A Tale of Beauty and Beast: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Melanie Cellier
Fairy Tale. 298 Pages. 5 Stars
Synopsis:
Princess Sophia has helped her twin sister Lily save the duchy of Marin. But now Sophie faces an even greater threat when she sets out to free the cursed kingdom of Palinar from its beastly prince. Alone, and with danger on every side, Sophie must navigate a magical castle and its even more mysterious master to discover the secret to breaking the curse.
Except the more time she spends with Prince Dominic, the more she starts to question who exactly she’s supposed to be saving. With time running out for the trapped inhabitants, and the reappearance of an old enemy, Sophie may have to choose between saving the kingdom and following her heart.
My Review:
This charming and thrilling sequel to A Dance of Silver and Shadow did not disappoint! Beauty and the Beast is a challenge, y’all. It’s not easy to fill those shoes and keep it fresh! But Mrs. Cellier has done just that, in my personal opinion. A Tale of Beauty and Beast kept the same building tension from A Dance of Silver and Shadow. It didn’t end with the same heart-stopping cliff hanger, but it did whisper of more to come.
Characters, old and new, made me smile. Cellier nailed the beast. Spot on! And I really enjoyed how she created him, characteristically speaking. The reason and background she put into his story held obvious care and wit. He wasn’t just some random, selfish character to fit the classic shoes. He truly had a past that showed why he was the way he was and how he came to desire and strength to overcome that past. Sophie was just as thrilling as before and it was interesting to see the other half of the puzzle, so to speak, rather than just how Lily saw her. Oh, and the servants of the castle! This, I think, was probably my favorite part. Cellier’s ingenious approach to the servants is one that I’ve never seen before. Completely unique and it made the story even more compelling! The plot was full of delicious nods to the classic, (I especially loved the true classic nods, not just the sweet Disney nods) beloved tale as well as thrilling Four Kingdoms schemes, so intricately woven together. The writing style was easy and the book was well-written. No swearing, minimal and tactfully handled violence, and a very mild, but sweet romance. Loved it! Now, what, when, and where is book three?!!?
More:
Book 1 in the Beyond the Four Kingdoms series is A Dance of Silver and Shadow: A Retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses (5 Stars)
Book 3 is A Crown of Snow and Ice: A Retelling of The Snow Queen (5 Stars)
Book 4 is A Dream of Ebony and White: A Retelling of Snow White (4 Stars)
Book 5 is A Captive of Wing and Feather: A Retelling of Swan Lake (5 Stars)
Book 6 is A Princess of Wind and Wave: A Retelling of The Little Mermaid (5 Stars)
I have rated and reviewed the above on Goodreads. Click the links above to find out more, scroll down, and you’ll see my reviews among the others.
This series doesn’t have to be read in order, necessarily, but I would anyway cause there might be minor spoilers between stories. They stand on their own, but the characters carry over from book to book.
On GraceBought:
If you missed it, check out my thoughts on the previous book here! And stay tuned next week for my thoughts on the next book in the series!
Also, don’t forget to check out the original series, The Four Kingdoms!