A review by reynoldsreads
Belle: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Cameron Dokey

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

This one pretty closely follows the plot of the original Beauty and the Beast, with the most notable difference being the addition of Belle’s woodcarving hobby that she picked up from her father. When she goes to live with the Beast at his enchanted estate, she encounters the legendary Heartwood Tree which, when carved, will reveal the face of one’s true love. The Beast insists she take on the task, believing that it will help him break his curse.

I felt like it had a lot of good potential that it just didn’t deliver on. The beginning seemed to be setting up an exploration of what true beauty is, but that theme was dropped by the time the curse broke. There were also a few other themes and character studies that were introduced and would have been really interesting if they had been followed through, but they weren’t, or at least not to the extent I would have liked to see.

Overall, still a nice story and a decent retelling, but with the potential to be amazing if the author had delved a bit deeper.