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ntembeast's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Honestly, I went into this book and wasn't certain of it at first. It took me a moment to get into the groove of the writing and the voice of the main character, but I've gotta say that this is one of those stories that I got progressively more and more invested in the more I read, and I really started sinking into the flow of the story with real enjoyment as it went along.
I like the fact that the book is written from the Beast's perspective the entire time. I also enjoyed that it's a mixture of both the classic fairy tale of The Beauty and the Beast, and also inspired by the portrayal we see in D*sney's 1991 animated movie. The only critique I can give of the author's inspiration from the latter source is that sometimes the plot points of the book were almost exact replicas, and imagining the classic movie portrayal in my mind made the actual scenes in the book feel a little corny, because you can tell that the author obviously was pulling from the '91 movie as a direct inspiration. To the author's credit, I think I only had two or three moments where this happened through the entire book, so it didn't ruin my enjoyment of the story entirely.
I will also say, the portrayal of the Beast as being a man that was afraid to repeat the mistakes of his father, who was an abusive individual not only towards the Beast's mother, but also to countless other women he took advantage of, was a very, very refreshing touch. It helped to ground the Beast's struggles in a real place, especially towards the end of the book when you would think that all their problems would be getting solved and the Beast would be able to live 'happily ever after' with his loved one. I also adored the more magical take on the Beast as a creature with connection to the forest and castle he lived in, where he had both awareness and influence over spaces entirely outside of his own body and could will things into existence both unconsciously and intentionally. To this point, and the credit of the author, I love that there was even a moment where the Beast realized that his own desires were overriding the desires of Isabeau's (our Belle in this story), and he explicitly told the magic that her comfort was never to be overridden by what he wanted, that her wishes and desires should take precedence over his own. On top of that, seeing how the magic waned and surged depending on the state of both the Beast and Isabeau was fascinating and brought such an atmospheric depth to the struggles they were both enduring, both separately and together.
Lastly, can I just thank the author for making the Fairy queer? I know that seems glib and silly, especially since you go into the book being unsure of the Fairy's intentions and whether or not she's the real villain of the story, but as a fellow queer, I loved the full circle moment that confirmed my suspicions from the beginning of the book were true about the Fairy. It's done so obviously and yet is never said aloud, in the words we use in our real lives, and I lived for it, so so much. It made me absurdly happy that we ended the book on the Fairy in such a way, and it really brings a warmth to me after having just finished it.
Overall, very lovely experience. Took me a little to warm up to it, but I'm so glad I stuck it through and kept going. It's a lovely fairy tale, with full on fantasy and delicious period piece drama, and I adored so much of it. It really kept me engaged the whole way through, and I'm delighted to have picked it up and read it. Definitely give it a go if fairy tale retellings are your cup of tea. It's such a charming tale to enjoy.
I like the fact that the book is written from the Beast's perspective the entire time. I also enjoyed that it's a mixture of both the classic fairy tale of The Beauty and the Beast, and also inspired by the portrayal we see in D*sney's 1991 animated movie. The only critique I can give of the author's inspiration from the latter source is that sometimes the plot points of the book were almost exact replicas, and imagining the classic movie portrayal in my mind made the actual scenes in the book feel a little corny, because you can tell that the author obviously was pulling from the '91 movie as a direct inspiration. To the author's credit, I think I only had two or three moments where this happened through the entire book, so it didn't ruin my enjoyment of the story entirely.
I will also say, the portrayal of the Beast as being a man that was afraid to repeat the mistakes of his father, who was an abusive individual not only towards the Beast's mother, but also to countless other women he took advantage of, was a very, very refreshing touch. It helped to ground the Beast's struggles in a real place, especially towards the end of the book when you would think that all their problems would be getting solved and the Beast would be able to live 'happily ever after' with his loved one. I also adored the more magical take on the Beast as a creature with connection to the forest and castle he lived in, where he had both awareness and influence over spaces entirely outside of his own body and could will things into existence both unconsciously and intentionally. To this point, and the credit of the author, I love that there was even a moment where the Beast realized that his own desires were overriding the desires of Isabeau's (our Belle in this story), and he explicitly told the magic that her comfort was never to be overridden by what he wanted, that her wishes and desires should take precedence over his own. On top of that, seeing how the magic waned and surged depending on the state of both the Beast and Isabeau was fascinating and brought such an atmospheric depth to the struggles they were both enduring, both separately and together.
