couplegoals Also, I loved how Theriault handled worldbuilding in this novel. The castle and the village from the original Disney movie were explored more and in great depth. I could picture every little location clearly in my head. The background of the curse and how magic continued to be present in this novel was another wonderful part of the plot. The scenes between Belle and the enchantress were so intriguing! This book explored so many unexpected aspects of the original "Beauty and the Beast" tale.
The moments that made me emotional was whenever Belle or another character references their past. Belle and Adam deal with their mental health issues post-curse, Belle has a heart-to-heart talk with Mrs. Potts about how to be strong and even LeFou showing up in the last 100 pages was exciting. Speaking of LeFou, I love how his new story turns out; even better than I expected! One final thought: I respect the way Theriault included a diverse cast of characters in this story. One of the new characters we meet is black and gay and beautiful! In this case, the new character comes out and the other characters treat the situation like its no big deal. This was handled so well; their identity was acknowledged and then the character went back to their work and doing what they loved. There are several other new characters with a similar situation, and this was an added bonus to an already magnificent novel.
"Cogsworth raised his brow. 'I do not think an agent of the revolution would pass Mrs. Potts's scrutiny nor meet her standards.'" ~ [b:The Queen's Council Rebel Rose|52277788|The Queen's Council Rebel Rose (The Queen's Council, #1)|Emma Theriault|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1586961159l/52277788._SY75_.jpg|73626965]
4.5 stars
I can't wait for November 2020 when everyone will be discussing this lovely new book! [a:Emma Theriault|19616334|Emma Theriault|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1570490045p2/19616334.jpg] did a magical job with this retelling. Theriault neatly weaves her own story into the "Beauty and the Beast" classic. The writing is eloquent, imaginative, gorgeous, and wholly impressive. The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is because I wish there would be a sequel and I wanted the book to be even longer! However, there is something to be said for an impressive standalone novel, those are pretty rare. Some of my favorite aspects of this novel was Belle and Adam's relationship, the worldbuilding of Aveyon, the incorporation of magic, the diverse characters, and the nods to the Disney classic.
Okay, I have to start with Belle and Adam's relationship. Their dynamic is GOALS! Theriault depicted the couple's relationship exactly as I imagined it would be post-curse. Belle and the Beast are my favorite Disney couple so I had high expectations. Theriault did not disappoint! Adam is so supportive and thoughtful, even when Belle and he don't agree on everything. They balance each other out so well! #couplegoals Also, I loved how Theriault handled worldbuilding in this novel. The castle and the village from the original Disney movie were explored more and in great depth. I could picture every little location clearly in my head. The background of the curse and how magic continued to be present in this novel was another wonderful part of the plot. The scenes between Belle and the enchantress were so intriguing! This book explored so many unexpected aspects of the original "Beauty and the Beast" tale.
The moments that made me emotional was whenever Belle or another character references their past. Belle and Adam deal with their mental health issues post-curse, Belle has a heart-to-heart talk with Mrs. Potts about how to be strong and even LeFou showing up in the last 100 pages was exciting. Speaking of LeFou, I love how his new story turns out; even better than I expected! One final thought: I respect the way Theriault included a diverse cast of characters in this story. One of the new characters we meet is black and gay and beautiful! In this case, the new character comes out and the other characters treat the situation like its no big deal. This was handled so well; their identity was acknowledged and then the character went back to their work and doing what they loved. There are several other new characters with a similar situation, and this was an added bonus to an already magnificent novel.