Beastly Beauty by Jennifer Donnelly

I'll be honest, I was ready to put this book down about two chapters in, but I have it a second chance. The twist of having the genders switched in the story was interesting. But it took entirely too long to get momentum in the story. For that I couldn't get connected with them. Of course you want the curse to be broken, but I was more invested in Beau than Arabella.

I adore Beauty and the Beast and all retellings of the original tale. When I saw this adaptation pop up in my feeds I was very excited to pick it up and was graced with the ability to read it early.

In this twisted retelling, Arabella is the beast and Beau is our weary traveler trapped in the castle without an understanding of the magic taking place there. Arabella and her court and staff have been trapped in a curse for a hundred years and their time is about to expire.

The story is told from Beau's POV with a little bit of whimsical storyteller inserted in a few locations throughout the read. Beau is a thief, a poor kid just trying to make a life for himself but also have enough money to support his younger brother. His gang come across the castle on a dreary night while being chased for a job they pulled. Once across, they encounter a lovely spread of food and after indulging are chased off by a monster, most of the group makes it back across the rickety bridge but Beau is trapped and the bridge has collapsed. While trying to plot his escape, Beau learns more about the castle staff and their curse.

Arabella is plagued with despair and longing and she knows her time is almost up, but it has been so long and no suitor has helped her solve the curses riddles. The company of characters in this book make it all the more whimsical, they are lovely and keep the story moving, because both Beau and Arabella are sadly really one-track minded.

The overall story building was well done, and I really enjoyed the twisting of this tale. I wasn't sure how it was going to be done, with the MCs swapped but Donnelly does a really good job making the story her own and really diving into this new curse.

I think if you are looking for something true to tale just a M/F swap - this is not for you. If you are relaly interesting a a good adaptation, retelling, I think you will enjoy this one. I really enjoyed the ending and the overall message - I won't spoil it though.

I understood the direction this book was going for, but on my end it didn’t quite meet it. It felt scattered and off kilter, and I found myself waiting for it to be over.

It was a fine read for folks who like Beauty and the Beast retellings, but for people who may be wanting more spark than just the standard story, this may not be the read for you.

Now this is some good writing!

Beastly Beauty is fantastically crafted, with some sharp prose and an enrapturing tale. While it definitely leans toward the younger side of the YA scale, it’s a creative and absorbing story fit for all ages.

Arabella labors under a curse placed upon her as a youth by a furious witch. Her inability to be biddable so she can marry well has sealed her fate; her family and friends are trapped in the castle, forever under the spell’s thrall, and sentenced to work in her service. Furthermore, everyone in the village falls into a coma that resembles death.

Enter Beau and his brother, two thieves seeking to sack the seemingly empty castle and town. Beau’s brother becomes ensnared by the curse placed on the town and Beau – strangely unaffected by the situation - goes looking for help at the castle. The castle’s servants think Beau and Arabella are perfect for one another – a sentiment that Beau, who is creeped out by the castle and the angry creatures apparently roaming the halls at night - strongly disagrees with. Can true love blossom? Or is it doomed from the start?

A lot of what carries Beastly Beauty to the realm of the transcendent is that it’s very strongly written. Donnelly is a creative, smart writer, and her work is excellent in this novel. While it might seem like a hodgepodge of Disney tropes, she makes us like the characters and worldbuilding so much that the whole book sails through what could have been a dull exercise.

There are some mild flaws in the magical system; if you think hard enough about it, you’ll poke some holes in it and start wondering at the hows and whys it of all. You’ll wonder why some reactions to this very bizarre situation aren’t intense enough, and you’ll start questioning a few of the plot elements. But this is a book for getting lost in the unusual and the surprising – for enjoying the flawed characters, for getting wrapped up in the plot.

Yes, there are some obvious parallels happening here – rage equaling beastliness, and points about mental health and feminine expression of self. It’s all pitched at a level that’ll be very elucidating for the young, and it’s wrapped up in a fun retake on the tale of Belle and Beast. Sometimes you can’t ask for more. Beastly Beauty delivers beauty all right – in spades, and unstintingly. It’s a great little book, even with a few warts present.

Meh. This was one of my most anticipated ARCs this spring, but sadly I was very disappointed. I loved Stepsister, and this was not that. I did appreciate how closely she kept the story to the original Disney movie, and thought her adaptations were really creative and original. Overall, the plot was incredibly similar, but I didn’t believe the romance which was the best part of the movie. He was desperate to leave until he suddenly loved her? I lived for the sneaky side glances and budding moments as Belle and the Beast realized they were falling and I felt this sadly skipped over those parts. Even the ballroom scene lacked the chemistry it should have had! Neither character really stood out or had much growth throughout the novel, but seemed to simply have a change of heart due to running out of time. I would recommend her other books before recommending this one.

