Twisted: Belle’s Story by Kaylin Lee
Fantasy. 330 Pages. 4 Stars
Synopsis:
Belle has it all—beauty, brains, and an extravagant inheritance from her father, the most powerful banker in the city.
There’s only one problem. Her glittering life is a waking nightmare just beneath the surface.
When Belle’s brain is damaged in a horrible attack on the morning of her final exam, everything unravels. Before long, she’s lost it all—her memories, her inheritance, and her freedom. Then she finds herself at the mercy of the Beast, who’s even harsher than she ever imagined him to be.
How much will Belle have to sacrifice to end her nightmare? And what happens when everything she has isn’t enough?
Twisted: Belle’s Story is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and Book 3 in the Destined series, a collection of overlapping fairy tales set in the same magical world. Each story is self-contained, with its own protagonist and satisfying happily-ever-after, but they also tell an over-arching story.
My Review:
This is the third book in Kaylin Lee’s Destined series. I received a free ARC from the author. (Thank you!!)
I have thoroughly enjoyed this series so far and thus had high expectations for Belle’s story. That said, Hidden: Rapunzel’s Story, Book 2, kind of threw me for a bit of a loop. (You can see my review for more details.) So, I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I was still expecting it to be good…if that makes sense. The story did overlap with the others, just as book two did with book one.
I really like Lee’s world. I love the cultures and the political system she has created. It’s one of the biggest things that drew me to her series and up to this point. I like the mages and the history she’s crafted. I wanted to learn more (and still do!). This story was told from a Procus lady’s perspective, which was just as enticing to me because I wanted to see more of Lee’s world. I really enjoy her characters too. They make me smile and make me mad and heartbroken all together. I think she writer her characters very well, so I was very excited to meet her new ones and return to some of her older ones. Estevan really drew my attention. He was far more complex than I think she let on. I’d love to see a story (or this one!) from his perspective. There were so many moments when I just wanted to get inside of his head. And there were times when I felt I knew what was going on and I just wanted to yell at Belle cause she wasn’t getting it! Not to say I didn’t really enjoy Belle, cause I really did. She didn’t exactly fascinate me the way Estevan did, but I loved her personality and her thoughts intrigued me. I liked following her logic and I loved her heart. The plot kept me involved and even guessing at a few points. I didn’t find anything completely obvious or predictable, but I wasn’t really on the edge of my seat through it all either. Of course, I was totally on edge in a couple of major plot spots! I think Kaylin Lee writes very well for the most part and I’m eager to see where she goes.
I had one minor issue and one major issue with the story. The minor issue was some of the pacing. If you read my review of the second book, you know I didn’t quite accept the pacing of the story itself. Well, this one was much more like the first one–better paced, in my opinion, than book two was. However, there was one spot early on and one later on where I kind of tilted my head and flipped back and forth between the pages. The pacing was off again, but only in those two spots. Otherwise, it read like a normal story playing out. My major issue…well, I guess it was with character in one specific spot. Not to give anything away, but the romance was so well built up. I liked Lee’s take on the Beauty and the Beast. There were some great nods to the classic tale and some creative twists on it as well. I thought Estevan was a great beast in more ways than one, but his declaration at the end was…abrupt. Out of nowhere. There was no logic behind his actions and his explanation for them was unsatisfactory for me. The whole book was so not “insta-love” but his declaration in the end felt all “insta-love.” It was kind of strange…other than that, I loved it!
I will eagerly await the next story in the series! Oh, as a sidenote, whatever happened with the thing that happened to Zel at the end of book two?! That wasn’t mentioned at all!
More:
Prequel Novelette: Torn (4 Stars)
Book 1 in the Destined series is Fated: Cinderella’s Story (5 Stars)
Book 2 is Hidden: Rapunzel’s Story (4 Stars)
Book 4 is Betrayed: Ruby’s Story (5 Stars)
Book 5 is Hunted: Alba’s Story (5 Stars)
Book 6 is Cursed: Briar Rose’s Story (Being written)
I have rated and reviewed each of the above on Goodreads. Follow the links to find more info on the books and then scroll down to see the reviews. Mine is among them.
This series should be read in order.
On Gracebought
If you missed it, check out my review of the previous books here! And stay tuned next week for my thoughts on the next book in the series.