Nettle and Bone Written by T. Kingfisher Book Review by Miranda Moses (Fraser) ISBN: 9781250244048 Oh, my fellow magic lovers, this was such a good book! When I bought it, I thought the description talked about the fae folk. And I was like, "Yes that's very on-brand for Halloween Book Reviews." I was either mistaken or the website was... Either way, it is a story full of magic and fantasy. So it gets to stay in this series! Kingfisher really grabbed my attention with this story from the start. And while it is a short story, less than 250 pages, it is one worth reading. Especially if you enjoy stories that are quest based, filled with impossible tasks, magic, and mythical creatures. The story revolves around a woman named Marra. When this story takes place, she is 30 years old. She is the last born of three princesses. Both sisters she loved, in different ways, and both were married off to the same prince. The oldest dies before having a child and to keep the peace between their kingdoms the second daughter is sent to marry the prince. While they struggle to produce an heir, the parents of the princesses send Marra to live in a convent so that she does not marry and have children before her sister. (No one to fight for the throne, you see.) But when it becomes apparent to Marra that her sister is being abused, she sets out to find a woman with powerful magic. The dust-wife in turn sends Marra on three impossible tasks. The chain of events just tumbles along from there, flowing from start to end. There was no point where I found myself wanting to jump ahead to more action. Since these types of stories are better experienced by the reader I don't want to go into too many of the tasks or missions that happen. BUT seeing as the one is heavily shown on the book cover and the inside printed photo, I figure that's a fun one I can share. Marra's second task given to her is to make a dog of bones. She twists wire and bone to complete this mission and wonderfully her hound of bones comes to life and joins her. I adore her little skeleton dog! That is very Tim Burton energy and THAT is very on-brand for Halloween. Outside of the missions, I can tell you that this book contains: a chicken with a demon in it, godmothers (the magical kind), ghosts, goblins, and more. Loads of magic and spells! In the end, this book reminds me of "The Two Princesses of Bamarre" by Gail Carson Levine. The love of a sister starts a quest that travels across lands, and requires magic, and mythical creatures! I also saw a review of someone calling it a dark version of Quest for Camelot. (Also a good one!) So if fairytales and quest line stories are something you enjoy, I highly suggest checking this book out. And on a personal note, I really enjoyed reading the author's excerpt in the back where she talks about this how this book came to be. She ends it by saying, "I hope your dogs are loyal and goofy and good-natured and that your chickens remain free of demons". And truly that is a fantastic way to tickle your readers. I will be looking into more by this author! Read on my fellow bookworms. May we one day have Belle's library! And as always, links to the author's pages can be found down below.
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The Beast's Heart by Leife Shallcross Book Review by Miranda Moses (Fraser) ISN:978-0-440-00177-5 It really is no secret that Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale of all time. I mean, hell, it was my wedding theme and is about to be my first child's gender reveal party theme. So naturally I eagerly pick up anything that lets me return to the enchanted castle and fall for the Beast all over again. This retelling looked so beautiful and the concept that it was being told from the Beast's point of view was far too exciting for me! So here we are, what did I think of the Beast's heart? To start with, the curse is a little different in this story. In most stories he is left as a beast-man in his enchanted castle with maybe a servant or two to keep him company. In this one he was transformed and lived as a beast, running on all fours, chasing and hunting animals like a wolf, keeping people out of his enchanted forest. It was more years than he could count before the magic called him back to his castle. The castle was falling apart, the grounds decayed or overgrown and even the gates were rusted shut. But there was magic there and it would not allow him to leave again. Despite walking and acting like an animal he began to find parts of his former human life and attempted to regain some of his humanity. He would read and work on walking like a human, and in time would even practice fencing. As he healed himself so did the house return to it's former glory. He was master of this domain and within reason had control of the magic there- allowing him to so such things as alter the gardens into perfect spring weather year round. But the Beast was all alone. Now, at this point in the story the Beast's been alone for over a century. That is a HUGE difference from almost every retelling. I loved that he had to take so long to grow within his curse before it was time to meet his soul mate. One fateful day a sick merchant stumbles upon his enchanted grounds and is saved from the winter's freeze. As the story goes the Beast confronts him and asks him to bring his youngest daughter back to the castle. The merchant says no but of course the stubborn pure-hearted daughter returns in his place and agrees to stay with the Beast for a years time. The Beast sends treasures home to her family who now have to learn to live without the sister who took care of them all. And I loved how they progressed without her. This story wasn't all about Beauty and the Beast, we got to keep up with how her family fared without her. How they as people grew and changed. It reminded me of Robin Mckinley's retelling in this way. But of course the real magic is between the Beast and Isabuea. Consequently, I will not go into too much detail about their lives together. I think that's part of the charm and magic of this story. It's easy to settle in and enjoy the back and forth between a Beauty and a Beast. What I will talk about is how Shallcross returned to several of the original concepts of Beauty and the Beast. For instance the Beast asking for her hand in marriage. While he did not do this EVERY night he did do it regularly throughout their time together. There was also the return of her dreams, in the original version of the story she has nightly dreams that torment her, and this is something I have rarely seen returned in retellings. And finally the magic mirror was returned in such a delightful way. The Beast got to make sure her family was fairing well and help them in any way he could. It added to his humanity and how he cared for Isabuea. In conclusion, this was a story I found myself reading contentedly. It was not an 'edge of your seat page turner' but rather a story I found myself reading leisurely. Enjoying the Beast's details and choice wording. It was fanciful and dripping with emotions and inner turmoil. Like a true diary would be expected to be. There were so many things I loved about this book and how enjoyable it really was. This is also the author's first published book and for that I give her a round of applause! I truly look forward to more of her work. If she can write this fancifully and romantically on this topic, surely she was blessed with a gift. Keep an eye out for her name! Read on my fellow bookworms, may we one day have Belle's library. And as always links to the author's pages can be found down below. Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge
