Fantastic new version of Beauty and the Beast! What if the Beast is actually the hero? There are two young women characters here: Rose, who falls for the handsome prince, and Lucie, who loves the true Beast and fights to protect and restore him. Who really is the more beastly? Very well done. The language is flowy and imbued with the right mix of medieval-ish historical times and fairytaleness, if that makes sense. I dunno, I just loved the way it read. Loved the idea of Lucie being enchanted into a candelabra, so she can watch her revenge take place; there are more than two transformations taking place here, though, and Lucie is a great heroine. Love the opening quote from Greta Garbo after seeing a film version of Beauty and the Beast: "Give me back my beast!" ( )

Beauty and the Beast told from the perspective of … the candlestick?

Lucie is sent to work as a maid at the Chateau de Beaumont, where she encounters the handsome but self-centered and arrogant Jean-Loup. When the enchantress arrives at his door and punishes him for his cruelty, Lucie is only too happy to see him get what he deserves. As all the other servants flee the grounds, she chooses to remain and bear witness to Jean-Loup’s suffering, and so the enchantress gives her a new form that will be safe from the Beast’s abuse.

But there’s one problem: Beast isn’t suffering. Because Beast doesn’t remember being anyone but Beast. And as Lucie gets to know this new creature, so unlike the monstrous Jean-Loup, she starts to think she might even like to be friends with him.

Until the day a beautiful girl arrives at the castle, whose very presence threatens to undo the curse and unleash Jean-Loup back into the world. Lucie is determined not to let that happen.

It’s a story of (like the title says) love and revenge, of second chances and learning to let go of hatred. It has some very interesting twists that I’ve never seen before in a BatB retelling! Skillfully done! ( )

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One of my favorite books while I was growing up was the Beauty and the Beast. I usually love retellings,as they show me a different side of the story that might be, that I have never considered before. This book, however, almost ruined it all for me. The only reason it didn't was because I wouldn't let one bad retelling to ruin my childhood favorite!

The story is about Lucie, who is a servant in Jean Leup's palace. Through Lucie's story, we see Jean Leup as a horrible person who only cares about money and the respect he received from his aristocratic community. He treats the servants badly and doesn't even bother to look at them.
Lucie likes the thought of him. He is a very handsome man, and all she dreams about is for him to notice her. And one day, he does. And something really bad happens. Jean Leup does something horrible to Lucie.

[SPOILER - PLEASE CONTINUE CAUTIOUSLY]

He rapes her. And not only that this scene was very disturbing, it was also three pages long, with broad descriptions and it made be cringe badly. It made me hate everything and this was the part where I almost quit on reading this book]

[SPOILER FINISHED - YOU CAN CONTINUE READING]



After this big spoiler scene, the first reaction Lucie has is to kill herself. I am aware that this was a huge trauma for her, and people react differently, but if the author gives me this as a solution to her problem, do I want to continue reading? Is this really the lesson she learns?

With a bit of help of magic and wisdom words, she decides that now she wants for Jean Leup to suffer, and she wants to be able to see this happen. Suddenly, wish becomes a reality and the next thing we know, she is a candle that can't move, and Jean Leup has turned into a Beast.
Do you get the Beauty and the Beast reference now? We see the story from the candle's point of view, who is Lucie.

Well - not really!

Because here's the twist - the Beast doesn't remember what happened before. He doesn't know he was Jean Leup. He doesn't know he was bad in the past. The Beast is good by default, and a bit sad that he's alone in a big castle. So I have to ask again - Where is the lesson? Where is the punishment? If he can't remember he was bad, he'll never learn why he is a Beast.

To continue and shorten the story - Lucie (the candle) can talk to the Beast through her mind. The Beauty (Rose) comes to the castle and the story goes on. Lucie decides that she is in love with the Beast, and I won't reveal the rest, in case you want to read the book and see for yourself.

Now - I know that the author's point wasn't the lesson that the Beast learns as in the original story. Her point was to tell the story of the Beast, and Lucie, and how this tale can have a different plot, and ending, and back story. But I really believe that this was the wrong way of saying it, and it didn't leave a clear message.

The writing was poor, and it went from one moment to another, leaving me there in the middle, wondering what happened. One scene begins, and another starts before anything is finished. It was disorientated, and I felt lost in the first 40 pages.

This is a no from me, and I will give it 2 stars because I managed to finish it.

Thanks to Candlewick Press for providing me with an ARC e-copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I suppose this book started decent enough. It was interesting to see how someone could bring in rape, yes there is rape in this book (just once), into a story like Beauty and the Beast because embarrassingly enough, my impression of this story is like, 80% Disney.

It was also nice to read about this twist to the story! Definitely not what I was expecting, but then again, this book was just...so different from what I usually knew, I quickly lost any expectations I had for this book. And that's not a bad thing!

