Book Details
Title: Beauty and the Beast
Author: K'Anne Meinel
Publisher: Independently Published
Publication Date: May 18, 2022
Genre(s): LGBT, Retelling, Fantasy
Pages: 360
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Beast-KAnne-Meinel-ebook/dp/B0B1PSH32D
Title: Beauty and the Beast
Author: K'Anne Meinel
Publisher: Independently Published
Publication Date: May 18, 2022
Genre(s): LGBT, Retelling, Fantasy
Pages: 360
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Beast-KAnne-Meinel-ebook/dp/B0B1PSH32D
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Reading Details
Finish Date: June 1, 2022
Format: Digital
Representation: Sapphic
Trigger/Content Warnings: Descriptions of violence
Finish Date: June 1, 2022
Format: Digital
Representation: Sapphic
Trigger/Content Warnings: Descriptions of violence
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Rating: 4/5
Favorite Quote/Scene:
"Your lust to kill was mightier than your love for her."
Review:
I am very thankful to the author for allowing me access to an eARC of the book in exchange for a review. I'm an absolute sucker for queer retellings of any kind and I was drawn in by this one.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I thought it was a lot of fun and I absolutely loved the take on a classical story that everyone has heard before. It wasn't just a basic retelling of Beauty and the Beast with two female characters. There was new plot points and characters added to the story that added a great amount of depth and intrigue to the story. This also applies to how the curse was applied, how the beast was described. It was intriguing and I would love to see a rendering of what the design looks like because I have a hard time picturing it.
The characters were quite enjoyable and I found that I really liked them. None of the main characters felt basic or one-dimensional. They had good chemistry with one another and I enjoyed how they worked off each other. They were complex characters with interesting motivations and feelings that allowed them to feel authentic, like characters you want to root for.
The plot of this book was interesting and woven in such a good way. I thought it dragged a bit at times, but I honestly think that was just the descriptions that didn't really do anything for me (I explain that a bit later). Other than that I thought the book was well-paced. Nothing seemed rushed or needlessly drawn out.
The writing in this book was an interesting thing. It took me a bit, about 30 or so pages, to get used to the writing but I think that had more to do with the fact that I hadn't read other fantasy/historical books sort of books when I switched to reading this one. The writing is solid though! The author is good at writing characters and descriptions. I really enjoyed the conversations between the characters because none of it felt wrong. It felt authentic to the setting and situations that the characters were in.
There are two things that made my rating what it was but I do need to acknowledge that both of these things are personal to me. Other people likely won't have an issue with them and might even enjoy them. One issue is that I found it hard to focus on the story with all the descriptions being given. I'm not one of those people that can visualize what's being described so having a lot of descriptions doesn't do much other than pull me out of the story. The other issue I had is that I found it difficult to keep track of all the people. I started getting a bit better towards the end of the book, but I struggle when there are a lot of characters. Especially when the characters are introduced in a group like Charmaine and her family was. Again, these are not problems that everyone will struggle with but they are things that I have personal issues with.
I definitely would recommend this to anyone who wants a fairy tale retelling with some twists. It's a bit lengthy, 360 pages according to my copy, so if you're looking for a light, quick read this isn't it. If you want a longer read with interesting characters and scenarios, check it out. I'll definitely be willing to check out another book by this author.
Favorite Quote/Scene:
"Your lust to kill was mightier than your love for her."
Review:
I am very thankful to the author for allowing me access to an eARC of the book in exchange for a review. I'm an absolute sucker for queer retellings of any kind and I was drawn in by this one.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I thought it was a lot of fun and I absolutely loved the take on a classical story that everyone has heard before. It wasn't just a basic retelling of Beauty and the Beast with two female characters. There was new plot points and characters added to the story that added a great amount of depth and intrigue to the story. This also applies to how the curse was applied, how the beast was described. It was intriguing and I would love to see a rendering of what the design looks like because I have a hard time picturing it.
The characters were quite enjoyable and I found that I really liked them. None of the main characters felt basic or one-dimensional. They had good chemistry with one another and I enjoyed how they worked off each other. They were complex characters with interesting motivations and feelings that allowed them to feel authentic, like characters you want to root for.
The plot of this book was interesting and woven in such a good way. I thought it dragged a bit at times, but I honestly think that was just the descriptions that didn't really do anything for me (I explain that a bit later). Other than that I thought the book was well-paced. Nothing seemed rushed or needlessly drawn out.
The writing in this book was an interesting thing. It took me a bit, about 30 or so pages, to get used to the writing but I think that had more to do with the fact that I hadn't read other fantasy/historical books sort of books when I switched to reading this one. The writing is solid though! The author is good at writing characters and descriptions. I really enjoyed the conversations between the characters because none of it felt wrong. It felt authentic to the setting and situations that the characters were in.
There are two things that made my rating what it was but I do need to acknowledge that both of these things are personal to me. Other people likely won't have an issue with them and might even enjoy them. One issue is that I found it hard to focus on the story with all the descriptions being given. I'm not one of those people that can visualize what's being described so having a lot of descriptions doesn't do much other than pull me out of the story. The other issue I had is that I found it difficult to keep track of all the people. I started getting a bit better towards the end of the book, but I struggle when there are a lot of characters. Especially when the characters are introduced in a group like Charmaine and her family was. Again, these are not problems that everyone will struggle with but they are things that I have personal issues with.
I definitely would recommend this to anyone who wants a fairy tale retelling with some twists. It's a bit lengthy, 360 pages according to my copy, so if you're looking for a light, quick read this isn't it. If you want a longer read with interesting characters and scenarios, check it out. I'll definitely be willing to check out another book by this author.
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