by Lisa Jensen Book Review by: Miranda Moses (Fraser) ISBN: 9780763688806 If you've been with me for any amount of time then you probably know I am a HUGE Beauty and the Beast fan. I've done reviews on so many versions, and you should be able to find all of those under the tab "fairy tales". So, naturally when I saw "BEAST" with it's GORGEOUS cover, I dropped everything else and bought it immediately. I just want to start off by IMMEDIATELY telling you to read this story with an open mind. If you go into this expecting it to be the usual love story, you will find yourself getting frustrated. I also must warn you that the 'prince' is such a vial person and he does such wretchedly evil things that I almost stopped reading it. I couldn't imagine ever wanting him to have a redemption story. I AM glad I continued to read it though. But I just wanted to clear that up right away. My husband was actually laughing because I was complaining about this story and then by the time I finished it I was fawning over the unique twist. Annnnd my love for the author after reading her "Author's Note". Something I normally don't read... The story of Beauty and the Beast has several important characters. The Beast/Prince, the Beauty, her father, the enchantress, and possibly some servants. In this story we keep the servant aspect in the form of a candlestick, named Lucie. Unlike the 'prince', she chose her curse. She was happy to leave behind her human body and keep watch that he receive his punishment fully- hence the revenge in the book title. I loved the way the enchantress came into play in this story and I loved watching Lucie's evolution throughout the story. I also LOVED that the author clearly knows her Beauty and the Beast history. I could pull so many odes to previous versions- particularly Villenueve's. That is the original published version which I read last year and will include the link to it here: the-beauty-and-the-beast.html. What I loved most about this story was that the author also loved the Beast. She gave him a new story and that's the most beautiful thing to me. While it wasn't easy to see the story going down a very different route than I'm used to... I also loved every bit of it. Bring us the Beast! I hope you guys love this story too and come to appreciate the unique happy ending. And please tell me what you thought of it as well! Read on my fellow book worms, may we one day have Belle's library. As always links to the author's pages can be found down below. As Old As Time: A Twisted Tale
Written by Liz Braswell Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN: 978-148470728-9 *Deep Breath* Oh man, Disney once again agreed to a publication of a novel involving their version of Beauty and the Beast. In this TWISTED TALE the question boldly written on the cover was, "What if Belle's mother cursed the beast?" Naturally, I was very intrigued. What would that world be like? And how closely would the author follow the story using this concept? Best place to start is the beginning! The book started off immediately with the opening sequence, only, the person telling the story was clearly the enchantress. And she added things that no one else could possibly know. From there the story goes on to describe a small kingdom where people of magical decent and non-magical decent alike could live in peace. There were always those who hated the magical ones, but life in this little kingdom was different than elsewhere in the world where there was no chance to survive if you were magic. In this town we meet a man named Maurice, no magic to him but a love of inventing. To some, that is very strange, and so what a better place to build his inventions than in such a diverse town? He happily makes himself at home in this town and quickly begins making friends as well. He spends most days with his roommate Alaric and their, odd, friend Frederick and eventually he begins courting the lovely Rosalind. She is as beautiful as she is powerful and loved by, almost, all. The early chapters of the story go back and forth between Maurice and Rosalind courting, getting married, etc. and the beginning of the animated movie. Liz also did a fabulous job making sure to keep the dialogue correct for these chapters. There were added lines to keep the story going and conversations flowing, since the musical numbers are excluded, but past that it was very much the same as the movie. I appreciated this SOOO MUCH. I kept thinking "YES! DISNEY THIS IS THE NEXT ANIMATED BEAUTY AND THE BEAST MOVIE! ***But for the love of God do not make it a computer animated film***". Since I've seen some rotten reviews where people thought the chapters with Maurice and Rosalind were stupid and pointless, I thought I'd clarify something. Even if you don't care about her father's backstory, it was important to have the backstory of the kingdom. It helped answer questions about what their world was like that some enchantress would just come along and curse an eleven year old boy. Simply being a brat isn't a good reason, right? Well this safe little kingdom where diversity was at an all time high starts taking a very dark turn. Magical beings are being attacked, sometimes killed, but mostly they are vanishing without a trace. The King and Queen do not seem to care that their kingdom is falling apart. In fact they have the audacity to ask Rosalind for help when the plague reaches their land, even as they tell her how little they care for her people (the charmantes as they are called). And so you see this backstory is very important and will continue to be so right until the end. Now, I had stated that the story clearly followed the original movie. Well it did, right up until the moment she's in the West Wing. Instead of stopping her the Beast is too late and Belle actually grabs onto the enchanted rose, and it disintegrates in her hand, thus completing the curse. But also revealing to Belle how the curse happened and that it was her own mother who had set it. Up until this point the story very well could have just been information we didn't have from the animated film! Now we've entered an alternative universe where we all get the answer to the question, "what would happen if she'd touched the rose?" Moving on, now that Belle fully knows about the curse and also just solidified it coming to fruition is there a way to undo it? The two begin to work together to uncover the truth of the kingdom and why her mother would have placed the curse. All these years Belle simply believed her mother abandoned them but now she fears something worse has happened to her. What I did enjoy about this new twist on their relationship is it really gave them more reason to get to know the other. They had actual conversations about their lives and who they were, something that if they did it in the film we never saw. Belle tells him about Gaston and even gave a very insightful commentary on how he views Belle, "It wasn't that he overlooked the oddity of the father and daughter; it was more like it was irrelevant compared to Belle's status as the prettiest girl in town. Plus he felt that he could fix her. Make her normal" (38). Honestly, was that not already the problem in the world? Believing people need fixed for being different. Now as their friendship blossomed Belle begins to get signs from her mother, she can't quite understand them but she is definitely trying to warn Belle. She discover that his parents died of the plague, hence answering the question about where the king and queen are, but that the Beast was untouched. Most likely