About the Book
Fantasy and reality collide in this retelling of Beauty and the Beast about a young woman’s heroic quest to save herself.
Yes,
I went to the woods to save my father. But I also went hoping I would
be eaten by the Beast. Because I didn’t think anything else could save
me.
Beauty’s life is the stuff of fairy tales. The youngest
in her family, Beauty isn’t trying to catch Stephan’s eye. He is the
lord baron’s heir, well above her family’s modest station, but when he
kisses her hand at a party, Beauty is swept away by his charm, his wit,
and his passionate declarations of love.
Hearts can be untamable
creatures, especially when touched by the fires of first love, and
Beauty doesn’t see the truth of Stephan’s intentions until it is too
late. Until he stops asking for Beauty’s love—and simply takes it from
her one night despite her refusal.
Beauty locks away the secret
of what happened to her, and when her father emerges from the enchanted
forest with a stolen rose in his hand and the tale of a vicious beast on
his breath, Beauty seizes the chance to run as far from Stephan as
possible.
She has some experience with beasts, after all.
Certainly the one in the forest couldn’t be any worse than the one she’s
already encountered.
Breaking the Beast’s curse might be the key
to discovering her own path to healing—and finding the courage to allow
herself to feel reborn. (Goodreads)
RELEASES MAY 9, 2023!
My Thoughts
I love a good Beauty and the Beast retelling as it is my all time favorite fairy tale. I knew ahead of time that this author would probably tie in something to do with sexual abuse in the story line and I am grateful that I knew that before reading. If I hadn't known, I could see it coming as more of a shock. I think it is pretty evident how much we dislike the bad guy in this long time tale and Lowham writes in the difficulty and pain of healing from sexual abuse in a way that makes this story far more meaningful. It is handled well for a young adult story and I thought it added a different layer to why our Beauty is at the castle and stays. So the entire first part of this book I really enjoyed. I loved the magic and the castle and Beauty of course. I did love how the ending was drastically changed from my expectations. So while the ending went quickly I did like the unfolding of the plot at the end. But I really wanted more from these characters and more details of happenings at the castle. I wanted to get to know the Beast better and while I very much appreciate the epilogue I still wanted more from this book. It is a great story that held my attention and had some wonderful additions to the central story line we all love. It is worth reading and I am eager to read more by this author!
Three and a half stars.
"I received this book from Shadow Mountain Publishers for free. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review."
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