A review by hlburke
The Rose and the Wand by E.J. Kitchens

5.0

I think I mentioned that weird things make me like a book? Well, this one was, "OMGOSH, THIS MC IS KIND OF AN AWFUL PERSON ... I think I love her."

It's really hard to pull off a main character who is so obviously wrong-headed and unsympathetic. The MC of this book is a snob who gets punished for using a magical object to meddle in her little sister's love life and discourage her from interest in a "less desirable" suitor, and she does not learn her lesson right away. This is an interesting side-story to Beauty and the Beast more than a direct retelling. You honestly see very little of the original fairy tale, but I think that works for it. It gives you the trappings of the familiar from a completely new viewpoint which I very much enjoyed. Well-written and recommended.