her mother's doing, even the Beast notes that not a child in the castle ever caught the plague. She also finds out that the Prince loved the ride horses and spent a lot of time with his favorite servant, Alaric Potts, the stable-master. YEAH, ALARIC POTTS! (See, I said those earlier chapters were important.) But that Alaric had gone missing some time before the curse and the beast's parents blamed him for treating Alaric too kindly and told him it was his fault Alaric took off and abandoned his job and his family. Add that the pile of mysteries they are trying to solve, because even Mrs. Potts knows that is insane. We also find out that the Beast let all the horses go after the curse occurred, because they were afraid of him and it wasn't fair to them. But we also discover that the Beast fully understands the curse, he knows the enchantress was only trying to stop him from being the type of rulers his parents were. And he admits that his parents were not making the best choices for their kingdom. It was wonderful to get to see this side of the Beast. If you watch and obsess over the film as much as I have, you see it, but it is never really given it's moment to shine. As they start to run out of time the castle begins to sink into the ground and the servants are having a harder time getting around and waking up in the morning. They are becoming sediment items with no life and it terrifies them. They finally come up with a plan to leave the castle and seek help elsewhere. The Beast also fears his own curse, knowing that eventually his inside will be as beastly as his outside, but Belle knows he won't hurt her. There's a scene on page 356 that shows this conversation and honestly I felt it was the first real sign that they had fallen for the other. They go to find help, someone who might know about the curse and how to undo it but stop to see her father first. In the movie she goes home to check on him and finds the villagers trying to take him away, this time he's already missing by the time Belle gets there.... and then things get terribly out of hand. Belle vanishes and the Beast races time to find her and save her before anything happens to her. So now imagine when Belle tried to use the mirror in the movie, she showed them the Beast and hoped it would help, this time a TALKING BEAST attempts to use the mirror to prove to the townsfolk that HE is not the threat! Talk about alternative universe, right?! But will the villagers hear his plea and can they find the answer they need to stop the complete destruction of the Beast's home and servants? In conclusion, I adored this book. This alternative universe as it were. The ending was, different. I felt let down by it because I was expecting and hoping for a different ending than the one I received. It wasn't necessarily a terrible ending mind you, it was just different. But from where I left you (the Beast seeking help from the villagers) everything goes spiraling out of hand and the full truth of everything comes out! I mean, where the Charmantes were going, what the villagers are really like, what happened to Belle's mother, and so much more! I truly loved this novel, I just wish there was more. I don't believe there will be a sequel to any of the Disney Twisted Tales by Liz Braswell, but one can hope! Read on my fellow bookworms! And as always links to the author can be found below. Belle: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast
By Cameron Dokey Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN: 978-1-4814-7966-0 Belle is a short retelling of Beauty and the Beast written from the point of view of Beauty herself. It is a little over 200 pages and can easily be read in one sitting. This is also good for any child that loves to read. Though, I am always hesitant to give a reading age, simply because at 8 I was reading 'White Fang' and 'Black Beauty' with ease. So you'll need to judge by your child's reading abilities at what point you think this book will be good for them, but by the fourth grade I'd say they should be able to read this with ease. Unlike other novels, this one had very little to do with the Beast. The first 100 some pages are all about Beauty and her family. That of course leaves the rest of the fairy tale to be rushed. For someone like me, that's a big disappointment, but I still have to give the novel credit. To begin with, Dokey gave Beauty two older sisters. They were beautiful in an almost night and day sense where Belle found herself to be exceedingly plain and not beautiful at all. The oldest sister having dark hair and blue eyes and the middle sister having golden hair and green eyes. Belle has brown hair, brown eyes, and finds herself to be fine, "In fact, I have a face that is much like the day on which I was born. It contains neither too much of one thing, nor too little of another" (6). The issue of whether she is beautiful or not is so ridiculously over worried that I started to hate the book. I get that looks are important, but from the age of seven on our Beauty is so concerned with her lack of looks and comparing herself to her sisters that she is almost whiny. She even comments on it later saying that it was foolish, but none-the-less there's about a hundred pages of whiny comparisons and complaining about her name. Her father, of course, tells her this is ridiculous and that he sees each of his children as beautiful no matter what, and that maybe one day Belle will see she is beautiful. (Essentially he uses the 'a rose by any other name' mentality to fight her hating her name.) I'd also like to point out that unlike other versions of this story her mother is actually alive throughout the story, so that was definitely different. Aside from that the story is so very much like Robin McKinley's version that I was disappointed. Now, I know Robin McKinley took a lot from the original, it is a retelling after all, but somehow it just lacked a positive view when this novel did it. Essentially, you have two beautiful sisters, a younger sister who sees nothing beautiful about herself and a relatively rich family. When she is in her teens her mother gets angry that she is hiding away and forces her to go to a fancy party. At the party it is discovered that the town believes she is so beautiful that she hides away from everyone's sights. In fact, when she gets ready for the party she argues that her mother only wants her there for contrast so that her sisters look better, but when she sees the dress her mother picks out for her she realizes that in some way her mother thinks she is just as pretty as her sisters. When their family's riches go down the drain and they move to the country all the sisters get to know who they are a little better and form a close relationship because suddenly their looks no longer matter. *eye roll* It should also have been mentioned by now that Belle has a special ability to carve wood. Unlike most novels where she is a bookworm this Belle is a carpenter and has the ability to hold a piece of wood and know in her heart what it wishes to be carved into. A unique take that I rather enjoyed. On the way to the country she hears a legend about the woods. It was about a couple's love being so strong in life and death that where they are buried a special tree, called the Heart Tree grows. If the tree finds you worthy it will drop a branch for you to discover what true love looks like. Of course massive foreshadowing is happening here. When her father goes on a business trip he gets lost in the woods and ends up at the Beast's castle. Instead of the rose, surprise, surprise, the Father comes across the heart