a_ab's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was a very pleasant slow-paced character-introspective book. I appreciated the fact that the story followed the classical version of the fairytale pretty closely, eliminating unnecessary surprises and focusing instead on the inner workings of Beast's mind.
The book also avoiding the pitfall of making the first person narrator too positive - even in his own mind, he's far from perfect, but, very realistically, the imperfections he admits to in his mind are not necessarily the ones that matter the most in the situation. This level of psychological realism elevated this retelling into own fully original story despite the predetermined plot.
However, I felt that the book was longer than it needed to be, and at the same time it didn't give us enough of an insight into the relationship building between the characters. Yes, they spent a lot of time together, but most of that time is dedicated to one-sided entertainment (her playing music for him or him reading books out loud to her) and we get very little dialogue between them - they must have had some discussions about the books, the gardens, the castle, the everyday necessities of cohabitation, even in a magical castle. But just like the original, this book skips over all those interactions, even though they must have been more important for the relationship than the few after-dinner marriage proposals we did get to see.
The book also avoiding the pitfall of making the first person narrator too positive - even in his own mind, he's far from perfect, but, very realistically, the imperfections he admits to in his mind are not necessarily the ones that matter the most in the situation. This level of psychological realism elevated this retelling into own fully original story despite the predetermined plot.
However, I felt that the book was longer than it needed to be, and at the same time it didn't give us enough of an insight into the relationship building between the characters. Yes, they spent a lot of time together, but most of that time is dedicated to one-sided entertainment (her playing music for him or him reading books out loud to her) and we get very little dialogue between them - they must have had some discussions about the books, the gardens, the castle, the everyday necessities of cohabitation, even in a magical castle. But just like the original, this book skips over all those interactions, even though they must have been more important for the relationship than the few after-dinner marriage proposals we did get to see.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, and Rape
The descriptions of Beast's father make it very clear that he was a philandering abusive broke l brute, who raped and abused every female in his path, and that Beast's mother died from an STD passed onto her by her despicable husband. It's never described in detail, but even as a third person description, the situation can be very triggering. So much so that I got mad at the fairy for not exacting brutal punishments on that guy instead of the Breast we have. But then, she might have been the one to cause his fairly early death - just not early enough.
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