I've never really thought of the human and the beast as literally two separate characters before...I've always known them to be one and the same, and the evil human has to become a monster before he re-emerges as a nice human.

ALSO! I absolutely loved that both female protagonists in this book got their happily ever after! As I was reading through the book, I was mentally preparing myself to take sides...but turns out, I didn't have to! They both win at the end!

Also, side note: I've always thought beast looked better than his human half. ( )

Content Warning: graphic rape scene

I tried really, really hard to like this. I usually love retellings, and Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairy tales. In the end, this book didn’t work for me for a number of reasons.

Jean-Loup Christian Henri LeNoir, Chevalier de Beaumont, is cruel. And Lucie, a servant-girl, suffers at his hand. When she runs into a wisewoman, her wish is granted: the chevalier will suffer. He is turned into a monstrous Beast. And yet…the beast is kind-hearted, soft, patient, and remorseful, and Lucie feels herself starting to hope. Until a young woman arrives at the château, with the power to break the curse.

This was definitely an interesting take on the old tale, but it also didn’t seem that different from the original. The setting was quite similar to the original story, and the story itself wasn’t that different either. Nevertheless, I liked the twists that the book did have.

The rape scene was disturbing, but I also just didn’t quite get the purpose of it otherwise. It seemed almost as if it was used as a plot device, for the main character to feel enough emotion to set the curse in motion. It was mentioned briefly at the end when things were being explained, but in the bigger picture, it just seemed unnecessary.

Overall, the writing style just wasn’t for me. Some reviewers have called it lyrical, and while I can see that, it dragged out for me. While it definitely fits the setting and time period of the story, I just wasn’t engaged by it. ( )

Beast is an interesting twist on the familiar story of Beauty and the Beast. At times the main character presents as unsure of herself yet turns to be seen as a character whom is powered by revenge followed by jealousy. All in all Beast is a good read. ( )

2.5-2.75 Stars
An adaptation of one of my favorite stories that's quite dark with some unlikable characters. The beginning is brutal, the middle section drags on at times, but at least the ending is a little better. Not for the faint of heart or readers expecting something lighter. The cover art is gorgeous though.

LT Early Reviewer ( )

This review and others posted over at my blog.

I won a copy of this book from LibraryThing in exchange for my honest review.

Once again, Jensen wowed me with her retelling. I was worried Beast wouldn’t live up to the expectations her previous novel, Alias Hook, set and I was so wrong! While Beast isn’t as dark, and has a vague YA feel about it, it was just as moving and engrossing as Alias Hook!

Inspired by a quote from Greta Garbo, who supposedly cried “Give me back my Beast!” after watching the Jean Cocteau film, Jensen turns the traditional tale sideways. The prince, or Chevalier, is still handsome and cruel – after he rapes Lucie she vows revenge – and he’s still turned into a hideous beast. Only this time, the beast is almost instantly a different person. He doesn’t have to learn to be kind and appears to forget his human past. When the beauty shows up after her father traditionally steals the rose, she now threatens to break the spell and revert the kind beast back to the cruel Chevalier. Lucie must do what she can to prevent that – only she’s been transformed by the spell too. I won’t say how; this part took me completely by surprise when I was reading and it was wonderfully done.

If you’re worried, the rape scene isn’t overly graphic, but that doesn’t make it easy to read. The aftermath of the traumatic is fraught with just as much, if not more, emotion. Lucie feels a constant, secret shame about what was done to her, though it wasn’t by any means her fault.

“I speak to no one, and no further notice is taken of me. I try to believe that if I’m quiet enough, insignificant enough, someday I might disappear altogether, like the dew off a rose. I will escape my memory, my shame, even my flesh, and the torment of my life will end. I pray for that moment.”

Her shame and guilt drive her to drown herself, though she’s unsuccessful. This is how she meets the wise woman who helps exact her revenge.

“He has taken a great deal from you, my dear. Don’t let him have the rest. Prove you have the stronger heart and survive.”

Lucie does just that.

The tone lightens somewhat after that. Once the Chevalier and Lucie are transformed, Lucie’s perspective on the beast and herself changes. She was a mousy, plain girl before, who didn’t think much of herself (though she wasn’t overly negative.) After her transformation, she considers herself beautiful and strong.

“I am strong, as I never was before. I am here to show him what he has become.”

Her outlook on the entire situation was a refreshing one, yet another spin Jensen puts on the familiar tale. The story focuses more on the successful transformations of the two main characters, rather than the beast and his beauty pining for what he once was. Yet again, Jensen created an immersive story and characters that were easy to care about. Or, well, loathe, in the case of the Chevalier.

I loved every page of this book. From the surprising transformation of Lucie to the emotional transformation of the beast to the interruption caused by beautiful Rose – Jensen kept me guessing what would happen next and praying that my ship would sail.

