My Review:
“Bellarose and the Beast" by Carla Reighard is a fun fantasy retelling of “Beauty and the Beast!” It is a magical twist on a familiar tale with an enchanted library. Ms. Reighard writes a great backstory of how Gerard (the Gaston character from “Beauty and the Beast”) becomes the way he did. It is done well, and the reader comes to care for him. I love that there are several different points of view in the story. Gerard learns about not letting his inner demons win. The writing and pace of the story are well done, and I found myself wanting to keep reading to find out what happened next in the story. Characters learn to not allow circumstances to make them boorish and self-absorbed. There are also great messages of family and sacrifice that I appreciated. It was fun to see some of the other familiar characters and the roles they play in the story. You will want to read this series in order because it ends on a cliffhanger. I cannot wait to read the next book and find out what happens! I highly recommend this book to fans of closed-door, low spice fantasy retellings!
Content: I give this book a low PG-13 rating. Some examples of the content: a character curses, but the words are not actually written; loss, war, and blood; a woman is smacked on her behind by a man; characters drink alcohol; food is drugged; someone is naked when they shapeshift.
TW: hallucinations; mention of a gambling addict; depression; mention of insanity; orphan; adoption; loss and grief.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
