The Beast's Heart by Leife ShallcrossMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: I requested a review copy via Netgalley
Genre: Fairy-Tale Retelling
Book Description: A luxuriously magical retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in seventeenth-century France--and told from the point of view of the Beast himself.
I am neither monster nor man—yet I am both.
I am the Beast.
He is a broken, wild thing, his heart’s nature exposed by his beastly form. Long ago cursed with a wretched existence, the Beast prowls the dusty hallways of his ruined château with only magical, unseen servants to keep him company—until a weary traveler disturbs his isolation.
Bewitched by the man’s dreams of his beautiful daughter, the Beast devises a plan to lure her to the château. There, Isabeau courageously exchanges her father’s life for her own and agrees to remain with the Beast for a year. But even as their time together weaves its own spell, the Beast finds winning Isabeau’s love is only the first impossible step in breaking free from the curse . . .
My thoughts: I LOVED that this book was told from the Beasts point of view. The book isn't only about his courtship with Isabeau, but he analyzes the events that led up to his cursing. I loved seeing how his life unfolded and understanding what led him to be the cold-hearted person he was. I found it fascinating.
This is not the Disney story. I was grateful that there wasn't a Gaston. Isabeau has two sisters who added a lot of depth to the story. This book isn't about one love story, but three.
If you love a good fairy-tale retelling this book is one that you'll want to read.
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About the Author: Leife Shallcross’s first novel, The Beast’s Heart, a "luxuriously magical retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale", will be published by Hodder & Stoughton in May 2018. She is also the author of several short stories, including Pretty Jennie Greenteeth, which won the 2016 Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Short Story. Leife has a bit of a thing for fairy tales, and is particularly inspired by those characters that tend to fall into the cracks of the usual stories. She can be found online at leifeshallcross.com and on Twitter @leioss
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