I can’t wait for more from Jensen! I’ll leave you with an abbreviated quote:

“That’s the sort of story folk love – a clear moral, a happy ending. It comforts them to think the barriers between virtue and evil, love and hate, beauty and beast, are so clearly defined…Happily ever after takes hard work, but folk don’t like to hear about that.”

I highly recommend this if:

+You enjoy darker retellings
+You like your love stories with a side of revenge
+You enjoy books that fall into the rare, magical gap between YA and adult ( )

Beauty and the Beast is probably my favorite Disney movie and story and I know that it has a lot of issues. Disney sugarcoats a lot of things and that is why we love them as kids. This book is a retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast story. It is much darker and more violent than I was expecting. My very first note to potential readers is - trigger warning -.

This book pretty much jumps right in and there is a rape it is not very detailed but it still feels very graphic and is very emotional, this is the set up for the whole tale. Lucie goes to the Château for her safety, so that her stepfather doesn't see how much of a woman she is now. She works in the Château for a while to find herself infatuated with its owner, Jean-Loup. The terrible deed happens and we are thrown into the magic that is the modern tale - a man enchanted to a Beast, but what this tale did differently is that he is changed because of Lucie's anguish and need for revenge and she is also enchanted as a candlestick - set to watch his depression and downfall.

Aside from the initial shock of the beginning of this book, I think that it was beautifully done. Lucie's emotions were strong and drove the story forward. It was both hard to read from her point of view but very direct and that is what this story was - direct and in your face. Lucie was tormented and got to watch her tormentor, but then also got to see him change into something more. The author did wonders with the change as well. I will not go into too much detail because I don't want to spoil anything, but I was so afraid that this change would lead to Lucie going back on her feelings and the whole 'love you anyway' trope but the ending was much better than that.

It was a very moving book and story and I really liked this retelling of the classic. It is emotional and deep, and the ending was creative. ( )

Literary merit: good
Characterization: good
Recommended: yes
Level: Upper high school

This story was a twist on the regular beauty and the beast story. It explains how he got turned into the beast. The story centers on the character that caused this to happen. It shows how her feelings had changed, once she kept company with the beast. Very interesting. ( )

*I received a copy of this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.*

I love Beauty and the Beast as a story, and this retelling definitely refreshes the tale. Narrated by Lucie, a servant in the castle of a wealthy nobleman, this novel begins earlier in the tale, giving the reader more than just a glimpse of the handsome and cruel Jean-Loup. After a cruel and evil act, Lucie seeks out revenge, causing Jean-Loup to be transformed into a beast. As Lucie, confined to the form of a candlestick, observes Beast's changes and new life, her feelings toward him shift. Things, of course, get complicated when a young beauty enters the castle. Overall, this is an original take on a traditional story that is well worth the read for those who enjoy Beauty and the Beast. ( )

I have to agree with most other reviewers on this book. I started it a while ago but stopped after a certain scene (rape of the MC) and decided to wait on the reviews to see if I would want to continue. I need those scenes done a certain way or else I just become repulsed and queasy about a book.

Like most bibliophiles the fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorites and I am always eager to snatch up the latest retelling, but unfortunately even after trying to get past that early scene, I couldn't find myself finishing or enjoying this book,

DNF. ( )

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I picked up this book. Based on the description, I knew it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling but I just wasn’t expecting a retelling quite like this. I’ve read a ton of retellings but unfortunately this just might be the strangest one I’ve read yet. I struggled to finish it, and eventually gave up about 45% in. It was just too odd for me.

One of my favorite books while I was growing up was the Beauty and the Beast. I usually love retellings,as they show me a different side of the story that might be, that I have never considered before. This book, however, almost ruined it all for me. The only reason it didn't was because I wouldn't let one bad retelling to ruin my childhood favorite!

The story is about Lucie, who is a servant in Jean Leup's palace. Through Lucie's story, we see Jean Leup as a horrible person who only cares about money and the respect he received from his aristocratic community. He treats the servants badly and doesn't even bother to look at them.
Lucie likes the thought of him. He is a very handsome man, and all she dreams about is for him to notice her. And one day, he does. And something really bad happens. Jean Leup does something horrible to Lucie.

[SPOILER - PLEASE CONTINUE CAUTIOUSLY]

He rapes her. And not only that this scene was very disturbing, it was also three pages long, with broad descriptions and it made be cringe badly. It made me hate everything and this was the part where I almost quit on reading this book.

[SPOILER FINISHED - YOU CAN CONTINUE READING]

After this big spoiler scene, the first reaction Lucie has is to kill herself. I am aware that this was a huge trauma for her, and people react differently, but if the author gives me this as a solution to her problem, do I want to continue reading? Is this really the lesson she learns?

