maryam162424's review against another edition
5.0
April 2020:
Oh I loved it this book as much as the first time. I had forgotten why I loved it and I’m so happy I read it again. The writing is so beautiful. The character development is even better. The plot is so beautiful that I just can’t
Oh I loved it this book as much as the first time. I had forgotten why I loved it and I’m so happy I read it again. The writing is so beautiful. The character development is even better. The plot is so beautiful that I just can’t
bokbubblan's review against another edition
5.0
Den här var underbar! Jag hoppades verkligen att den skulle vara något extra när jag började läsa, men jag var inte förberedd på hur vacker historien skulle vara! <3
Hur den börjar och hur den slutar är galet bra!
Oh! Slutet var så fiiiiint
JAG = LOVIN THIS BOOK LIKE CRAZY
Höhö ;)
amyicable's review against another edition
4.0
**WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS**
http://theblondereviews.blogspot.com/2013/10/book-review-of-beast-and-beauty.html
http://theblondereviews.blogspot.com/2013/10/book-review-of-beast-and-beauty.html
authorkmg's review against another edition
5.0
Be still my nerd heart! It was like this book was written specifically for me. First, it's a sci-fi/fantasy/dystopian/romantic re-telling of Beauty and the Beast. I mean...do you need to hear anything else? LOL. What really sets this author apart from the other re-telling's out there was the fact that Isra and Gem both thought the other was the beast and that they, themselves were the beauty (not narcissistically...well not totally).
The other thing that puts a total spin on the classic fairy tale is that Isra is a princess locked in the tower and she's blind. Beyond the obvious switch in gender and the disability, there is a lot of intrigue that goes into this story. When she takes Gem prisoner for trying to steal the roses (which are AWFUL things, truly terrible) the friendship and eventual love that grows between them in so poetic and just truly beautiful. I really loved it.
The setting makes the entire love story so interesting. There's a lot going on as well. It goes beyond the love story and that's what really hooked me as a reader. The world building is truly amazing and I found the world they lived in fascinating and more than a little horrifying. I wanted to spend more time with them and while it is a standalone, I would have no problem and would actually enjoy, visiting this world and seeing Gem and Isra again.
Do I recommend this? Oh my GAWD yes! Please, please, please give it a try! It's so different and just full of awesome. It made my nerd heart sing! I'm off to check out more Stacey Jay books! Let me know what you think below!
Happy Reading!
The other thing that puts a total spin on the classic fairy tale is that Isra is a princess locked in the tower and she's blind. Beyond the obvious switch in gender and the disability, there is a lot of intrigue that goes into this story. When she takes Gem prisoner for trying to steal the roses (which are AWFUL things, truly terrible) the friendship and eventual love that grows between them in so poetic and just truly beautiful. I really loved it.
The setting makes the entire love story so interesting. There's a lot going on as well. It goes beyond the love story and that's what really hooked me as a reader. The world building is truly amazing and I found the world they lived in fascinating and more than a little horrifying. I wanted to spend more time with them and while it is a standalone, I would have no problem and would actually enjoy, visiting this world and seeing Gem and Isra again.
Do I recommend this? Oh my GAWD yes! Please, please, please give it a try! It's so different and just full of awesome. It made my nerd heart sing! I'm off to check out more Stacey Jay books! Let me know what you think below!
Happy Reading!
jessymao's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
nitzanschwarz's review against another edition
4.5
Oh my, Oh my. I never expected this book to be... well, this book. That's not to say that I didn't go into it with high exceptions, because I did. I couldn't not to when it had such a gorgeous cover and was marketed as a retelling of one of my favorite fairy-tales (and favorite Disney movie *wink*).
But I never could've expected this enchanting world, a strange mixture of a bit of sci-fi and a lot of magic, or the beautiful writing, or the captivating characters.
It's almost a shame to call it a "retelling", because it's far more than that. It's its own story, capable of standing tall on its own two feet without the fairy-tale attached to it, and one does not necessarily need to love B&B in order to love it.
But I never could've expected this enchanting world, a strange mixture of a bit of sci-fi and a lot of magic, or the beautiful writing, or the captivating characters.
It's almost a shame to call it a "retelling", because it's far more than that. It's its own story, capable of standing tall on its own two feet without the fairy-tale attached to it, and one does not necessarily need to love B&B in order to love it.
