The world building in this gorgeous period piece just grabs you from the very start. The author paints such vivid portraits of the landscape her characters occupy... and it shows in every branch of candles and plate of nuts and fruit. Just wonderfully done. I loved the romance between Isabelle and Adam. It was a slow burn and took its time in developing, but was all the sweeter for it. I look forward to more books by this author.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.

Please overlook any typos. Learning to use screen reader. ( )

4.25 Stars

Rachel L. Demeter brings to life the fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast with this more traditional, yet dark retelling. Rachel's vibrant prose weaves the story of the Beast and his Beauty, with the castle transforming into ruins before your eyes and the emotions taking hold of you from beginning to end. Unlike other retellings, Beauty of the Beast takes place in a world without fantasy; there are no talking housewares, the Beast is a man badly scarred, and Belle runs from a town that isn't quite as provincial as you'd like to believe.

"Except he didn't save me from the darkness. He brought the darkness."

"The words weren't spoken, yet she heard them all the same: Give me a chance."

Isabelle Rose and Prince Adam are not "simply meant to be," their chemistry is overshadowed with their distrust in the world, Adam is haunted by his nightmarish past and Isabelle does not trust men after far too many run ins with her supposed fiance. Told from their alternating points of view, readers will be delighted to see the story from both perspectives. Both characters had a lot of development through out the novel and I found myself liking each a bit more with every page turn. Their transition from captor/captive to friends to finally lovers was natural, the progression into romance felt real, like Isabelle truly saw Adam for more than his features and his roguish behavior. It is a story of trust and judgement and truly believing that fairy tales are so much more than just those you find in storybooks.

"Winter melted into spring, and along with it, the icicles that had clung to Adam's heart deftly fell away like shackles"

Perfectly timed for the new movie release, Beauty of the Beast will delight historical, fairy tale, and dark romance readers alike. Though lengthy in word count, the classic story comes to life with descriptive details, breathtaking emotion, and a romantic favorite turned just dark enough. The characters are different than you've seen in the past, the history re-written, but the romance is beautiful and captivating. ( )

ARC Review: Beauty of The Beast (Fairy Tale Retellings) by Rachel L. Demeter

What gives Beauty and the Beast the right to be called a classic? Could it be that to this day the story is just as profound as when it was first written? Perhaps, it's the many interpretations of how beauty blossoms out of ugliness and pain. Or is it the hope laid out that even in life's darkest moments, we can endure. Beauty of the Beast captures many of the central elements of this haunting story with more of a dark edge to this fantastical fairy tale. The names may be different, the story more tarnished but the message of acceptance and beauty still resides inside of Ms. Demeter's version of this inspiration tale. ( )

I don't exactly know what to think of this book. I enjoyed it, but it was so....floofily romantic, while also being brutal and slightly scarring. The way some of the scenes were worded made me laugh, but others made me really happy/disgusted/whatever feeling was necessary in that scene.
Don't read this book if you don't want explicit content! I wasn't prepared for that when I began this book, and wow! Okay then!
But overall, I enjoyed this book. A dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast! Yes, please. ( )

This book started off nicely but fell flat around the middle of the book, not really picking up again.

There were too many descriptions, especially unnecessary descriptions - it was jarring. Too many inconsistencies and anachronisms in the story - annoying.

Don't get me wrong, I liked the idea of the retold story, even liked the idea behind the ugliness of the beast, but the execution left me wishing for more. ( )