With a bit of help of magic and wisdom words, she decides that now she wants for Jean Leup to suffer, and she wants to be able to see this happen. Suddenly, wish becomes a reality and the next thing we know, she is a candle that can't move, and Jean Leup has turned into a Beast.
Do you get the Beauty and the Beast reference now? We see the story from the candle's point of view, who is Lucie.

Well - not really!

Because here's the twist - the Beast doesn't remember what happened before. He doesn't know he was Jean Leup. He doesn't know he was bad in the past. The Beast is good by default, and a bit sad that he's alone in a big castle. So I have to ask again - Where is the lesson? Where is the punishment? If he can't remember he was bad, he'll never learn why he is a Beast.

To continue and shorten the story - Lucie (the candle) can talk to the Beast through her mind. The Beauty (Rose) comes to the castle and the story goes on. Lucie decides that she is in love with the Beast, and I won't reveal the rest, in case you want to read the book and see for yourself.

Now - I know that the author's point wasn't the lesson that the Beast learns as in the original story. Her point was to tell the story of the Beast, and Lucie, and how this tale can have a different plot, and ending, and back story. But I really believe that this was the wrong way of saying it, and it didn't leave a clear message.

The writing was poor, and it went from one moment to another, leaving me there in the middle, wondering what happened. One scene begins, and another starts before anything is finished. It was disorientated, and I felt lost in the first 40 pages.

This is a no from me, and I will give it 2 stars because I managed to finish it.

Thanks to Candlewick Press for providing me with an ARC e-copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Now this is a great fairy tale. A really good retelling of the story Beauty and the Beast.

In this version we have Lucie, a young servant girl sent to work at the Chateau Beaumont. Handsome Jean-Loup, Chevalier de Beaumont, master of the estate is a cruel, selfish, thoughtless, greedy young man used to taking what he wants never thinking of the consequence's of his actions. Why should he? He believes all is there for his taking and pleasure. He does indeed rape Lucie but if the reader stops reading after this happens you miss ( in my opinion) a great story.

Lucie is horrified to discover that she is pregnant and feels her only recourse is to kill herself...keep reading. Lucie runs into the woods where she meets, Mere Sophie. Mere Sophie is a healer/witch/hermit/ wisewoman? Mere Sophie knows Lucie's thoughts and convinces her to return to the chateau. She tells Lucie to watch and wait. "That there will be a reckoning at Chateau Beaumont."

With the words," Watch and wait" whispering in her head, Lucie returns to the chateau and soon thereafter Lucie gets her revenge.

I liked where the story went. I liked learning the background story of Beast. Sir Beast has a story to tell that he wasn't even aware of until it started unfolding. I liked watching all the twists and emotions being played out. You really need to read the whole book to get the whole story...Sir Beast's story....hint....remember the christening gown. ( )

Disclaimer: I was provided an eARC copy of the book by Candlewick Press. In no way has the publisher or the author influenced my review; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the first time I have ever chosen to DNF a book. I stopped at about 32% because I just couldn’t bear to push myself to read any further. I don’t like to DNF Books because I personally feel like you have to read the full book to form a fully informed opinion on it. The reason I chose to DNF it is because when I read about this book, when I requested it there was no trigger warning attached or mentioned about this book at all. It was supposed to be a retelling of Beauty and the Beast from the Beast’s point of view. I was really excited about! Until I got to the rape scene about 20% of the way through the book. It came out of nowhere and really threw me for a loop. I was disgusted especially because the MC is supposed to fall in love with her rapist even after that? I pushed myself to read a little further but in the end I just couldn’t. I ended up only reading 1/3 of the book.

The writing style is kind of amateur and juvenile. The flow of the book is kind of odd too, it jumps from one place to another at whiplash speed. To me it felt like when you’re on the bumper cars and jerk forward at top speed only to bump into another car and quickly come to a full stop. That kind of jerking forward motion is how I felt the book progressed. I ignored it for the most part but it certainly didn’t make for an enjoyable read.

Finally I have to talk about the lacklustre characters that exist in this book. I didn’t read far enough to really get an impression of “The Master” (aka the Beast) which I’m and of itself is a failure. So in that regard I will be focusing on the main character Lucie. Good lord Lucie was an annoying lovesick swooning girl after she meets the Master. I hate those heroines where their world is changed and made amazing by a man. I find it over dramatic and demeaning. Also, I felt like she turned into quite the woman scorned afterwards and especially when she was watching her revenge on the Beast. I just felt like overall Lucie was very shallow and didn’t really have any depth of character.

Overall I was extremely disappointed to find that the publisher didn’t give any trigger warnings when promoting this book. When I was expecting a wonderful Beauty and the Beast retelling, instead all I got was juvenile writing style, characters with no depth to them and a rape scene that I had no idea was coming. I would not recommend this book, it would only be a waste of your time. ( )