Beauty Reborn by Elizabeth Lowham review

Title: Beauty Reborn

Author: Elizabeth Lowham

Ch: 19 plus epilogue

Pg: 200

Genre: Fantasy fairy retelling

Rating: 4.5 stars

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Beauty Reborn is the hardest Beauty and the Beast retelling that I’ve read. But it’s the one that’s the most important. As it gives a twist on the reason Beauty went to the beast castle in her father’s place. She’s running from the someone. And just like the Disney version the reader will quickly she who’s the real beast in the story. My heart broke for Beauty. I’m glad that read this one. Trigger warning for sexual assault off page though it’s mentioned, and the aftermath is talked about.

 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

City of Villians by Estelle Laure Review

Title:  City of Villains

Author:  Estelle Laure

Ch: 28

Pg:  240

Series: City of Villains

Genre:  retelling 

Rating: 3.5 stars

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

 

I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would as fairy tale and Disney retellings have been hit or miss for me lately. But City of Villains by Estelle Laure was a hit. I enjoyed the noir crime novel aspect of the book. Mary Elizabeth and Bella have this weird detective duo going on and I love it. I want more of those two in the next book in the series.

 

As the first book in the series it is a little slow, but that’s to be expected of a first book in a series as it sets up the world and develops the characters. And of course like most first books in a series there’s a cliff hanger, but with this being a bit of retelling and backstories as well as a slight crime novel you won’t a bit of a cliff hanger to get to come back for more.

 

This is indeed a YA novel so there is more than its fair share of teenage drama. That I didn’t care for and not just because I’m older than your typical YA reader, because I didn’t even care for teenage drama in my YA novels when I was a teen. But to me that’s the only con of the book. But I loved Mary Elizabeth and Bella enough to overlook it. Because City of Villains gave me a different take on Captain Hook’s back story. And I’m always a sucker for a new twist on Hook’s story. Since I’m still convinced that Hook was never the villain of the Peter Pan story.

 

 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone. 

Straight on Till Morning and the beast within review

Title:   Straight on Till Morning

 

Author:   Liz Braswell

Series:  Twisted Tale book 8

Pages:  496

Genre: fairy tale retellings  

Rating: 2 stars

Publisher: Disney Press

I wanted to love this books Peter Pan is one of my favorite book as a child. However I never liked the Disney cartoon of Peter Pan so more than likely why I didn’t like this book.

Title:   The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty’s Prince

Author:   Serena Valentino

Series:  Villains Book 2

Pages: 215

Genre:  Fairy tale retelling

Rating: 3 stars

Publisher: Disney Press

This was a book that gives Beasts back story so it was neat in that regard. But I still don’t why it was included in the villains series.