Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay Published by Delacorte Press on 2013
Genres: Adaptations, Fairy Tales & Folklore, Fantasy & Magic, General, Love & Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 391
Read it as: eBook
Source: Purchased
My rating:
Check it out in Goodreads
Synopsis
In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret... In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city's vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds. Isra wants to help the city's Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan's enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe. As secrets are revealed and Isra's sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love.
Why did I enjoy it so much, and why should you read it too?
At first, what drew my attention was the cover, and then, the fact that it is a the Beauty and the Beast retelling. I hadn’t read many retellings so I gave it a shot. The book totally knocked my expectations to the ground and practically told me: See, everything you thought I’d be, *tsk tsk* I’m so much better than that. See ‘Belle’? She’s not how you think she is. See ‘Beast’? Wrong again.
Besides the beautiful storytelling, the author here does a fantastic job of a retelling, taking the main theme of the original story, and shifting it to give us something new, but at the same time, familiar. The ‘The beauty is in the inside’ theme takes a whole new level in this work and I’m sure you won’t want to miss out on it.
Isra and Gem are people. Each of them have their own motivations and their love isn’t instantaneous. It slowly builds until you can’t take it anymore and are practically begging for them to kiss already.
There’s a lot of symbolysm and the fairytale’s dark atmosphere hooked me right off the bat. And the plot twist? *wink* Better to stop before I just pass out.
Wow, I the first thing I noticed when I clicked this review was the drop dead gorgeous cover. Just wow. Then I noticed that the book is awesome, then that it’s a retelling. After the review I know I just have to read this. Right onto my ever huge TBR it goes!
Check out my review and giveaway: http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2014/09/fountain-of-earth-book-review-giveaway.html