Lastly, can I just thank the author for making the Fairy queer? I know that seems glib and silly, especially since you go into the book being unsure of the Fairy's intentions and whether or not she's the real villain of the story, but as a fellow queer, I loved the full circle moment that confirmed my suspicions from the beginning of the book were true about the Fairy. It's done so obviously and yet is never said aloud, in the words we use in our real lives, and I lived for it, so so much. It made me absurdly happy that we ended the book on the Fairy in such a way, and it really brings a warmth to me after having just finished it.
Overall, very lovely experience. Took me a little to warm up to it, but I'm so glad I stuck it through and kept going. It's a lovely fairy tale, with full on fantasy and delicious period piece drama, and I adored so much of it. It really kept me engaged the whole way through, and I'm delighted to have picked it up and read it. Definitely give it a go if fairy tale retellings are your cup of tea. It's such a charming tale to enjoy.
alifredson's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
jadehi79's review against another edition
2.0
I received a free Arc of this book from First To Read in exchange for an honest review. This book tells the story of The Beauty and the Beast from the Beast's perspective. The author tries to make the Beast sympathetic, but ultimately fails. The Beast knows that the things he does are wrong, yet he continues to do them. This failure isn't necessarily a failure of the author, but of the overall story itself since it's a retelling. The author does give fairly well written descriptions of magic, the castle grounds, and the overall atmosphere of the story setting. The positives in the writing fail to fully make up for the negatives with the overall story, which again are no real fault of the author. Where the author does fail in the story is that, in it being a retelling, he had the opportunity to adjust the story somewhat to make it fresh and new. Instead it's the same story with abusive plotlines, manipulation, kidnapping, and stalker-like behavior. This story is framed as a romance, but it isn't what romance is or should be. Ultimately, if you are a fan of the original story, you will be a fan of this and if you are not a fan of the original story this retelling probably isn't for you.
appaloosa05's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this quieter Beauty and the Beast tale. The in depth characterization and insights into the motivation behind the Beast's actions made this familiar tale feel new. I didn't always like the Beast or agree with him, but his character was well-written as was Isabeau.
ashyyy's review against another edition
I wanted to like this so badly, but almost nothing has happened after over 100 pages. I just read a book that was not worth my time and I can't sit through another one right now.
lizzsully77's review against another edition
2.0
No big spoilers but I generally like retelling I just found this one very slow and boring, unfortunately this book is making my did not finish file
mnmtbookworm's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
All of the same problems about promoting unhealthy relationships that exist in the Disney version also exsist in this version but this version is deeper and still a great read.
thephdivabooks's review against another edition
4.0
Whimsical and enchanting!
Leife Shallcross’s latest reimagining of the classic storyof Beauty and the Beast is more similar to Beaumont’s 18th century abridgedLa Belle et la Bête than it is the Disneyclassic—which is a total compliment! No offense to Disney, but the classic version of this story really has much more depth and darkness.
Reflection
In The Beast’s Heart,the story is retold from the perspective of The Beast. After spending over 100years trapped in an enchanted and dark forest, with no company but the unseenmagic of his stately home, The Beast longs to meet another soul. But he is confused, he has very little memory of who (if anyone) he was before and whathis curse entails. All he knows is that he is doomed to this body, unable to connect with others due to his appearance.
When he lures Isabeau to this chateau, he never dreamed offalling in love with her. But soon the magic of Isabeau’s kindess and lightseems to outshine even the most fantastic magic in his home. The Beast wantsIsabeau to himself, but he also desperately wants her to be happy. In a heart-warmingtale of healing, heart, and finding happiness, The Beast’s Heart shows a new and fresh perspective on a classictale.
I’m so happy that Leife Shallcross drew so many elementsfrom Beaumont’s version of the story. I’ve always found the complexity of Isabeau(Belle, for you Disney fans) to be related to her family, rather than just herfather. Though they don’t reference the brother’s in this version, she doeshave sisters and they play such an important role in the story.
I loved Claude and Marie. Rather than being one-dimensionalor paling in comparison to the perfect leading lady, Claude and Marie are sofilled with love and have such unique characterization. I would love to read aspinoff about Claude and Marie, and I’m delighted by how much we got to see ofthem!
