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bookwyrmknits's review
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Enjoyable story that combines faeries and a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Minor spoilers follow in this review, but really it's nothing that you won't already know if you know the traditional version of the fairy tale.
I like how there is a reason for Eimear to leave Finn (other than being homesick as is standard in the tale) and also a reason why he's close to death when she returns. Usually I have to roll my eyes at Beauty for her shallow reason for leaving and not returning, and also at Beast for dying of heartbreak with her gone. Neither fits the character personalities well, so I was glad there are real reasons for the actions in this retelling.
Of course, being a retelling there was very little of the plot which I didn't predict. (You can pick up on the fact it's a retelling very early on from the story even if you didn't know it was a retelling before picking up the book.) Most of what I didn't expect happened in Faerie, and that was probably the part I enjoyed the most because it was new. I am curious now what happens with the Unseelie princess, though, and I have to hold out hope that there is some kind of tale there, because I really enjoyed those secondary characters. Actually, I probably liked the whole bit in the Unseelie Court the best, because it did emphasize how the dark fae aren't exactly good but also aren't necessarily evil.
I like how there is a reason for Eimear to leave Finn (other than being homesick as is standard in the tale) and also a reason why he's close to death when she returns. Usually I have to roll my eyes at Beauty for her shallow reason for leaving and not returning, and also at Beast for dying of heartbreak with her gone. Neither fits the character personalities well, so I was glad there are real reasons for the actions in this retelling.
Of course, being a retelling there was very little of the plot which I didn't predict. (You can pick up on the fact it's a retelling very early on from the story even if you didn't know it was a retelling before picking up the book.) Most of what I didn't expect happened in Faerie, and that was probably the part I enjoyed the most because it was new. I am curious now what happens with the Unseelie princess, though, and I have to hold out hope that there is some kind of tale there, because I really enjoyed those secondary characters. Actually, I probably liked the whole bit in the Unseelie Court the best, because it did emphasize how the dark fae aren't exactly good but also aren't necessarily evil.
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