Because in Of Beast and Beauty there is no clear "beast" and no clear "beauty".
Isra Beast?? is a blind princess doomed to a horrible fate. She is strong, opinionated, kind, but also very much a prisoner in her own city. Her own castle. She's grown to thinks of herself as "tainted" by the mutation her people fear so much, and instead of being Belle enslaved by the beast, she is the one who does the enslaving when she catches Gem, a Monstrous, as he is infiltrating her city.
Isra Beast?? is a blind princess doomed to a horrible fate. She is strong, opinionated, kind, but also very much a prisoner in her own city. Her own castle. She's grown to thinks of herself as "tainted" by the mutation her people fear so much, and instead of being Belle enslaved by the beast, she is the one who does the enslaving when she catches Gem, a Monstrous, as he is infiltrating her city.
Gem Belle? may be a beast in his appearance, but he is such a good person. He only thinks of the best for his people, but still he can't kill even when his duty tells him he must. He tries to hate and yet finds himself unable. And no matter his motivations, he treats Isra with kindness and attention. The (almost) only person in her life who does.
These two are just... in one word? sigh. I mean, seriously, the shipping is crazy. They bring the best in each other, they encourage each other to be better, they open each other's eyes. They're also HAWT like lava and so very delicious. And the best part? It takes time for their relationship to grow. They start as semi enemies, then reluctant partners, then friends, then... more. It's beautiful!
Then there's Gaston Bo. Occasionally, we get a glimpse into his pov. That was smart, because Jay lets us see Gaston Bo is not a bad person. He is a product of years of prejudice and false information. He truly believes what he's doing is right, and he does have a heart and a sense of right and wrong. He just can't look past all he's been told to see the truth.
okay, Gaston Bo is no monster, but how was I supposed to resist? Another character worth mentioning is Needle, Isra's maid. I love this girl, and I kind of really really wanted to see her happy with someone. I'm all for Jay writing a sequel for Needle, maybe with Gem's brother? I feel like she could really teach him compassion and love...
The ending of this book was so amazing! And quite different than the Disney ending. Just like, a lot of asdfghjkl really.
Honestly, I don't have enough words to recommend this book with. Just read it, please. It deserves more love!
ginnikin's review against another edition
2.0
This could have been so much better than it was. The introduction of a 3rd POV so late in the story was jarring. The three voices were too similar. Some of the structure was formulaic (even for a retelling of Beauty and the Beast). The history would have been better dispensed in snippets throughout the story rather than info-dumped at the beginning.
All that said, this was an interesting take that had so much potential. But damn,. It made me think that all the potential could have been fulfilled. I would've given it four stars if it had.
All that said, this was an interesting take that had so much potential. But damn,
Spoiler
when Gem thought Isra was dead, that writing was really powerfulcriticalreader's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting retelling, I enjoyed the setting and I liked most of the characters.
lumos_libros's review against another edition
5.0
From my own scientific research with extensive Excel spreadsheets (ok not really, but from my equally impressive informal observations), I have come to the conclusion that behind Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast is the most retold fairy tale. And it’s for a good reason. There is something so alluring about breaking a curse with true love.
This retelling takes some liberties from the original tale. While there is the curse, captivity, and a beauty and beast (kind of), this is set, from what I can gather, in another planet humans inhabit. There are complications when humans come to this planet though. Some humans mutate to become Monstrous to survive this new land and the others remain Smooth skins, but there is a price for this. A price paid in blood. Isra is a princess of one of the Domed Cities, Yuan. The tradition is the Queen must sacrifice her life to the roses so the city can continue to enjoy their bounty. Isra knows that someday this will be her fate. She lives a quiet and sheltered existence since she became blind the same night her mother died. On one of the nights she sneaks out to visit the roses, she stumbles upon a Monstrous named Gem. Gem’s mission is to get the roses and go back to his people but can’t seem to kill Isra like he knows he should. Against everyone’s insistence on killing the beast, Isra decides to hold him prisoner instead. Hence, our story begins!
