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Community comment are the opinions of contributing users. These comment do not represent the opinions of West Vancouver Memorial Library.
Jan 26, 2018RebelBelle13 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I'm a total sucker for Beauty and the Beast retellings. It is my favorite fairy tale, and always has been. If any book is billed as similar, I'm in. This one is a little different than the others, in the sense that Beauty (Yeva) is strong, independent, and a very talented hunter. She initially meets the beast by hunting him with the intent to kill him for the death of her father. She is the most strong-willed Beauty that I've come across, Feyre (from ACOTAR) included. The Beast is approached differently as well- he's centuries old, and has a duality about him- both man and beast, vying for the same body. The other glaring difference is the pacing. Good lord, the pacing. It's possible that we're spoiled with two hour versions of this story, and that's why it seemed like this book just dragged every. Single. Thing. Out. Like William Shatner reciting Rocket Man. To say the romance is a slow burn is a bit of an understatement. It's really her that's holding back- the Beast falls in love with Yeva much sooner than she even realizes she has feelings for him at all other than unbridled rage. That part was exceedingly frustrating. When she leaves him (really, no spoiler here, because if you know even the Disney version, she does this) she does so for WEEKS. And you feel it. Maybe it's because you're waiting for the story to come to its inevitable end, but actually felt myself saying out loud, "Get on with it." I also think Spooner, in an effort to set her tale apart, jammed way too many things in here- Russian folklore, and the fact that Beauty had to actually go on a quest at the end, and go through three trials. She tells the Beast the same Russian folk tale TWICE. In great detail. I'm wondering if she was shooting for a specific word count. I understand it was paralleling hers and the Beast's journey, and "Oh, look at the similarities! I'm such a fabulous writer!" We get it. You don't need to beat me upside the head with Ivan's tale. It's time for the good things. The ending. My favorite part of any Beauty and the Beast retelling. I must have listened to the last ten minutes of the audiobook 3 times. Well done, and THANK YOU for the epilogue, Miss Spooner. Also, the excerpts written from the Beast's point of view were a fantastic addition. His duality, his animal and human battling, was beautifully done- and I fell for him long before Yeva did. Without spoiling anything, the whole Firebird metaphor. Yeva's faithful dog, Doe Eyes. The Beast's magical forest, where every animal had its own music. All these things kept me listening and held me at rapt attention, even if the story dragged. If you're a huge fan of BatB retellings, I would recommend this to you. If not, I might give this a pass. It's the pure love of the tale and the characters that leads me to give this a 4. Call me biased.