Beauty of the Beast by Rachel L. Demeter

Title: Beauty of the Beast (Fairy Tale Retellings #1)

Author: Rachel L. Demeter

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Retelling, Fairy Tale

Publication: March 15, 2017

My Rating: 5/5

Source: NetGalley

Experience the world’s most enchanting and timeless love story—retold with a dark and realistic twist.

A BEAST LIVING IN THE SHADOW OF HIS PAST

Reclusive and severely scarred Prince Adam Delacroix has remained hidden inside a secluded, decrepit castle ever since he witnessed his family’s brutal massacre. Cloaked in shadow, with only the lamentations of past ghosts for company, he has abandoned all hope, allowing the world to believe he died on that tragic eve twenty-five years ago.

A BEAUTY IN PURSUIT OF A BETTER FUTURE

Caught in a fierce snowstorm, beautiful and strong-willed Isabelle Rose seeks shelter at a castle—unaware that its beastly and disfigured master is much more than he appears to be. When he imprisons her gravely ill and blind father, she bravely offers herself in his place.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Stripped of his emotional defenses, Adam’s humanity reawakens as he encounters a kindred soul in Isabelle. Together they will wade through darkness and discover beauty and passion in the most unlikely of places. But when a monster from Isabelle’s former life threatens their new love, Demrov’s forgotten prince must emerge from his shadows and face the world once more… 

Perfect for fans of Beauty and the Beast and The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty of the Beast brings a familiar and well-loved fairy tale to life with a rich setting in the kingdom of Demrov and a captivating, Gothic voice.

**I received a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I'm just so happy, this book is so, so wonderful!!

And yes, it's another Beauty and the Beast retelling, what did you expect? I can't resist these things, I think I've lost count of all the retellings I've read of this story. IT'S JUST SO PRECIOUS. I can't get enough of the girl's kindness and the beast's vulnerability, they make me happy, and their love makes me happy.

This book in particular is a retelling with a darker, more realistic twist. The hero, Adam, was badly burnt when he was just a young boy, and has been hiding for 25 (YES, TWENTY FIVE) years, not wanting the world to see his scarred face and body, and especially avoiding people, since he finds it very difficult to trust others after what happened to him, which we more know about as the story progresses.

It broke my heart to see that Adam is actually quite nice! He didn't do anything to get all that! And he is just such a good person...

I loved him, he is an incredible human being, and being able to read from his perspective as well was great, I really enjoy it when books include different POV's, so you get to know what goes on in the heads of both heroes. And Adam cared so much for Isabelle, he had so much goodness in his heart and he was oh so sweet and innocent.

"Would she give me my first kiss?"

Isabelle is just as loveable, she's as kind as she's beautiful, and has been caring for her father since he became blind, which broke my heart into very tiny pieces. It's really heartbreaking to see her talk about her dad before he got ill and lost his sight, it felt like he was a different man.

Her sisters are a pain though, I couldn't believe how selfish they were! I don't even know what Isabella's dad was thinking when he married their mother, since apparently they behaved just like her. I blame the dad, I do.

Isabella is also engaged, but the guy is a complete douche. Not that she always saw him that way, she actually liked the man, until he started to show his true colors, but poor Isabelle didn't want to break off the engagement, since her dad needed all the attention he could get, and her fiancé Raphael had the money for that.

Oh and not only is he a douche, but he even keeps a mistress and parades her in front of Isabelle...

Normal behavior for a man back then, but that's something I won't tolerate when it comes to my beloved heroines.

Adam and Raphael are complete opposites, and it's endearing to see Adam try to make Isabelle forget about Raphael's mistreatment. The way their relationship develops is done very well and beautifully, I even found myself falling more and more in love with these two characters, since we get little pieces about both of them along the way.

I also loved the role Adam's passion for music played in this. He's an amazing musician and, even though we can't hear his playing and singing, I could definitely feel from the pages how beautiful his music was and how it affected Isabelle.

And I have to say that I'm so very glad we got an epilogue, and a great one at that! I always want my books to let me now what happened to the characters afterwards and, in Beauty of the Beast, it is done perfectly.


Any Beauty and the Beast retelling you might recommend?

Thank you for reading! ♥