lexee9's review
3.0
I enjoyed this story. It was a fun and entertaining read for the most part. This was a little bit of a different take on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. I liked the idea of the twist. The characters were good and I loved that Belle wanted to be trained to be a fighter and protector. The story fell a little short on her actually participating in that aspect of things though. I kept wanted and hoping for her to get more of an opportunity and for her to win. She doesn't get many opportunities but it's not that she is bad at it, but we don't get to see her be good either. She's put a little more into the role of damsel than I was expecting from the beginning of the book. I liked her spicy attitude when she converses with other characters. Drake was a little bit more of a static characters for me. He didn't have a whole lot of growth or change through story. It's not really a bad thing it just did't connect me to him as well. The inconsistencies with the characters and what you think is set up personality wise and then actions not following that, made it hard to really connect to the characters for me. The story was enjoyable and I did like it, it just didn't quite draw me in as much as I was hoping for, or that I am used to with Anna Santos's books. I didn't have a problem finishing the story, I just felt like I was looking for a little bit more from it and the characters. It would be interesting to see where she takes and connects other books within the fairy tale world that she has created.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
dwinprincess's review
5.0
Okay... Full disclosure. I read book 2 of this series first, so I knew how this was going to 'end', but I loved reading every minute leading up to it anyways. BATB is my favorite Fairy Tale of all time so any retelling, I am all in! Watching Drake and Belle meet, interact, fall in love, it was all magical.
I am telling you, this is a story you don't want to not experience.
I received an advance review copy of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I am telling you, this is a story you don't want to not experience.
I received an advance review copy of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
emlickliter's review
3.0
Hunting the Beast (Fairy Tales with a Bite, #1) by Anna Santos --I think this one was a freebie, but I'm pretty sure its in KU as well. I would have really liked this one except for the bizarre tone and word choice shifts. Sometimes had a formal/high fantasy tone, but then it would radically shift into 2015 American teenager speak. The world building was great, the conflict was cool, the magic was interesting, and the couple was cute. If the language was polished and grown up, this would have read like a fantastic novel instead a good fan-fiction. (And while there is nothing particularly wrong with good fan-fiction, this has the potential to be so much better!) I still will be on the lookout for more books in this world, because Anna Santos tells a great story! Happy Reading!
esadday's review
5.0
‘Hunting the Beast’ takes place in a world where the paranormal coexist with regular men. Set in the time period of most fairytales, or heroine, Belle, yearns for something more than this provincial life. The story has some elements of the Beauty and the Beast fairytale. She’s pursued by the town hunk, who she finds shallow and full of himself. She’s taken captive by a beast, aka Alpha Drake. She at one point leaves, which puts his life in danger. But the story goes beyond the typical to make it a richer tale. Belle ends up with the beast after she is attacked by a rogue werewolf and infected. This is the reason why Drake won’t let her leave (for the safety of the humans as well as his pack).
There are elements of the modern which made the story quite fun for me. Modern conveniences like halogen lightbulbs and indoor plumbing are courtesy of vampire technology. The relational dynamics amongst Drake’s pack and between Drake and Belle have a more modern flavor to them. Belle and Drake’s bickering and Belle’s cluelessness at Drake’s courting are a successful intertwining of the historical and the present day. The slow development of their relationship was terrific and felt very believable rather than the Insta-love epidemic that seems to plague fairytale adaptations and shifter romances.
I was able to guess the twists ahead of time but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the story. I give credit to author Santos’s skill as a writer for this being the case. Once the story got going, I didn’t put it down until I was finished. A nice change over some of the books I’ve read lately where I had to make myself keep reading because it was hard to connect to the story and the characters. I definitely think this book is worth your time.
I received a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
There are elements of the modern which made the story quite fun for me. Modern conveniences like halogen lightbulbs and indoor plumbing are courtesy of vampire technology. The relational dynamics amongst Drake’s pack and between Drake and Belle have a more modern flavor to them. Belle and Drake’s bickering and Belle’s cluelessness at Drake’s courting are a successful intertwining of the historical and the present day. The slow development of their relationship was terrific and felt very believable rather than the Insta-love epidemic that seems to plague fairytale adaptations and shifter romances.
I was able to guess the twists ahead of time but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the story. I give credit to author Santos’s skill as a writer for this being the case. Once the story got going, I didn’t put it down until I was finished. A nice change over some of the books I’ve read lately where I had to make myself keep reading because it was hard to connect to the story and the characters. I definitely think this book is worth your time.
I received a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
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