tree and a branch drops to his feet clearly intended for Belle. The Beast decides that the daughter it is intended for must come to him in a weeks time because she will be able to show him true love's face, when he himself has never seen it. That's where things get interesting, and of course shoved into the last few chapters. Instead of a nightly proposal he asks her every night to look into his face until the count of five. Every night she tells him no and worries over why she cannot seem to find what lies within the heart tree branch. In place of the mirror, an element we know so well, the lake the heart tree grows by is the mirror. The Beast tells her to look into the lake and it will show her what her heart desires. Of course he sets her free, because he loves her, and when she comes to realize it is love that set her free she quickly returns to him. In the end, this book was different. As I said, it deserves some praise, but it is not one of my favorites by any means. I feel like the heart tree and some of the aspects of the Beast's curse were very original and could have been a very great story. I also felt that the final lesson, that beauty is in the heart not the outer appearance, was well thought out. "For what love truly is, where it truly resides, is in a place that none of us can see" (192). I recommend reading it for yourself and seeing what you think. You may love this retelling and that's okay, that's the wonder of books. Author's links Beauty and the Beast: Lost In A Book
By Jennifer Donnelly Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN:978-148479098-5 This is a Disney Press novel, in other words THIS is Disney's Beauty and the Beast, specifically the new live action versions approved publication. If you watched the animated Beauty and the Beast hopefully you know that there were multiple movies. A Christmas story and then one that included little adventures Belle and the characters went through during her time in the castle. I loved those movies because they added so much more to the relationship between Belle and Beast, it also showed just how long the time frame was between her coming there and when the curse was broken. It was not a quick love story by any means. But I digress, the reason this is so important is because this book should be viewed as one of those mini stories. In Donnelly's novel the story starts where Beast has just given Belle the library and she discovers a magical book that she can literally walk into. I'm getting ahead of myself here, but that's the gist of what you really need to know. First of all, I said this was definitely the live action version's story. Well, besides the cover which has the obvious new library and Emma Watson on it, there are also plenty of changes that give away that this is not the old animated version we know so well. The name changes are the biggest one, for some reason Disney changed Babette's name (the feather duster) and Sultan's name (the footstool dog). I know there were other names that were added or altered, but those are the two that really upset me the most. Though if I'm being fair Babette's name has changed once before, so maybe Disney just can't agree on names. On a positive 'name' topic Belle's village is specifically called by name throughout this novel, and while I don't recall it ever having a name for it before, I love that it is called Villeneuve which is a clear ode to the original author of Beauty and the Beast. Her father's job has changed, they added people in her village, the Beast's attire description was clearly the new live action version, etc. Now, is any of this novel going to play into the actual movie, I highly doubt that, but if you go see it just remember that sometime after being given the library this happens. And while we're on the topic of whether anything from this book will play out in the actual movie, I am very curious to see what they show of the enchantress. For in Donnelly's story there is a very important sub-plot going on between two sisters: Death and Love. They have a bet going on about Beast, and when Belle becomes a part of the picture the stakes get higher and Love and Death are determined to prove that the other is right. Love, obviously believing that the curse will make the Beast the man he should have been and that Belle will be the one who will break the curse. And Death believing that love is foolish and that she will leave him to be forever cursed that way. As interesting as that already is the added element is that the curse AND the enchantress are being credited to Love. So will we see them in the movie? I don't know, but I am excited to find out! Belle is obviously not thrilled to be in the castle. Her entire life has been changed and her father is no longer a part of her life. The worst part for her is not knowing why. She keeps trying to discover how one rose (they apparently brought back the act of her father taking a rose for her) could have cost them all this. She and the Beast are just barely making amends and moving towards their friendship, remember this is a slow story, and while the servants are always kind and helpful she still longs for more. When the Beast gives her the library it is a huge step in the right direction, we see that even in the animated version. Belle is delighted and spends most of her time there. We see a lot of character development between her and the beast, though slow, in this novel. She tries very hard to get through his rough exterior, even attempting to liken him to one of the old fables: Androcles and the Lion. I also feel I should mention that the Beast has a more complex character in this version and that is something I greatly appreciate. He tells her, " I like books better than mirrors. Mirrors only show us what we are. Books show us what we can be". There is a lot of symbolism playing out in this novel! For the most part the biggest aspect of the story is the enchanted book Belle ends up with. Beast warns her that there are some books in the library that may be enchanted and thus give her a hard time, so she's not too surprised when she discovers a book that she can walk inside. Once in the story, she comes to know is titled Nevermore, and in it practically anything she wants can happen. She meets a woman who calls herself a Contess and the author of the story and with each trip back to the book she promises Belle more and more things enticing her to never leave. Of course, spoiler alert, the woman is Death. Death hates to lose and so she is playing more of a trick than a direct cheat. If Belle indeed retires herself in the pages of the book she will nevermore be able to leave, her death will be sealed, but so will the Beast’s. It's a wicked game and Belle is falling for it. But as the biggest lesson from Beauty and the Beast goes, do not be deceived by appearances. Is it worth giving up the rights to your own story to believe what someone else is writing for you? As Belle slowly comes to terms with how her adventure is going she also must face the growing truth that the Beast is not the brutish monster she thinks he is. In conclusion, this was a very good book. I give it praise for being an excellent story within a story. I have little to complain about, but I also will say that my excitement for this story was not what it usually was. Now, that is not to say that I did not enjoy it or eagerly read through it, because I finished it in four hours. But the edge of my seat that I found myself on was different than it has been for other novels. I was just as eagerly entranced in seeing how things would play out, but perhaps knowing that Beauty and the Beast always ends happily made me less nervous to see the ending? I'm not sure, but I do recommend it, especially if you love Beauty and the Beast! And as always links to the author are down below! Cruel Beauty
