A review by saluki
Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

4.0

This fairytale retelling of Beauty and the Beast is an enthralling reinvention that questions external and internal beauty by the differences between the Smooth Skins who live in domed cities and the Monstrous desert people. The monstrous people are mutated, an evolutionary response to survive harsh environments and disease and it is their imminent starvation in an inhospitable climate, plus their hatred toward the greedy Smooth Skins who have sucked the life from the planet outside the domes, that force them to attempt to steal the magical roses from the domed city in hopes of healing their own.

It isn't a strict telling of the original tale. Gem and Isra are almost a futuristic casting of Romeo & Juliette and it didn't escape my notice the folktales concerning stars and love, plus there are nods toward other fairytales too... Isra is locked away in a tower for most of her life and has the naivety of Rupunzel and the blood and thorny roses are characteristic of Sleeping Beauty yet darker and deadlier. I liked this interweaving of other fairytale elements.

I loved the lyrical writing, the characters show plenty of depth and the plot is twisty as hidden truths slowly come to light. One I'll be recommending.