There is a total YA vibe to this book that really worked. Iread the Beaumont version in high school myself, so this seems like the perfectgenre to place the story in. It crosses the threshold of “ageless”, where I cansee a parent reading this to a child, a young adult finding their own readinginterests, or an adult who loves whimsy enjoying this.
Fantastic work from Leife Shallcross, who is certainly a much-welcomed voice in fiction. Thank you to Berkley for my copy.
Leife Shallcross’s latest reimagining of the classic storyof Beauty and the Beast is more similar to Beaumont’s 18th century abridgedLa Belle et la Bête than it is the Disneyclassic—which is a total compliment! No offense to Disney, but the classic version of this story really has much more depth and darkness.
Reflection
In The Beast’s Heart,the story is retold from the perspective of The Beast. After spending over 100years trapped in an enchanted and dark forest, with no company but the unseenmagic of his stately home, The Beast longs to meet another soul. But he is confused, he has very little memory of who (if anyone) he was before and whathis curse entails. All he knows is that he is doomed to this body, unable to connect with others due to his appearance.
When he lures Isabeau to this chateau, he never dreamed offalling in love with her. But soon the magic of Isabeau’s kindess and lightseems to outshine even the most fantastic magic in his home. The Beast wantsIsabeau to himself, but he also desperately wants her to be happy. In a heart-warmingtale of healing, heart, and finding happiness, The Beast’s Heart shows a new and fresh perspective on a classictale.
I’m so happy that Leife Shallcross drew so many elementsfrom Beaumont’s version of the story. I’ve always found the complexity of Isabeau(Belle, for you Disney fans) to be related to her family, rather than just herfather. Though they don’t reference the brother’s in this version, she doeshave sisters and they play such an important role in the story.
I loved Claude and Marie. Rather than being one-dimensionalor paling in comparison to the perfect leading lady, Claude and Marie are sofilled with love and have such unique characterization. I would love to read aspinoff about Claude and Marie, and I’m delighted by how much we got to see ofthem!
There is a total YA vibe to this book that really worked. Iread the Beaumont version in high school myself, so this seems like the perfectgenre to place the story in. It crosses the threshold of “ageless”, where I cansee a parent reading this to a child, a young adult finding their own readinginterests, or an adult who loves whimsy enjoying this.
Fantastic work from Leife Shallcross, who is certainly a much-welcomed voice in fiction. Thank you to Berkley for my copy.
leilaxx's review against another edition
2.0
This book was a simple retelling of beauty and the beast. Too simple.
Initially, this story was very intriguing, especially when the new character was introduced. I was curious to see how the plot would grow. But unfortunately, we follow a polite, kind girl who lives and accompanies the beasts for a year because she feels terrible about his solitude, and he has given her this bargain. That was it. Most of the plot was them eating together, walking, reading to each other, playing music, eating again, and of course, one-sided pining. If he wasn't paying close attention to Isabeau, the beast was watching the family, and in all honesty, those moments were the most interesting. The side characters had more personality and conversation than these two locked in this castle.
Also felt the beast was slightly too needy and forceful with his emotions, being surprised by the rejection but continuously pursuing it. His lonely state deprived him of any other worldly interaction, specifically with women, so he baited the poor dad to send his youngest daughter. It was hard trying to sympathise with him. Especially when he suddenly realised he was in love out of thin air. It was repetitive, very slow-paced, and, truly, nothing exciting: no significant plot shifts or character development.
Initially, this story was very intriguing, especially when the new character was introduced. I was curious to see how the plot would grow. But unfortunately, we follow a polite, kind girl who lives and accompanies the beasts for a year because she feels terrible about his solitude, and he has given her this bargain. That was it. Most of the plot was them eating together, walking, reading to each other, playing music, eating again, and of course, one-sided pining. If he wasn't paying close attention to Isabeau, the beast was watching the family, and in all honesty, those moments were the most interesting. The side characters had more personality and conversation than these two locked in this castle.
Also felt the beast was slightly too needy and forceful with his emotions, being surprised by the rejection but continuously pursuing it. His lonely state deprived him of any other worldly interaction, specifically with women, so he baited the poor dad to send his youngest daughter. It was hard trying to sympathise with him. Especially when he suddenly realised he was in love out of thin air. It was repetitive, very slow-paced, and, truly, nothing exciting: no significant plot shifts or character development.