By Rosamund Hodge Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN: 978-0-06-222473-6 Once again, I feel like I had reviewed this novel before... but I can find no trace of it. So I must have just blabbed about it to everyone I personally know. I KNOW for a fact that I got my (future) Mother-In-Law to read it the first time I read it, so I am very persuasive and I hope I can convince someone else to go pick up a copy of this novel! As you know from this series of book reviews I've been doing that I adamantly love the story of Beauty and the Beast. It is my favorite fairy tale of all time. THIS ONE is literally one of the BEST versions of it I have ever come across. Hodge incorporates wonderful elements of Greek mythology to write a nail biting version of a classic fairy tale. To begin with, Beauty and the Beast is traditionally a French fairy tale, but this version takes place in a land called Arcadia which is in Greece. Knowing that, it is not surprising that Hodge incorporated Greek mythology into her story. In fact famous names like Persephone, Pandora, and Zeus are specifically named throughout the novel. And if you're anything like me and LOVE Greek Mythology then you will find yourself drawn into this novel so quickly! In this novel Nyx, our Beauty, is a twin, so the author also incorporated the element of Beauty having at least one sibling. But unlike the other novels, this is a very different type of sibling relationships, in other stories our beauty is kind and perfect and her sister is selfish and cruel, but in this version our beauty is, the less-loved of the two daughters, mostly because she does not look like her (dead) mother, and the other sister has always been babied and adored. Our Beauty actually has a jealousy for the difference in their relationships with their father, so much so that she worries that she hates her more than she loves her sister. In this novel her father, Leonidas Triskelion, is the leader of the Resurgandi which is a Hermeticism group specifically focused on taking down the Gentle Lord. Aka the Lord of Tricks and controller of demons. He made a deal with this demon, yes, the one whom he is sworn to destroy, that he would give him one of his daughters as a wife on their seventeenth birthday in exchange for allowing him and his wife to have children. Of course we all know that deals with demons never go as planned and while she had the two girls he was promised she was unable to carry the babies with good health and died shortly after having them. He spent the next seventeen years training Nyx to learn all the ways of the Resurgandi so that she may go to him and destroy him and his home from the inside out. Essentially, he was sacrificing his daughter, for no one knew for sure if this would work. Now, the Gentle Lord, I'm sure you've guessed, is our story's Beast. I think one of the things I loved so much about this take on the story is that there aren't two acts in between when the story starts and they actually meet. So the whole novel is their Beauty and the Beast story, and what a unique one to boot. One where the father purposely bargains her away, she is sent there to destroy her husband, and he is not just any monster but a demon lord. It's so good and so exciting! Now Ignifex, for that is what he is called, is described as a 'sweet faced calamity', ink black hair, high cheek bones, and crimson red eyes with cat slit pupils. He has a shadow that looks almost exactly like him, but less harsh features in comparison as well as ridiculously blue eyes. He is called Shade and is sworn to do his master's bidding. Unlike in other stories this 'beast' has had several wives, all of whom he says died rather early into the marriage but he hopes Nyx will be different. She is defiant and fights him at every turn, but he does not hurt her or attack her, in fact, he likes that she is not a scared puppet. I suppose it is important to mention why the Gentle Lord is so hated by all. He is considered to be a liar because all the deals he does end terribly for those who make them. Arcadia has been sundered from the rest of the world and so they only know their small land for the last 900 years. And when I say that they were sundered I mean, literally you cannot travel past a certain point without immediate death and there is no blue sky, only a parchment dome. They believe the Gentle Lord killed the last prince and now rules his castle. And demons attack humans and either kill them or drive them mad, and since he is believed to control all demons, he must be sending them despite the people's tithes to him. So now that you know why he's so hated let's discuss what the Resurgandi believes Nyx can do to end his reign. The Resurgandi reminds me a lot of alchemy and the importance they place on balance with the elements. They believe that in the Gentle Lords home there are four hearts: air, fire, water, and Earth. And if she is careful and able to do a hermetic sigil over each one it would in theory collapse his home and kill him. But the hearts will be disguised and she will need to find them all first to do this. In the meantime, she discovers many things about the house and her husband. Here's where I want to discuss classic elements of Beauty and the Beast and how they are fitted into this novel. Instead of a nightly proposal Nyx is given the opportunity to guess his real name and if she gets it right, he is free of his masters (oh yeah, he's not the big bad boss everyone thought he was!) and if she guesses wrong she dies. Needless to say she refuses to guess his name. Shade comes alive at night and is able to separate from Ignifex and roam the house. He becomes an ally of Nyx and in this sense becomes the 'dream' version of the Beast from the original novel. In her search for the hearts she finds a room with a mirror that is a door she cannot unlock. But she discovers that she is able to see her family through this door and so spends many days checking on her sister. There is a library where she does as much research as she can but most of the books have been censured by The Gentle Lords rulers and so pages are burned through. And when the time comes that he allows her to go home to see her family, he gives her his ring so that she can use his powers to go from place to place. This is also a classic element of the original novel as he gives her a ring she need only spin to return to his home. I really enjoyed the way the classic elements were present in this version. Equally important to why I adore this novel is not so much the way she incorporated the elements, but rather how she developed the characters. For once Beauty is not a selfless person. She is in an inner battle of wanting to be loved and have what she wants for once in her life, and being a dutiful person and fulfilling what everyone else wants of her. Ignifex tells her at the very beginning that he likes a wife with malice in her heart. They started as enemies, she hated everything about him, was repulsed by the very thought of him, but slowly became attracted to him in every way. The more she learned of him the more she loved him. And in return he did as well, he only took wives because he was told to but with Nyx there is more to her and her presence. He tells her, "You lie to me, but not to yourself. That's why I love you". He sees the darkness inside Nyx, the hatred she has accumulated for her unfair life, he sees that just like everyone else she wants happiness but she does not think she deserves it. He loves that she is complex and deep and completely human. And I adore that relationship. The way they fell for the other, the way he protects her and things start to go wrong and they begin desperately to seek out the answer. But their love is also very complex, "Then he pulled me into his arms. 