E. J. Hill
Auteur van Beautiful Beast (Beautiful Queens, #1)
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I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Beautiful Beast is, in a way, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, while still being fresh and presenting new ideas. I loved reading this and I can’t wait for book two!!!
Completed for the 2021 Popsugar Reading Challenge; prompt #36—a book that has fewer than 1000 reviews on Amazon or Goodreads
Beautiful Beast is, in a way, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, while still being fresh and presenting new ideas. I loved reading this and I can’t wait for book two!!!
Completed for the 2021 Popsugar Reading Challenge; prompt #36—a book that has fewer than 1000 reviews on Amazon or Goodreads
When I started the book I was expecting a simple Beauty and The Beast retelling. I definitely got that, but also got so much more. This author took a classic story and twisted it into something new, while still keeping elements of the story that we all know and love.
Once I started reading, I didn't want to stop. I loved all the ways it was different from Beauty and The Beast, but I also liked the connections to the original story it had. Subtle nods to other fairy tales were woven in seamlessly and made the story stand out to me. It gave an air of familiarity allowing me to easily connect to the story. By far, Beautiful Beast is my favorite version of Beauty and the Beast.
The magic system was definitely different than what is per usual for fairy tales. It was well thought out, the author had a clear guideline for how it works. The writing reflects how much she knew about the world, there was a lot of care put into making sure everything made sense and was clear.
The feeling I got while reading this book reminds me of being a child and reading a fairy tale for the first time. You enter into this new land full of possibilities. Everything is new and different, and you sit there in wonder for a second just taking in the world. You are welcomed in, allowing you to get comfortable while around you a story starts to unfold. A feeling like that is one of magic.
Fairy tales are often overlooked. People constantly say they are for children and to stop living in them. I believe that they are necessary. Everyone needs a place where they feel safe and the can explore and allow their imaginations to run wild. Fairy tales give them a safe space and still show allow people to dream, to be creative, even understand reality better. Modern fairy tale retellings try to mold the story into what is perceived as "new" or "more relevant," what's really happening is the wonder and timeless quality of the story is being written out and tainted. They don't spark creativity or imagination, they have been made sterilized. Some of them still make good stories, but they don't have that feeling of wonder, imagination, excitement.
This retelling, however, was able to keep those qualities. It felt like a classic. The language used and the way it was written had an older feel to it. At points it felt a little too prim and proper. Given the story, I think it worked out okay, but I little bit less would have given the story a better flow.
I would love a sequel, I felt like the book ended too soon. There was still elements to the story that I would like to explore more. However, it did end at a great spot. I plan to read more by this author. I hope the qualities of this book are evident in her other stories.
Thank you to the author and BookSirens for allowing me the opportunity to read this book for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review and expressing my own honest opinion.… (meer)
Once I started reading, I didn't want to stop. I loved all the ways it was different from Beauty and The Beast, but I also liked the connections to the original story it had. Subtle nods to other fairy tales were woven in seamlessly and made the story stand out to me. It gave an air of familiarity allowing me to easily connect to the story. By far, Beautiful Beast is my favorite version of Beauty and the Beast.
The magic system was definitely different than what is per usual for fairy tales. It was well thought out, the author had a clear guideline for how it works. The writing reflects how much she knew about the world, there was a lot of care put into making sure everything made sense and was clear.
The feeling I got while reading this book reminds me of being a child and reading a fairy tale for the first time. You enter into this new land full of possibilities. Everything is new and different, and you sit there in wonder for a second just taking in the world. You are welcomed in, allowing you to get comfortable while around you a story starts to unfold. A feeling like that is one of magic.
Fairy tales are often overlooked. People constantly say they are for children and to stop living in them. I believe that they are necessary. Everyone needs a place where they feel safe and the can explore and allow their imaginations to run wild. Fairy tales give them a safe space and still show allow people to dream, to be creative, even understand reality better. Modern fairy tale retellings try to mold the story into what is perceived as "new" or "more relevant," what's really happening is the wonder and timeless quality of the story is being written out and tainted. They don't spark creativity or imagination, they have been made sterilized. Some of them still make good stories, but they don't have that feeling of wonder, imagination, excitement.
This retelling, however, was able to keep those qualities. It felt like a classic. The language used and the way it was written had an older feel to it. At points it felt a little too prim and proper. Given the story, I think it worked out okay, but I little bit less would have given the story a better flow.
I would love a sequel, I felt like the book ended too soon. There was still elements to the story that I would like to explore more. However, it did end at a great spot. I plan to read more by this author. I hope the qualities of this book are evident in her other stories.
Thank you to the author and BookSirens for allowing me the opportunity to read this book for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review and expressing my own honest opinion.… (meer)
It isn't uncommon to hear a book-lover express their love for Beauty and the Beast, which is likely why so many retellings reach out for this story. Despite that, it was the first time I'd seen a retelling where the so-called Beast was the female character of the story, and so I was instantly intrigued.
