What if Beauty was the Beast? That in itself is already an intriguing twist on the classic Beauty and the Beast tale. But there's more. Whoever cast tWhat if Beauty was the Beast? That in itself is already an intriguing twist on the classic Beauty and the Beast tale. But there's more. Whoever cast this spell on Beauty is one creative witch. Too bad I can't reveal what it is exactly, except to say it gives some modern horror vibe to the whole tale. No need to be afraid though. Except for the occasional creepy scene, there's not a bit of horror in the book, even though the author could have easily taken the story in that direction. This is a fairy tale through and through, with all the usual fairy tale trappings of instant attraction, magical castles (in this case, a magical house), scary forests, a wicked witch, and the all-too-perfect ending. What makes this variation different from the usual fairy tale is the very real, almost historical, feel of the milieu and the characters who inhabit the book. If you strip away the magical parts, the book can easily stand alone as a beautiful coming-out and coming-of-age tale in a small town sometime in the pre-industrial past. The world-building is consistent and believable. Although the occasional use of modern concepts (ex. 'I don't like him in that way') does seem a bit out of place, or rather out of time.
Lise is the oldest of four daughters of the King's chief Huntsman. Until he was killed in a hunt. With his death came instant demotion in status, living quarters and food rations. As a result, the whole family has had to work at processing cheese to survive. But despite their industry and thriftiness, they are only ever 'one step from ruin'. Lise's mother longs for the day when she can return to her old privileged life, or at least, a semblance of it. In her mind, marriage to the new Huntsman's son and heir is her ticket back to her old life of comfort and plenty, and while she has 4 daughters, the young man only has eyes for Lise.
The book seamlessly marries a realistic tale with a fairy-tale to create an imaginative and entertaining whole. There's ambitious parents, sibling rivalries, inter-family dynamics, small-town politics--stuff one finds in a family drama. And then there's Senna and her fantastic curse. My only gripe is that the story never delves deep into the main characters' emotions, well, at least not in the level that the author has done in her other books. It's very plot-driven. And I suspect this is deliberate on her part. This is a "fairy tale" after all.
I highly recommend this book to YA readers. It's feel-good and very affirming. And to anyone else who wants to try a new, intriguing twist on an old favorite.
4.45 stars
Hmmm.... For folks who've read the book, what do you think of (view spoiler)[Isabel's storyline? I like Isabel a lot more than Lise. And I wonder if it wouldn't be better if the author had combined these two characters instead? It would certainly make Lise more likable. Also, there seems to be something more to Isabel's declaration that she would never marry....an opening for a sequel, perhaps? ;) (hide spoiler)]
ARC from Netgalley
Merged review:
What if Beauty was the Beast? That in itself is already an intriguing twist on the classic Beauty and the Beast tale. But there's more. Whoever cast this spell on Beauty is one creative witch. Too bad I can't reveal what it is exactly, except to say it gives some modern horror vibe to the whole tale. No need to be afraid though. Except for the occasional creepy scene, there's not a bit of horror in the book, even though the author could have easily taken the story in that direction. This is a fairy tale through and through, with all the usual fairy tale trappings of instant attraction, magical castles (in this case, a magical house), scary forests, a wicked witch, and the all-too-perfect ending. What makes this variation different from the usual fairy tale is the very real, almost historical, feel of the milieu and the characters who inhabit the book. If you strip away the magical parts, the book can easily stand alone as a beautiful coming-out and coming-of-age tale in a small town sometime in the pre-industrial past. The world-building is consistent and believable. Although the occasional use of modern concepts (ex. 'I don't like him in that way') does seem a bit out of place, or rather out of time.
Lise is the oldest of four daughters of the King's chief Huntsman. Until he was killed in a hunt. With his death came instant demotion in status, living quarters and food rations. As a result, the whole family has had to work at processing cheese to survive. But despite their industry and thriftiness, they are only ever 'one step from ruin'. Lise's mother longs for the day when she can return to her old privileged life, or at least, a semblance of it. In her mind, marriage to the new Huntsman's son and heir is her ticket back to her old life of comfort and plenty, and while she has 4 daughters, the young man only has eyes for Lise.
The book seamlessly marries a realistic tale with a fairy-tale to create an imaginative and entertaining whole. There's ambitious parents, sibling rivalries, inter-family dynamics, small-town politics--stuff one finds in a family drama. And then there's Senna and her fantastic curse. My only gripe is that the story never delves deep into the main characters' emotions, well, at least not in the level that the author has done in her other books. It's very plot-driven. And I suspect this is deliberate on her part. This is a "fairy tale" after all.