'I still might kill you', I told him, much later. He traced a finger along my skin. 'Who wouldn't?'" (237). I honestly feel that their active cat and mouse, the mysteries she slowly unravels, the betrayals and the myths that are woven so intricately together make this novel so wonderful. Finally, I said that I had read this novel before, and I had, but I have to say I loved it even more the second time through. I think I appreciated it more as well. The first time through I enjoyed it, but I complained bitterly about the ending feeling rushed, and it does, but the second time I read it, I think it made more sense to me and it upset me less. So brace yourselves when you get to the ending, because once you actually unravel the cause of the curse and the cost of undoing it you're going to sit there going, "WHAT?!" for a few minutes. It's alright, the ending is still happy, I promise. I loved this so much because I felt so much for the characters as the story progresses. I found myself falling for this demon lord, myself and still wish there was a sequel to this novel. The next best thing however is that Rosamund Hodge wrote a novel called "Crimson Bound" which is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood and I look forward to reading that when my Beauty and the Beast Book Review Series is over. Read on my book worms and as always links to the author's pages are listen below. The Beauty and the Beast
By Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot De Villeneuve Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN:978-0-06-245621-2 It is so very exciting to be holding in my hands the novel that is considered to be the original version of Beauty and the Beast. All the other novels and stories are based from this woman's work. But I would like to take a moment to be as historically accurate as I can be. Almost all fairy tales can be traced back to thousands of years ago and so the idea for this novel probably came from some spoken tale that the author heard. Will anyone ever know for certain where this fairy tale started? Probably not, but we know who wrote the first published version of it. However, most people are confused and believe that the woman, Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, who re-wrote it, after Villeneuve's death is the original author. Hopefully that clears up any confusion and upset that I've heard over saying Villeneuve's is the original author. I would like to get my hands on Beaumont's version because I have a feeling it is the one we all know closest to the picture book story I have talked about throughout my Beauty and the Beast book review series. But that is for another day! First of all, this book was written in the 1700's and published in 1740. So the first thing I should warn any potential readers of is the language difference. If you have trouble with classical novels and older dialect than you may not enjoy reading this story. Here's an example of a sentence directly from the book, "For some time they flattered themselves that, when their father's intention became known, their lovers, who had hitherto sued in vain, would be only too happy to find they were inclined to listen to them." (14). If you're good with that, then the rest of the book should be fine. I have met a lot of readers who can't concentrate when reading old dialogue so I felt it only fair to warn people about that. Also with the dialogue difference you need to remember the time of this novel being written was a vastly different time from that which we currently live in, so some words may have a different meaning than you're familiar with. Personally, I think that's why I enjoy older novels so much, because there is a wonder in learning. If you don't recognize something, or you think it was used strangely, open up google and find out something new! Books can teach us all sorts of things, even if they're not 'educational'. Also going along with the time frame in which this novel was written, subplots and interconnected stories were a very popular writing style. For that reason, I want to get into the actual story! I have to say that the beginning is sooo very close to that of Robin McKinley's version that I have to tip my hat to her for really researching her rewrite! In this, we have a wealthy merchant whose fortune takes an unfortunate turn and he finds himself quite poor. However, unlike other versions instead of three children, he has twelve. Yes, twelve. Six girls and six boys, Beauty is the youngest child. So he finds himself very poor and his children, particularly his daughters, distraught by this new way of life. His sons take to working the land and taking care of the family while in comparison his daughters mope about all that they have lost. All except for Beauty who is more determined than ever to raise everyone's spirits and make their new life easier. Her sister's dislike her very much, having a jealousy of her so strong that it's a borderline hatred. This is more the vision of her sisters that I remember as a child. Inevitably, their father goes on a business trip and asks each of his children what they would like. The daughters, all expecting this trip to be favorable with wealth, demand jewels, dresses, and finery. Beauty insists that she wants nothing but his safe return, and while this touches her father, her sister's grows angry at her. So her father persuades her to pick something, she finally tells him she would love a rose as she had not seen one since they left the city. After an unfavorable business meeting and a terrible journey through the snow the man finds himself in a castle where his every need is seen to. Upon leaving the castle, he takes a rose to give to his daughter and thus he meets the Beast. A bargain is struck that the man should come back to him in a month’s time or bring a daughter to the Beast at that time. The man refuses to give up a child to save himself, but upon returning home, he tells them all the tale of what happened to him. Beauty insists that she goes in her father's place as it was her gift that caused this. It should also be said that she is the only child, aside from his sons (but the Beast insisted on a daughter) who loved him enough to die for him. For the sisters all believed that the Beast meant only to devour her. Now, the story goes that Beauty goes to stay with the Beast in place of her father, and is surprised that he does not eat her. Though she is honestly repulsed by his appearance, she faces him and dines with him every night. She quickly learns that he is no danger to her and that he loves her. As the typical story goes every night he asks her to marry him, and every night she says no. WHAT'S NOT TYPICAL, and I found this amazing, is that she discovers galleries with birds and even monkey servants! In every other version they act as if all animals flee from the kingdom due to the Beast's existence. Perhaps in this version they are enchanted to be there for Beauty's sake, but none-the-less what a change! On top of that the castle also has gardens, riches and paintings, a large library, and a room of many mirrors. What's interesting about these mirrors is that instead of seeing yourself in them, you look through them as if