This Beauty and the Beast retelling earned a 4.8/5 stars for me. It was written all in first person from Gemma’s point of view. I’m so excited to read at least two more books in this interconnected fairytale series.
These are my thoughts (live) while reading:
Gemma just recently moved to the winter court, seems to be a book-loving hermit, and is a bit cynical about people in general, especially those who live in her new town. It sounds like she just wants to return home and to the past when things were more simple and enjoyable. But what is she trying to hide?
Ah, the version of Gaston has already entered the scene, Gavin Aston. Cleverly named lol.
A harlot? A scandal? A ruined woman?!? Goodness sakes! What did Gemma do?
The heroine is much more snarky than the beloved Belle and I’m loving this upgrade.
By chapter 5, so far it reads more like historical fiction than fantasy.
Gemma speaks and sounds much older than 18, so is it young adult or new adult? Maybe a crossover?
What’s the curse? Why don’t the citizens know their king lives close by? Why did their thoughts wander when trying to consider the king’s name? Why does he need a voluntary sacrifice? It took a while to get to this good stuff.
Just like the Selkie book in this series, the mini cliffhangers are spot on. This one just ended in: “We’re going to make a bargain.” Simple and perfect.
The bargain in this book is much more clear than the one made in the Selkie book. What’s different is Gemma is human but Maisie was fae, so it’s a perspective from the other side.
Page 131 is so perfect lol
Aah in chapter 15 our hero finally gets a name. Elliot.
Halfway through already and I’m loving their banter. She’s so confident even when she doesn’t feel so. I love how straight forward Gemma is in general.
The petals are falling faster! He’s running out of time!!!
Their first dance!!!
Kiss in the library!!!!
I’m flying through this book and barely have stopped to take notes because I want to keep reading and I’m also feeling inspired for my next writing project, The Phantom Ink. It’ll be a gender reversal Beauty and the Beast, starring cursed Mora, a witch who never leaves her mansion and our fresh sunshine, Brody, the carpenter hero who offers his ‘services.’
I love that this series has a bit of steam. It’s refreshing.
I appreciate the representation of a main character with an amputation.
The use of “freezing” as a swear word is only distracting and not effective. I don’t like it.
Their sacrifices were perfect… predictable, but satisfying. And poor baby Micah’s heartbreaking scene before everything turned happily ever after.
The epilogue was a bit cheesy, but that’s okay. Tie it up in a neat bow.
So I did like the Selkie (Little Mermaid) book in this series a tiny bit more. Dorian and Maisie seemed to have a little more depth to their relationship than Elliot and Gemma. The way Gemma spoke felt like we were brought back in time to historical fiction but I’m pretty sure it’s set in the same time period as the Selkie book, which is confusing.
I’m soo glad I own this series instead of renting it from the library because this world is fantastic and the writing is captivating. Insert chef’s kiss here. I’ll be moving on to the next one, “Heart of the Raven Prince.”
Cassie Swindon 