I received an advance review copy for free via Netgalley (THANK YOU) and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Pub date: May 7 2024

Arabella’s mother has plans for her. She will be sweet and quiet. She will also marry whomever her mother tells her. To do this, she must hide her real thoughts and dreams from everyone around her. She is doing her best but learns she can no longer stand quietly and let others be abused. When her anger is released … a curse is put upon her. After a time, Beau has been captured in Arabella’s castle and the servants think he may be able to break the curse. Beau only wants to get away. He believes there is no such thing as love. Is there a chance that Beau and Arabella can break the curse?

Beastly Beauty is a stand-alone fairy tale re-telling where the main characters' genders are reversed. Most readers will be familiar with the popular reincarnations of Beauty and the Beast and this version has everything a fairy tale fan would want. Donnelly did a wonderful job switching the roles and putting a fresh spin on a beloved tale. Beastly Beauty will be a hit for everyone who enjoys a good re-telling.

2.75 rounded to 3.

I am hopeful that this book will get the editing it needs. But also, I struggled with feeling Arabella and Beau had an connection. I am a sucker for retellings, and this had so much potential. I loved the idea around Arabella's ladies, and Hope and Faith, but I just did not feel compelled to root for the MMC and FMC. In that regard, it feel flat. Here's to hoping that there is some reworking happening in the background before this is released.

Interesting take on Beauty and the Beast. The story struck me as a bit of a mash-up between Beauty and the Beast with bits of Sleeping Beauty thrown in. In some places, we're taken very deep philosophically and in others we skim the surface of some crass mentality, played out in the behavior and words of the (thankfully) more minor characters.

My favorite quote:
"You must do one thing and one thing only - become the person you were meant to be. No matter how daunting that task may be. Otherwise, your life is not a life; it is merely a long, protracted death."

I received an ARC; this is my honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley, for granting me an ARC in exchange for a honest review!

Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairytale so I was SO excited for this! I loved all the different twists Donnelly put in the story. Let’s be honest, she’s a genius. However, the other aspects of the books were lacking. The romance felt rushed and a little undeveloped. Parts of the plot were weak. And the dialogue wasn’t the best either.

Overall: the twists Donnelly put on the fairytale were amazing, but it felt like she didn’t try very hard with the rest. It was still an enjoyable read, just a little disappointing.

Beastly Beauty by Jennifer Donnelly is a beautifully crafted and captivating tale that transports readers into a dreamy world. This enchanting story is both thrilling and satisfying, making it a must-read.

I loved it, there are not many retellings where Beauty is the monster instead of the other way around. I loved how she spun the story and captured your attention from page one. I recommend to anyone who loves Beauty and the Beast, you will love this retelling of the book. You will not want to put it down until you have finished the book.

I finished this book last night and I'm still not real sure what to make of it. I won't go into detail because I don't want to leave spoilers. I literally had to google a list of emotions to keep up with everything happening. Beauty and Beast is my favorite fairytale, but I'm not quite sure I can add this retelling to that category. It gets a solid 2.5 stars for me on Storygraph and round down to 2 stars on Goodreads.

**Thanks to Scholastic via NetGalley for the early copy!

Jennifer Donnelly does it again. She is truly masterful at doing fairy tale retellings that stay true to the heart of the stories but are so reimagined they truly take on a life of their own. I am a huge Beauty and the Beast fan, ( I mean what reader doesn't fall in love with the Beast's library) so I had high expectations, and this did not disappoint.
I loved the gender swap, and Beau had a slight Flynn Rider appeal being a thief with charm to play against Arabella's strong willed and determined character.
The story weaves in the loved characters from the original but gives life of their own but also adds so many new characters of Arbella's feelings come to life. The theme of believing in yourself, understanding yourself, standing up for self in the face of adversity takes on new meaning. Arbella's curse wasn't her being vain but needing to learn lessons on love.
I love this author's writing style. She weaves beautiful imagery into the story, the characters have so much depth and personality. So many struggles that they were dealing with are so true in real life.
I read the book in two days, and it was hard to put down. Super fun, Super Cute, Super Wonderful. A story that is new but has the heart of the original fairytale.

Highly Recommend to those that love fairy tale retelling, coming of age and heartwarming stories with beautiful writing.

well, that was disappointing! a good idea but executed poorly. maybe send it back to the editor?? 😭

I thought it was going to be a four star in the first half, but idk what happened! the second half seemed to lose all the dark gothic vibes & intrigue. the dialogue was cheesy, and the romance felt very underdeveloped. the ending reminded me of a silly Disney, which felt too amateur for YA. still, it wasn't all bad. I wouldn't say it's worth reading though.

This was an engaging retelling of beauty and the beast. Arabella, trapped inside an old castle on an island, trapped with her emotions given life, has worked very hard to figure out a way out of this life. But how? It can't be possible. Espirda has made sure of that.

Beau has been abandoned by his friends, caught in the middle of stealing everything they could from the mysterious castle. Destroying the bridge on their way out, he's left here with the monsters within, just as Arabella has been.

Only when they begin to work together is there hope. Slow, but very good.