looking into a TV screen. Each mirror had a different purpose, to name a few: one was an opera, one was a fair, one was a great theater where performances were put on. The castle surely had a rich amount of entertainments for the young beauty. And then each night since coming to the castle, she dreams of a handsome lad who whispers sweet nothings in her ear and promises her a world of happiness. She fell in love with the dream man and so became more and more confused by the Beast's constant proposals. Though she fell for the dream man she had not forgotten the warning in all of her dreams to not be deceived by appearances. Of course we all know how the story goes, eventually the Beast sets her free, with the promise to return, and when she does she finds him at death's door. So when this occurs, we are half way through the novel and there's about a hundred pages left. Too long of an ending for the story we all know. In this the subplots emerge and the backstories of both Beast and Beauty are revealed as well as new characters. What I found so interesting was the inclusion of so many fairies. In the story we all know he is cursed for some reason or another and left in the castle until someone can love him the way he is. It's supposed to be a lesson, but in Villeneuve's original version it was less of a lesson and more of a cruel act of an evil character who did it out of spite. A character who you learn has been wickedly causing problems in other's lives as well. We also find out that Beauty is not the daughter of the merchant she loves so dearly, but the daughter of a King and a Fairy. And on top of all that the reason the Beast's castle is so enchanted and so many things run their course, so smoothly is because a third fairy has been helping him. The ending is a mass of subplots and crazy information, she even explains why the Beast is 'savage', which was meant in this time period to mean 'stupid', and why he could hold only the simplest conversations. Of course, it's a fairy tale and the law of those is that there is always a happy ending. In conclusion, it was quite an interesting turn of events to learn of both characters family's and heritage. The work of the good fairy helping it all be possible, it's basically like looking behind the scenes at who is actually pulling the strings to make it all work out exactly as we have come to know. It makes sense to me why so many versions have cut the ending though. As the time periods progressed and authors like Beaumont rewrote it, they simplified it to represent less of the monarchies, which had been loosing their power, and also to focus it on the main character's romance rather than sub plotting a bunch mini romances. I think it was worth the read and gives a little insight into where the common traits of all the novels such as: the animals, the servants, the mirrors, the roses, etc., come from Each author tells it a little differently being careful to leave enough of the classic novel for their readers. As this author has been dead for more than a century I cannot exactly link you to her profiles, but a quick google search of her will bring up other works she's famous for as well as some bits about her personal life, though honestly there isn't much to go on. Roses
By G.R. Mannering Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN: 9781620879887 Oh. My. Goodness. This book was strange from the very beginning. And I don't mean that in a bad way. Let me just clarify that Mannering has written the most unique take on Beauty and the Beast that I have ever read! And while she made it her own story (one I discovered is sort of a series) I did not fail to notice the similarities that almost all these stories hold dear. In most versions of this story magic is fairly uncommon, only talked about in fairy tales, that is until Beauty finds her Beast and his enchanted castle. However in this world Magic is prevalent and magical beings are looked down on and attacked by non-magical beings. Years ago there was a war in which the Magic Bloods won, but some would say the war was never really over. So where does a Beauty and a Beast fit into all this? Let's start with Part One. The story starts off with the birth of an unusual looking baby. In fact, she is so unusual that the nurse and doctor find her hideous and wish to be rid of her immediately. Her mother vanishes after giving birth to her and she is left orphaned upon the doorstep of a woman who holds the same family crest as was left with the baby. The House of Rose. Now, before I get too far ahead of myself let's back up and discuss why Beauty is so different from other versions. She is born with pale silver skin, violet eyes, and white hair. Yeah. Not exactly the version of Beauty we're all used to seeing *cough* Disney *cough*. So everyone fears this child to be a demon of some sort but regardless all believe she is of magical decent somewhere in her bloodline. Everyone is cruel to this little girl, her keeper, her nanny, the maids in the mansion, etc. She eventually is presented to society as a charity act, a street-walkers child, and nothing special, just strange looking. People come to gawk and stare at her as if she is a circus act. And while Ma Dane, the woman's whose doorstep Beauty is left upon, keeps her fed and alive, she is not permitted to leave the grounds, get an education, play with Ma Dane's child, or have any life really. And by the end of Part One Beauty has been given her name as a taunt and she is sent away BUT NOT before finding out that Ma Dane is her aunt. Her own flesh and blood treated her so awful her entire life. What I do have to say is that after reading the ORIGINAL Beauty and the Beast (review on that can be found under 'Fairy Tales' as well) having Beauty appear as a magical being is even more clever since the original states that she is the daughter of a fairy. Now, Part Two only goes slightly better. I say Part One was sickening because I hated how she was treated. But Part One was also fascinating because it really helped lay the groundwork for a woman in need of true companionship the same way the Beast is. Beauty is sent away with the only servant who ever treated her kindly. He adopts her as his own and vows to protect her. Owaine is a horse trainer and from a land quite far from where Beauty was raised. He takes her to the Hillands to be a part of his village, but not much is different there. The townsfolk are unwelcoming and scream that she is a devil sent to walk among them, her 'father's' daughter hates her and treats her with damning cruelty day in and day out, and even when Beauty proves herself to be helpful to the village she is kept at arms length. This is where the author begins to really incorporate classic details from other Beauty and the Beast stories. Beauty is loved dearly by her 'father' and unlike her sister she does not ask for lavished possessions and so he would give her anything. Now in Part Two we also get to meet our story's, '"Gaston", if you will. Not all of these stories incorporate a bad guy, as it is generally implied the father is bad for giving her away, or the beast is the villain for taking her, but in some there is a man who wants her hand in marriage whether she is willing to give it or not. In this case you've already met him in Part One but now he is grown and far crueler than anyone might have suspected. When Beauty's father leaves on a business trip he brings her back a rose. Of course, as all stories go, this rose will cost him his life. And so Beauty rushes to find the keeper of the roses and beg for her father's life. Consequently this is