I did enjoy reading the story... but I will admit that it felt like it took a bit of work to get through. Even though we were treated to both of the main points of view, certain details were left intentionally vague for the reader, while other things weren't properly explained. For example, why did Arawn choose to stay, early on, when he could have left without consequence? He didn't know who his true adversary was, and so he had no real motivation for breaking the curse, as his feelings for Kalista were nothing more than a grudging acknowledgment that she wasn't who he thought she was. His determination to stay and help her didn't quite make sense.
Still, as one who will always be sucked in by the realization of a slowly-built romance, the story and its ties to the fairytale made for an entertaining read. I do wish that the overall conflict had come to some sort of conclusion, but the fade-to-black ending stayed true to its base. Though it isn't a story I'd revisit, I'd certainly recommend it for the read.
I received a free copy of this book from Booksprout and am leaving my honest review voluntarily.… (meer)
I did enjoy reading the story... but I will admit that it felt like it took a bit of work to get through. Even though we were treated to both of the main points of view, certain details were left intentionally vague for the reader, while other things weren't properly explained.
Still, as one who will always be sucked in by the realization of a slowly-built romance, the story and its ties to the fairytale made for an entertaining read. I do wish that the overall conflict had come to some sort of conclusion, but the fade-to-black ending stayed true to its base. Though it isn't a story I'd revisit, I'd certainly recommend it for the read.
I received a free copy of this book from Booksprout and am leaving my honest review voluntarily.… (meer)
Statistieken
- Werken
- 2
- Leden
- 5
- Populariteit
- #1,360,914
- Waardering
- 4.3
- Besprekingen
- 4
- ISBNs
- 1
We’ve all heard of Beauty and the Beast. What if Beauty is the one being cursed?
Beautiful Beast is a sweet and clean retelling that sheds new light on the classic story. A short fairytale that will bring a smile to your face.
As a Beauty and the Beast retellings lover, I’ve always wanted to read a retelling where Beauty is the Beast. Beautiful Beast is a dream come true for me. It follows Kalista, a powerful sorceress, confined in her palace by a wicked spell, destined to die alone if the curse is not broken. Kalista has long given up hope and accepted her death. Then, Arawn shows up, with new information from the outside world and, unfortunately, the intention to kill her.
Somehow, Arawn’s arrival changes everything. Can Kalista break the curse in time?
In many ways, this book reminded me of [b:A Curse So Dark and Lonely|43204703|A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers, #1)|Brigid Kemmerer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574179523l/43204703._SY75_.jpg|50519947]. Both books are loosely based on the fairytale, with many familiar elements and so much more of their own. Both of them are the first book in a series, and you can expect some epic magical wars from their next installments.
One of my favorites about this book is the message of this story. The wicked sorceress, who hates Kalista’s family, believes them to be cold-hearted noblemen and deserved to be beasts. But who is a real Beast? Someone with an ugly appearance? Someone without humanity? Or whoever most people are made to believe? With a delightful story, Beautiful Beast reminds people to look past prejudice and doubt their previous beliefs. By an interesting twist of the classic fairytale, it further reinforces the old saying: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” With so much happening in our society nowadays, this book is a great encouragement and reminder.
Another thing I love about this book is the writing style. The prose is fluent and beautiful, with adequate descriptions of the environment as well as their emotions.
Beautiful and emotional. So perfect.
The author also maintains a good balance between hope and despair and excitement. Even though Kalista’s future is gloomy, I’m able to keep a good mood and want to read more. (In other words, this won’t make you very emotionally invested and cry your heart out at the end.)
Overall, the writing is better than most independently published books and I enjoyed it a lot. The story is told from both Kalista’s and Arawn’s POV. There are a few grammatical mistakes though, but nothing a round of proofreading won’t fix.
Now, we couldn’t talk about a Beauty and the Beast retelling without romance, could we? The relationship between Kalista and Arawn is so sweet and adorable! I love that they develop a solid friendship before it becomes love, so it feels natural and real, despite having few romantic or swoony scenes. I like reading about how they spend time together. How both of them are stubborn and flawed. How they use their abilities and knowledge to help and support (and save!) each other. Kalista is a powerful sorceress herself, not a damsel in distress; Arawn is not magical, yet strong and smart and supporting. They fight each other while trying hard to understand each other.
However, there are still some aspects I wish could be better. For one, the plot isn’t paced well. Some points in the book felt too rush while others too slow. I’d love to see some more background stories of both Arawn and Kalista. Still, the story is filled with enough ups and downs to be interesting. Also, the ending is a bit cliché (It’s a retelling so… yeah, I guess it’s kind of inevitable). Lastly, I wish more efforts were put into character development. The characters seem dumb sometimes. They make classic mistakes while being really smart on other occasions. Kalista and Arawn, although being the main characters, doesn’t have many distinct personalities other than being stubborn. Not all characters are like that, though. The author did a great job with the sidekicks, Pierre and Cedric.
I just love the invisible servants!! Pierre and Cedric, the Lumiere and Cogsworth of this world, have even more distinct personality traits than the main characters. I hope it could be the same with Kalista and Arawn.
All in all, this book was a pretty enjoyable read for me. I’ll be looking forward to the sequel! If you are hungry for a quick, magical read with a hint of romance, Beautiful Beast is a wonderful choice. I believe those who love Beauty and the Beast retellings will also enjoy it.… (meer)