sams84 's review for:

Beautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann

4.0

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Now this is a proper fairy tale, dark, gritty and disturbing with a light and bubbley veneer that makes you believe that all is well until you look a little deeper. The follows Princess Aurora and her friends as they escape the now deceased body of the young girl they were living in and try to survive in the woodland they find themselves in. Quickly they realise that the battle for survival is just that, a battle, as animals behave as nature intended and their own quest for self preservation wins over the need for civility. The warm and fuzzy style of the illustrations emphasises this all the more with its light, bright colours and friendly characters faces hiding the darkness beneath. While it was easy to see where the story would lead it was still very enjoyable and a very refreshing change to the usual of so lovely fairy tales that we have become used to.