where Part Three of the story begins and so does our Beauty and the Beast. She agrees to take her father's place and stay in the castle forever, the Beast not being used to visitors has trouble adjusting to her company and constant questions, and unsurprisingly his temper scares her greatly. Unlike in other versions the Beast insists that he controls nothing in the castle and is as much as a prisoner there as anyone else. There are also magical servants included in this version though they are seen as ghostly outlines that move about preparing things and guiding her around. And as Beauty was never permitted to read, the library is useless to her. But the Beast, trying hard to show her he cares takes on the task of teaching her to read and write and thus they spend their days bonding together, getting to know the other. In the end the Beast will always sacrifice everything for Beauty, for he loves her, and she must either leave him to die or save him. Interestingly enough the author also has a great prophecy written for our unique Beauty. She has the gift of sight, something members of House Rose seem to have. And thus when she dreams something it comes true. I also enjoyed this addition to the story as the original has Beauty dream of her prince every night. It's fascinating how dreams were such an important element in Beauty and the Beast and yet this is the only author I've discovered so far to keep that detail in some way. Later in this story she discovers that her birth-father is a sorcerer and she is supposed to be able to wield a magic that will lead and save the Magic Bloods in the new war. The Beast's curse and the importance of the roses is also extremely interesting. I really enjoyed the new take on an old classic. There is so much more to be talked about and plot twists to unravel but then, there is more to be read. As I said this book appears to be sort of a series. What I do not know is if it is a completed one or if there is another book yet to come out. If you look it up it says, "The Tales Trilogy #1", there is a #2 that is also written, but not a third. However there is a #1.5 so I am not sure if that is supposed to be counted in as the trilogy or not. If I find the answer to that I will be sure to update it! In the meantime I suggest looking for this book and giving it a shot. As I said Part One is a little gloomy because of how Beauty is treated but it also serves it's purpose as far as who Beauty is to become. As always the links to the author's pages will be listed below! Beastly
by Alex Flinn Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN: 978-0-06-087418-6 Well, I thought I had reviewed this novel before but I cannot seem to find it. Perhaps it's just that I have told everyone I know to read it AND NOT TO WATCH THE RUBBISH MOVIE VERSION OF IT. I mean I know all bookworms say that, we tell people read the book because the movie leaves so much out.... but seriously. The movie changed SOOOO MANY IMPORTANT DETAILS THAT IT IS DEPLORABLE! So now that that little rant is out of the way. Let's discuss the work of art that is Alex Flinn's Beastly. When Flinn started working on this fairy tale she asked herself how Beauty and the Beast would take place in modern day while still focusing on how she viewed the romance between the characters which is, "So the romance is really the story of how two abandoned teens find each other" (303) So now, we're going to look at the modern day aspect of this. The Beast is always a prince first, so what would modern day royalty be considered? Well Kyle Kingsbury is the handsome and popular son of a rich and famous TV personality. As typical of most popular and rich charter school characters, he is very vain and selfish, as well as cruel and mean to everyone around him, essentially getting high off of other's pain. In fact when the witch of the story does finally decide to place the curse on him she lists off various cruelties he had cast on others even going all the way back to when he was in second grade. The final nail in his coffin was the night of the school dance, he stood up an 'odd' 'goth' girl who turned out to be the witch. She tells him, "I didn't get my feeling hurt because I knew you'd blow me off, Kyle, knew you were cruel and ruthless and that, given the opportunity, you would hurt someone... just to show you could" (37). I mean, wow. So as you can see Flinn's Beast had it coming. But surely with modern day technology plastic surgery and medicine can change him back from a hairy monster with claws and fangs? No, magic is magic. Realizing he is stuck this way his father hides him away with a cook/maid, a computer, a tutor for his schooling, and a credit card. He can buy whatever he pleases but no one is to know of him. He is abandoned by his only family. But the Beast finds a chat room for fairy tale creatures, all cursed or dealing with spells, to help him cope with his own curse. And those cute little screen shots are posted throughout the novel. It was an adorable modern day touch that I thought was so brilliantly unique. Now, as mentioned before Kyle has always been a cruel selfish child, though his father made him that way by raising him to only care about shallow things. Here he is, sixteen, alone, and convinced that no one can ever love him. He discovers a mirror in his room that the witch had left him, in it he can see a reflection of what he looked like post-curse, talk to the witch, and also see anyone or anywhere that he pleases. This will come in handy soon. He begins to grow on the inside, takes his studies more seriously and lets in his maid and tutor. His tutor even inspires him to build a greenhouse and grow roses. Another classic element, no? But one night someone breaks into the greenhouse, attempting to rob the place, and Kyle in his beastly temper threatens to kill the man. The man, selfish, sick, and drug obsessed offers his daughter to the Beast. Even saying, "you want a girlfriend?" Kyle uses the mirror to see if the man is lying but also to make a point that he will find the man anywhere as long as he has the mirror. In a week the man brings his daughter, Lindy to the Beast's mansion and those begins THIS story of Beauty and the Beast. She of course is furious, see's this as a kidnapping, and it takes a while for them to bond. True to the story many months pass as they get to know each other and fall for the other. It is mentioned that Lindy has other sisters out there in the world, another classic element to the story. But Lindy is considered average in looks, her teeth aren't perfect, and she's not the stereotypical prom queen look. She is very focused on her books and education as she knows it's her best shot at a better life. But the new Kyle doesn't care that she doesn't look perfect because she makes him happy, she inspires him, and he is drawn to her. Even putting aside the need to break the curse, there is something about her that gets Kyle. True to every Beauty and the Beast, no matter how beautiful or ugly she is, she is the one to sooth his soul. They need the other. In this version he lets her go and she promises to return, but never does. Unlike in other versions where she returns and the curse has taken such a dreadful turn on him that Beauty finds him half dead, the dramatic 'ending' for our Beast is a rescue mission. Annnnd from there I can't really tell you what happens. I can tell you that is gets REALLY good and it honestly is worth the read. As always, links to the author are down below. |
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October 2022
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