No Shelf Control

By Jennifer Donnelly

Thanks so much to Scholastic Press for giving me a complimentary eARC copy of this book upon my request! All opinions are my own.

Beastly Beauty is coming May 8th!! Preorder now wherever you get your books!

What’s it about?

When a handsome thief named Beau makes his way into the castle, the captive servants are thrilled, convinced he is the one to break the curse. But Beau — spooked by the castle’s strange and forbidding ladies-in-waiting, and by the malevolent presence that stalks its corridors at night — only wants to escape. He learned long ago that love is only an illusion. If Beau and Arabella have any hope of breaking the curse, they must learn to trust their wounded hearts, and realize that the cruelest prisons of all are the ones we build for ourselves.

When an attempt to suppress her emotions tragically backfires, a mysterious figure punishes Arabella with a curse, dooming her and everyone she cares about, trapping them in the castle. As the years pass, Arabella abandons hope. The curse is her fault — after all, there’s nothing more “beastly” than a girl who expresses her anger — and the only way to break it is to find a boy who loves her for her true self: a cruel task for a girl who’s been told she’s impossible to love.

Summary from The StoryGraph

My First Thoughts

I was definitely a little confused at first! It was very similar to Beauty and the Beast, but some different aspects made it slightly confusing. In the end, I understood the plot/characters after 50ish pages.

My Rating

I liked this book quite a bit! It was fun and unique, there were just a couple things I didn’t love!

What I loved

Most people would probably say that this isn’t unique because it very closely follows the plot of Beauty and the Beast. While this may be true, I believe that this book is profoundly unique because I’ve never read a book that retold a childhood tale in such a magical way! This retelling was perfectly different from the original, and it was changed to better fit modern times, which I find to be quite beautiful! Often times, when looking back upon childhood fairytales, they feel wrong and stereotypical for this time period. I believe that this book helped show how we can move away from some of these stereotypes, and proved that these stories can still be magical.

I loved how the characters were portrayed, and how it differed from the original story! They felt so raw and authentic, and they definitely fit better in today’s world than Belle and the Beast.

What I Disliked

The start was a little confusing and slow. It took me a little while to become invested in the story, to and understand the differences compared to the original Beauty and the Beast. Knowing that this novel was a gender-swapped retelling of Beauty and the Beast gave me several preconceived notions, which made it slightly harder to follow along in the beginning.

Should You Read It?

If you love fantasy or the original Beauty and the Beast this is absolutely perfect for you! It’s a new and improved fairy tale that is so fun!

Conclusion

Beastly Beauty is a fun, modern take on the classic fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast. It keeps most of the original plot with a fun spin on the characters. While the start was a little slow and confusing, it was still a great read!