TW: Verbal abuse from a parent, body image issues, and gore

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha for the eARC! This was such an interesting manga to read and it definitely surprised me at some parts. The Beast was so sassy and brutally honest—I really enjoyed reading all parts when he was speaking. I wasn't expecting this to be gory at all but holy moly the violence in this manga escalated hella fast. you'll probably know what I mean if you read a certain part near the beginning. I want to continue this manga mostly out of curiosity with what happens next and because of how much I love the Beast. I really hope Belle also heals a bit from the verbal trauma her father put her through. Also I like how there's possibly another beast which adds a spin on the traditional plot of Beauty and the Beast. Overall a fascinating manga.

The book feels like a retelling of Beauty and the beast combined with Little Red Riding hood.
The manga is written very well where it also gives a proper storyline to the beast as well.
The book is a tunnel of secrets and we have to wait for another book to unveil the secrets.
The art style and illustrations suit the book well.
I loved and enjoyed reading it and waiting for book 2.

This might be the best Beauty and The Beast retelling I have ever read (just saying this based on the first volume expecting the series to keep the momentum). and that too in Manga format. I am stunned, in love and wanting for more of this.
I really loved the way the story is not the typical story and rather in a very different fantasy perspective. The artwork is beautiful and filled with crisp elements making every panel interesting. Adding the Japanese touch to it made it even more amazing for readers like me who absolutely adore the Manga format.
I am looking forward to read more and follow the series.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* really like this twist on the classic beauty and the beast, will have to read more of it!

Loved this so much to me it was like a Beauty and The Beast retelling mixed with a Little Red Ridinghood but with a twist. I love retellings and I will be getting a physical copy when I get the chance. I highly recommend to everyone.

I absolutely adore this dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast! It's a really interesting twist, and I'm really intrigued to learn more about what happened to Belle's mother, who is the OG Belle they all keep talking about, why are they cursed, what's going on with this other villain - ah! Such an intricately woven story, this first volume sped right past and I'm desperate for volume 2!
The art is absolutely gorgeous, the story is compelling, and the characters are so complex. Absolutely cannot wait for the next volume in this series.

Beauty and the Beast of Paradise Lost , Volume 1, by Kaori Yuki is the start of a new graphic novel series. It presents the story of Belle and her beast as you've never seen it before, with sinister, creeping shadows suffusing a door to a wider, magical world. Young and rambunctious Belle insists on going out to play in the forbidden woods, but her adventurous streak abruptly ends when her mother is spirited away by a beast known to kidnap beautiful women. Twisted by the loss of his wife, Belle’s father keeps his daughter and her unusual violet hair locked away in an effort to “protect” her from prying eyes. Years later, news of the beast’s reappearance coaxes Belle back to the woods where it all began—but her desperate search for the truth may be more perilous than she could have ever imagined.

Beauty and the Beast of Paradise Lost is a new and engaging story. First off, I loved the art style and think the graphics do a great job of illustrating the mood and action oft he story while adding a great deal to the story as a whole. I enjoyed the twist on the beauty and the beast idea, and think the characters, action, and plot are all well build and carries through out the story. I thought the emotional scars for Belle and the other characters were just as evident as their more obvious attributes. Belle and the Beast had me wanting to know more about them and how everything would come together right from the start, and I was disappointed to see the last page of this volume because it felt like all of the groundwork had been laid and everything was just about to get even more interesting. I must admit that there were a few moments where I got a bit lost as to exactly where the characters were, and how certain things came to pass, but those moments were definitely the exception rather than the rule. I really enjoyed this read and look forward to the second volume.

Beauty and the Beast of Paradise Lost is a solid start to a new series, and I am intrigued. I look forward to following the story as it continues.

I’m a sucker for Beauty and the Beast stories, but what I often find is that they are incredibly hit or miss. Some of them can evoke that fairytale feeling perfectly, but the others don’t seem to do it well. This manga, however, is a big miss for me.

The elements were there. I could see how and what the mangaka was trying to create, but it got lost in how messy the story telling was. There was so much that was trying to be packed in that it became way too overbloated with stuff to make the reading of it coherent. I felt more confused than entertained, and I think it could’ve been improved if the pacing had been slower, and certain story elements had more time to breathe.

For example, the story of Belle’s abuse by her father felt rushed in favour of introducing the Beast and fantasy elements, when I more time should’ve been given to flesh it out. It seems it’s going to play a big part in Belle’s character in the later volumes, but the fantasy elements rushed her story. The parts we did see were done well, but it got overshadowed by the rest of the chaotic fantasy elements.

I feel like this volume needed more breathing space to develop the story to make it more accessible. I do believe the next volume might improve, and I hope to see where the story goes.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974
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We are not in Disneyland anymore. This isn't the tale as old as time retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It is a daring retake that will pull you in with dark art, wonderfully drawn and a story that you will hate to love or vice versa. Can't wait to see what volume 2 will bring.

Way back when I read through Angel Sanctuary more than once, because it was visually beautiful and intricate. I didn’t realise it was the same author until I started Beauty and the Beast of Paradise Lost. This is a positive because I remember that it was about 3-4 books because the saga that is Angel Sanctuary really settled into it’s universe, so while I think the first instalment of Beauty and the Beast of Paradise Lost is ok I want to read a few more books before I make a full judgement.

Beauty and the Beast of Paradise is a darker, more gore-y version of beauty and the beast. This is certainly darker than I expected but it was really enjoyable. The artstyle was beautiful and will definitely continue reading!
TWs: death, general gore

This is definitely the most different Beauty and the Beast retelling I have ever read,. I really liked the mix of horror elements in this, but I can see how it might be a little to intense for some people. It was interesting, and not what I was expecting.

My thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for an eARC copy of the book to read and review.

I LOVE Beauty and the Beast retellings, so when I saw this being offered, I jumped on it!

My anticipation was replaced by confusion and blah when I read it. It's not bad, per say, but it was confusing to follow and I just didn't connect with any of the characters. I am curious to find out the story about the first Belle, but this was rather graphically violent and that's not my jam, so I don't know if I will continue with this series or not.

I would recommend to manga readers who like the more grotesque and very twisty plot where you need to figure things out from context, nothing is really overtly spelled out.

Trigger warning, the father is HORRIBLY abusive to Belle, so if parental abuse to children is not something you want to read, skip this one. Also, the mother sacrificed herself to save her daughter and SPOILER Belle ends up becoming an orphan.

2, this was not for me but I don't really enjoy bloody violence in my manga so I am sure others will like it, stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics and Kaori Yuki for providing an e-ARC of this manga in exchange for an honest review. All the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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This was an awesome start to a fresh take on the tale as old as time!

Kaori's other works are very popular for her excellent crafting of characters, their arcs and worldbuilding. That can definitely be seen in this story and I'm super excited to continue this!

As always, her art style is beautiful!

This gothic retelling is easily one of my favourite retellings to date.

Overall rating: 5/5 stars

4/5

I received this book in exchange of an honest review, from the lovely people at Kodansha Comics and Netgalley.

"Have you had enough of those monsters you call humans? Ready to try your luck with a beast instead?"

Kaori Yuki is pretty well established author in the manga industry. She's the creator of Angel Sanctuary, Earl Cain, Boy's Next Door, Demon From Afar and her recent series, Alice in Murderland. Kaori is one of the best gothic writer for shojo, Josei and other genres because she doesn't do the same mistakes as other manga creators do. She crafts a memorable setting, remarkable and flawed characters and make you stay for the ride and her skills as a artist are to be envious. So her trying a beauty and the beast retelling? THAT'S brilliant. Keeping with the known mythos and adding her own peculiar gory story set in old France is engaging. Belle is a sheltered young woman living in solitude with her father after the tragic death of her mother at the hands of the ambiguous killer known as the beast. Fate intervene and Belle becomes the beast newest victim... or is she? Kaori Straight away doesn't make us fall for the beast, she makes you loath him. He is despicable, rude and downright off putting and it works. It's why learning about this man, his mysterious out of time and space home, his colorful row of servants and other forces afoot lurking around leaves a lot to be desired in this series. Give this book a try if you are a lover of a beauty and the beast retelling or just a dork for a good horror gothic tale~

This was an enjoyable retelling of Beauty and the Beast with some elements thrown in from other fairy tales, some well known and others more obscure. I enjoyed the mixture of light horror, humor, fantasy, and mystery. I suspect romance will come into play in future installments. I thought it was a nice twist to have the beast confident in his looks, while Belle was the one who was self-conscious. Warning! This book ends in a cliff-clanger! I can't wait to see where this series goes.

This manga tries to do a new reimagining of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale by expanding on the idea of a curse realm within the woods and adding horror themes to the mix. On paper, I don't think these are bad ideas and I think they added some interesting concepts as well as new scenes between Belle and the Beast that I genuinely enjoyed. All that being said, this book was a bit messy and complicated as far as reimaginings of fairy tales go. Belle's father is a character I can't seem to understand-- Teetering back and forth on whether or not he really cares about Belle, which bothered me the most. There's a lot of concepts that feel pointless like the rose birthmark on her and her mother that the writer explains very quickly. I'm not sure where this series is going or if it's worth hanging onto.

**ARC provided by Netgalley for honest review**

Beauty and the Beast of Paradise Lost 1 by Kaori Yuki was a darker and surprising twist on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, which is my absolute favorite, so I was really excited to try this one. This first volume was pretty much just the setup for the story, but it's very different from the usual pattern so far. The father figure is cruel and there's a second evil beast? Very interesting. The art is great and the story is definitely intriguing , but I'll have to read more volumes before I can tell if I'll like it or not. ;-)

A fairly violent retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a Twist. The townfolk believe that a beast steals beautiful women for their faces. After Belle and her mother are attacked by a beast and Belle is the only survivor, her father blames her for the lose of his wife. Constantly told she is ugly and picked on for the color of her hair, Belle is locked up in the house by her father. Unable to forget about her mother, Belle finally breaks out and goes in search of the beast. She encounters the creature again, but she is saved by the real beast. No closer to finding the answer to her mother's disappearance, Belle becomes a servant at the Beast's magical castle, charged with becoming the Beast's personal seamstress.
Violent, dark, and sinister, this version places a new spin on the old fairytale. Some graphic language and gaslighting of the main character.

Kaori Yuki has a style that's incredibly distinctive in both art and writing. You know there will be many beautiful panels full of lush backgrounds and gorgeous fashion. You know there will be a tragic heroine and many secrets to uncover. You also know that every new series will be full of drama and have its own little twist to make it perfectly original and enjoyable. This retelling of Beauty and the Beast is full of all of those things and certainly sets up an intriguing beginning to a series.
Poor Belle has not had an easy life. She grew up marked as different by her lavender hair and the only one who truly loved her was her mom. So when her mom disappears and her dad blames her, she grows up believing that she's horribly disfigured and ugly, locked away by her dad in what she believes is compassion so that others don't have to suffer her ugliness. Things get off to a running start when she winds up in the magical castle of the fabled beast, prince Cyril, and a tale of magic, mystery, and secrets begins.

Happy thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha for the great read!