I highly recommend this book to YA readers. It's feel-good and very affirming. And to anyone else who wants to try a new, intriguing twist on an old favorite.
4.45 stars
Hmmm.... For folks who've read the book, what do you think of (view spoiler)[Isabel's storyline? I like Isabel a lot more than Lise. And I wonder if it wouldn't be better if the author had combined these two characters instead? It would certainly make Lise more likable. Also, there seems to be something more to Isabel's declaration that she would never marry....an opening for a sequel, perhaps? ;) (hide spoiler)]
Leisa and Nan have been together for ten years. Their love seems rock solid. But an old secret of Nan's she'd rather forget is threatening to come outLeisa and Nan have been together for ten years. Their love seems rock solid. But an old secret of Nan's she'd rather forget is threatening to come out and it is driving a wedge between them. Leisa's mom dies and leaves more questions than answers. That and a ton of other events make for a super monsoon in their lives. Can they withstand the onslaught?
This is more of a love story than a romance. When we meet our ladies, they are already a couple. We have some flashbacks (actually a ton of flashbacks, thoughts, and even an occasional flashforward) regarding their backstory. We see them painfully and slowly drifting apart due to Nan's mysterious behavior. When the monsoon hits full force, can their love be strong enough to anchor them or will the deluge tear them apart. Or, will it make them stronger still, if they can survive it?
At its core, the book is about the search for family and acceptance. Which is the real family? The family we are born with or the family we choose to surround ourselves with? Its a complex tale with a variety of interesting characters and a myriad of emotions involved--grief, alienation, fear of loss, anger and distrust, and how all of these emotions can oftentimes overwhelm the most important one of all--love.
I could give this 5 stars for the complex plot and characterizations but for the many scenes all over the book where it suddenly shifts to an entirely different scene. Usually these are flashbacks or thoughts of the POV character in the immediately preceding paragraph where whatever it is they're doing or thinking reminds them of something from before or from what someone said before. I felt that these scenes could be better formatted (maybe italics) to better clue the reader in to the shift. There was even one bizarre scene that was actually a flashforward. Now that really threw me, lol. I'm not sure if the writer was striving for a different style, but she doesn't write like this in her other books. Personally, I think with such a rich story to tell, she doesn't need to do it. It disturbed the flow of the story, and hence this reader's emotions. Fortunately, the scene-shifts happen often enough that it gets easier to navigate in the later chapters. I also had to do a bit of work to keep up with who the different names are that come up in the story. The search function of e-readers are a godsend for this.
4.4 stars
Merged review:
Leisa and Nan have been together for ten years. Their love seems rock solid. But an old secret of Nan's she'd rather forget is threatening to come out and it is driving a wedge between them. Leisa's mom dies and leaves more questions than answers. That and a ton of other events make for a super monsoon in their lives. Can they withstand the onslaught?
This is more of a love story than a romance. When we meet our ladies, they are already a couple. We have some flashbacks (actually a ton of flashbacks, thoughts, and even an occasional flashforward) regarding their backstory. We see them painfully and slowly drifting apart due to Nan's mysterious behavior. When the monsoon hits full force, can their love be strong enough to anchor them or will the deluge tear them apart. Or, will it make them stronger still, if they can survive it?
At its core, the book is about the search for family and acceptance. Which is the real family? The family we are born with or the family we choose to surround ourselves with? Its a complex tale with a variety of interesting characters and a myriad of emotions involved--grief, alienation, fear of loss, anger and distrust, and how all of these emotions can oftentimes overwhelm the most important one of all--love.
I could give this 5 stars for the complex plot and characterizations but for the many scenes all over the book where it suddenly shifts to an entirely different scene. Usually these are flashbacks or thoughts of the POV character in the immediately preceding paragraph where whatever it is they're doing or thinking reminds them of something from before or from what someone said before. I felt that these scenes could be better formatted (maybe italics) to better clue the reader in to the shift. There was even one bizarre scene that was actually a flashforward. Now that really threw me, lol. I'm not sure if the writer was striving for a different style, but she doesn't write like this in her other books. Personally, I think with such a rich story to tell, she doesn't need to do it. It disturbed the flow of the story, and hence this reader's emotions. Fortunately, the scene-shifts happen often enough that it gets easier to navigate in the later chapters. I also had to do a bit of work to keep up with who the different names are that come up in the story. The search function of e-readers are a godsend for this.
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