The book started out with a lot of promise - I loved the idea of a gender-swapped Beauty and the Beast, and the pacing in the first half was pretty good. We follow Beau, a handsome thief, as he stumbles upon a castle with a lot of mystery to it. I was really intrigued as he explored more and learned a little bit.

And then the second half hit, and it all fell apart. While I appreciate that this book tried to take a feminist perspective on how the world tells women we're too emotional, wow was this way too on the nose. Like, no subtlety whatsoever. It just hits you over the head again and again with its message. Also, while I was happy that the book didn't seem to be rushing a romance between the two protagonists at first, it basically did a 180, going from them just starting to show an interest in each other to insta-love. There's other issues as well, such language that felt far too anachronistic and modern to the time period (I read historical fiction because I like feeling like I'm in another place, but I know not everyone minds this as much as I do, so make of that as you wish). Also, considering most of the characters have been stuck in time for 100 years, there was no pointing out how outdate everything was, just that it was threadbare. Some of these complaints are obviously smaller and ones I could have overlooked with better storytelling, but when you put it all together, this book was pretty disappointing.

I am always ready for a good fairytale retelling and I enjoyed this beauty and the beast reverse story.
The chemistry between the main characters was great and I loved that they each had something more than their own attraction and each other. Arabelle is trying to free all the people of the castle from her curse and Beau is fighting for the life of his brother.

A very different retelling of Beauty and The Beast, Arabella is the noble who has been cursed by The Clockmaker who requires that she learns how to love within the next 100 years or she and everyone in the castle will die. Turns out, things are not as they seem, of course. I liked the moral of the story - learning how to love yourself, deal with emotions, and be a better person, a whole person, and stand up for yourself. A better lesson than the original!

Diana Piskor <dianapiskor0@gmail.com>
2:30 PM (5 minutes ago)
to me

BEASTLY BEAUTY, to me, was full of promise but underdelivered. It had a really wonderful premise, a gender flipped Beauty and the Beast, and, as one of my favorite movies, I was hoping I would love the book. However, I felt that the character development was lacking, the story itself was a bit confusing and rushed, and was more juvenile, almost middle grade, than I expected.

With all of that being said, I am in the minority. A lot of early reviewers really liked this book, and with the parts that I read that were well done, for good reason. I loved how the author made the FMC, Arabella (get it?) "beastly" because she did not fit into the stereotypical woman of her time period. She had hopes and dreams beyond just marriage and being biddable and silent. I thought that this was a great twist and spin on this retelling and is one of the main things I liked about it.

However, there were a lot of things that I struggled with while reading this book. The two main characters really don't interact or engage much until about halfway through the book. I'm all for a slow burn, but this felt unnecessarily long. And when they did interact, it wasn't enough for me to understand how they could possibly fall in love. They felt one dimensional and bland. This wasn't helped by the story being confusing. There were lots of POV shifts, and some side characters had a lot of time in the book that really didn't seem to serve a purpose. "Mysteries" were mysteries because the characters just never followed up. There's a beast attacking people and attacks the MMC multiple times? Let's just move on to the next scene.

Quite honestly, I think it has to do with the story itself. I echo other early reviewers who are saying that this book trends more towards middle grade readers than young adults. For those readers, this book would be a great read: it has romance, a positive message, magical realism, and is age appropriate.

Overall, I think this book would be perfect for older elementary and middle school individuals. But for an older audience, I think they might have the same problems I did when reading. Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Fairytale retelling✔️
My favorite fairytale✔️
My favorite author for fairytale retellings ✔️

This book was written for me. I adore a reimagined fairytale and I love Jennifer Donnelly’s writing. She creates altered stories that retain so much of the classic but are fresh and original. Her stories raise questions about expectations placed on women to be good, be quiet, follow the rules. In many versions of fairy tales women are pretty and sparkly but that comes with a price. Donnelly shows that price. She also shows a different way for her heroines.

In this version of the classic Beauty and the Beast, the roles are flipped. The Beauty is the man and our beast is the woman. Loved this flip! Beau and Arabella are complex characters with layers of mistakes, pain and guilt. Beau is forced into a life of seduction and robbery after being orphaned. He is teased but he other thieves for his good looks. Arabella lives an isolated life with her court of ladies that are just a little bit odd and scary.

The castle is isolated and there is a library. The magic behind this version is a little bit different than some other versions. Took me a little bit to understand some of the pieces. The magic is clever. Arabella and Beau have great chemistry with plenty of witty banter. Fantastic character development and vivid atmosphere. SIde characters, both court ladies and servants, were important to the story. The castle felt cold, creepy and isolated.

As with Donnelly’s other stories, I was left thinking about the important messages long after finishing. While society might force expectations on us, individually we are each responsible for our own happiness.. With any fairytale retelling, love is important. Arabella must figure out if societal expectations are worth the pain and suffering or if can she be true to herself.

Highly recommend to anyone who loves a good fairytale that isn’t all sugar and sweetness.
Big thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic PRess for the ARC in exchange for my honest reveiw. I look forward to reading Jennifer Donnelly’s next book!