by Brigid Kemmerer
I expected a typical, but modern, twist on Beauty and the Beast for this book. Everyone who read it before me insisted it wasn’t, but I was very, very skeptical. Beauty and the Beast is a special story for me, and I think that makes it take a lot to surprise -and impress – me when it comes to twists and retellings.
Let me just tell you – I’ve very, very glad I got my hands on the ARC of the sequel and only read A Curse So Dark And Lonely once I had that ARC in my hands.
Because I will be reading it immediately.
Alright, onto the actual review itself – the first part will be spoiler free, aside from what is already known, and then I will place a break, and dive into spoilers. Read past that break at your own risk.
Harper is not your typical Beauty. There’s more of a modern twist to her than her being, well, modern. More than her being a girl from DC. But I’ll save that for after the spoiler portion because it’s – you guessed it – a spoiler. [If you’ve read the semi-spoiler blurb on Goodreads, it’s not a spoiler, but I hadn’t read that going into this book, so I won’t spoil it for others. Also, spoiler haters – heads up, the Goodreads blurb is a little spoiler-y.] That being said, she has a fantastic character arc that I feel like Belle never really goes through in Beauty and the Beast. Mind you, Harper /does/ undergo a similar change to the one Belle usually does [spoilers on how closely or not closely], but she undergoes a completely different change to boot.
And then another twist that’s spoilery. But I’ll move on.
Rhen isn’t your typical Beast, either. He’s got a bit of the arrogant, distant thing that you usually see in the Beast, but there’s more going on than that. It’s not his typical “I’ve been living in isolation forever” kind of arrogant and distant – explaining any further is spoilers.
Even with all the new twists, it doesn’t feel so different from the original story that it isn’t Beauty and the Beast anymore. But all the new elements and twists give this lovely, but maybe overdone in the retelling department, story a modern refresh, and I love it!
**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT. DON’T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS. SERIOUSLY. STOP HERE. I DON’T HOLD BACK.**
ALRIGHT. Now I get to pull the gloves off and really talk about this book and be read for some word-vomitting – I’m going to go on for a bit.
So, can we take a second to talk about, but not beat to death, the fact that Brigid Kemmerer gave “Belle” cerebral palsy? I don’t think I’ve ever read a Beauty and the Beast retelling where Belle had a medical disability. Yes, in ACOTAR, which is only somewhat a Beauty and the Beast retelling, “Belle” is illiterate, but that’s not a physical or medical disability. It’s just a lack of teaching. [Not to down play illiteracy – it’s still a serious problem to this day, and the numbers of adults who can’t read are still astounding. But it isn’t a disability.] I won’t pretend I’ve read every Beauty and the Beast retelling there ever was, but, from my experience, there hasn’t been one. And, while I worried it would hinder the story and relate-ability for not-disabled audiences, I didn’t need to be. I didn’t feel any disconnect with her [nor has any other not-disabled person who has read this story that I know of]. The story isn’t obsessed with it [it makes an impact, but an understandable one], and it lends to Harper’s character arc.
Let’s discuss Harper’s character arc. Belle doesn’t usually have a feels-useless-and-inadequate to I-can-not-only-defend-myself-BUT-A-WHOLE-COUNTRY arc?!? Her limitations still exist, it’s not like the author had her magically cured of it, but she’s still able to grow rather impressively through the course of just one book! But there is the usual developing-feelings-for-the-guy-that-is-the-beast arc.
But the author also has her develop feeling for the only other person in Rhen’s [the Beast’s] life – which, while slightly cliché in general, is a new twist I’ve never seen in a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I also love that Rhen recognizes it?!?
Can we also talk about the originality of Rhen going through this as a course of a season and on repeat like Ground Hog’s Day?!? I don’t know, at first it seemed a little odd, but it add a whole new dynamic to this story, and I loved it! This also lends to Rhen’s arrogant and distant thing is more “I’ve done this hundreds of times, I know what I’m doing [kind of]” and “I’ve had my hope crushed too many times, I can’t get attached, etc. again” arrogant and distant.
Grey. So, I love the twist his entire character is. His only real similar parallel is Lumiere, but Belle never develops feelings for Lumiere, and Lumiere is never the Beast’s only constant companion. There’s definitely a point in this book where you wonder if Harper will choose Grey. That she and Rhen will either do enough to break the curse and then stop or that Harper will choose Grey – and come up with some other way to save Rhen and Emberfall. [Ok, so, it’s not a very big or lasting moment, but it’s there! Especially when Rhen insists, and then climbs up to . . . Yeeaaahh . . . ]
Anyway, I love how Rhen [eventually] interacts with Harper as the Beast. And then, predictably, Harper uses Rhen’s beast form to deal with the opposing army. While it’s cliché, it was still well done. Especially with Harper getting shot point blank repeatedly by an enemy bowman?!?
Also: Lilith isn’t dead, and I think Grey is the heir.
This book was a rollercoaster from beginning to end. I can’t imagine having read this story without the sequel right there and ready to go.
But this is only book 1 of 3. Sooooooo . . . tune in to my review of A Heart So Fierce And Broken to find out how well I handle the extra long wait between it and book 3!
Until next time, Todds and Vixens! Keep reading and always be kind to one another!
The Fox Den 