I loved almost everything about this story. The tone, pacing, world, plot, beautiful writing, characters, romance so yeah practically everything. One of the aspects I loved the most was how the line between the beauty and the beast is blurred. Is Gem really the beast here? Or is Isra? And what does being a beauty or beast really mean? And why do I always ask so many questions!?!?! But I digress. Isra and Gem kind of hate each other from the beginning. They each carry many years of hate that their people have for each other. The prejudices are strong on both sides, so it seems it won’t be possible for these two to see each other anything other than enemies. These two, goodness they really tugged at my heartstrings. They were perfect for each other. I also appreciated the exploration of why people on each side felt they were justified in their views and how the nuggets of truth, which prejudices are often based on, grow into something incomprehensible when hate is involved.
From the summary I gave it sounds like a simple plot but there is a lot to the story I won’t go into, but the author wrote all facets of the story like an expert. Political nonsense makes an appearance in the story. Nothing too complicated but we do have the court that is trying their best to keep Isra from doing anything resembling knowing or doing something useful, and it’s difficult for Isra to overcome her feelings of inadequacy to do what she needs to do. This inner struggle is a big part of the story and could be frustrating, but I felt Isra’s growth was done beautifully.
During the last 3/4ths of the book I was literally hunching over the book. My eyes scanning the pages ahead. To say I was utterly engrossed would be an understatement.
All this is coming from a person who almost cannot not like a retelling, so I know this book won’t be for everyone. But if you are looking for an epic love story done right, I believe you can stop your search.
Read for POPSUGAR CHALLENGE 2015: A book by an author you've never read before
This retelling takes some liberties from the original tale. While there is the curse, captivity, and a beauty and beast (kind of), this is set, from what I can gather, in another planet humans inhabit. There are complications when humans come to this planet though. Some humans mutate to become Monstrous to survive this new land and the others remain Smooth skins, but there is a price for this. A price paid in blood. Isra is a princess of one of the Domed Cities, Yuan. The tradition is the Queen must sacrifice her life to the roses so the city can continue to enjoy their bounty. Isra knows that someday this will be her fate. She lives a quiet and sheltered existence since she became blind the same night her mother died. On one of the nights she sneaks out to visit the roses, she stumbles upon a Monstrous named Gem. Gem’s mission is to get the roses and go back to his people but can’t seem to kill Isra like he knows he should. Against everyone’s insistence on killing the beast, Isra decides to hold him prisoner instead. Hence, our story begins!
I loved almost everything about this story. The tone, pacing, world, plot, beautiful writing, characters, romance so yeah practically everything. One of the aspects I loved the most was how the line between the beauty and the beast is blurred. Is Gem really the beast here? Or is Isra? And what does being a beauty or beast really mean? And why do I always ask so many questions!?!?! But I digress. Isra and Gem kind of hate each other from the beginning. They each carry many years of hate that their people have for each other. The prejudices are strong on both sides, so it seems it won’t be possible for these two to see each other anything other than enemies. These two, goodness they really tugged at my heartstrings. They were perfect for each other. I also appreciated the exploration of why people on each side felt they were justified in their views and how the nuggets of truth, which prejudices are often based on, grow into something incomprehensible when hate is involved.
From the summary I gave it sounds like a simple plot but there is a lot to the story I won’t go into, but the author wrote all facets of the story like an expert. Political nonsense makes an appearance in the story. Nothing too complicated but we do have the court that is trying their best to keep Isra from doing anything resembling knowing or doing something useful, and it’s difficult for Isra to overcome her feelings of inadequacy to do what she needs to do. This inner struggle is a big part of the story and could be frustrating, but I felt Isra’s growth was done beautifully.
During the last 3/4ths of the book I was literally hunching over the book. My eyes scanning the pages ahead. To say I was utterly engrossed would be an understatement.
All this is coming from a person who almost cannot not like a retelling, so I know this book won’t be for everyone. But if you are looking for an epic love story done right, I believe you can stop your search.
Read for POPSUGAR CHALLENGE 2015: A book by an author you've never read before
alexperc_92's review against another edition
5.0
5 to 5 stars
Simple answer; i love and ADORE everything that has the theme "Beauty and the Beast". With a slight touch of science fiction, which is considered "Soft Core Sci-Fi" "Of Beast and Beuty" is a touching novel with thriving power of belief and heartbreaking romance.
An absolute must read!
Simple answer; i love and ADORE everything that has the theme "Beauty and the Beast". With a slight touch of science fiction, which is considered "Soft Core Sci-Fi" "Of Beast and Beuty" is a touching novel with thriving power of belief and heartbreaking romance.
An absolute must read!