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lizzicrystal 's review for:
Rose Daughter
by Robin McKinley
If I had read this before Beauty I might have enjoyed it more, for parts are beautiful and the classic McKinley descriptions shine. But Beauty is a million times better - this telling lacked the chemistry between the Beast and Beauty that she had done so well in her first novel, and missed all the best parts like the magical servants and library. Instead we got lovely, but repetitive scenes of Beauty tending roses in the garden.
I admire authors for bravely re-doing the same thing, or changing the original fable, but it didn't quite work on either account. This was so similar to Beauty, even to recycling several of the lines, and the new parts were buried underneath wordy tangents that went on for pages. Often the writing - especially in the romantic scenes - felt rushed and stale.
At the last she made a change to the story - the Beast stayed a beast, and [b:Beauty and the Beast|41424|Beauty A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast|Robin McKinley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169613617s/41424.jpg|2321285] is too well-known and loved to make such a change - it's just not itself without the last petal falling and the whispered "I love you" and shooting fireworks and transformation.
I admire authors for bravely re-doing the same thing, or changing the original fable, but it didn't quite work on either account. This was so similar to Beauty, even to recycling several of the lines, and the new parts were buried underneath wordy tangents that went on for pages. Often the writing - especially in the romantic scenes - felt rushed and stale.
At the last she made a change to the story - the Beast stayed a beast, and [b:Beauty and the Beast|41424|Beauty A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast|Robin McKinley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169613617s/41424.jpg|2321285] is too well-known and loved to make such a change - it's just not itself without the last petal falling and the whispered "I love you" and shooting fireworks and transformation.