#BookReview: Beauty Reborn (Retelling of “Beauty and the Beast”) by Elizabeth Lowham @ShadowMountn

Synopsis: “Suspense-building flashbacks. Soul-searching, cautionary realism. Beauty herself is an intriguing, well-crafted original.” —Kirkus

Fantasy and reality collide in this retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” about a young woman’s heroic quest to save herself.

Beauty’s life is the stuff of fairy tales. The youngest in her family, Beauty isn’t trying to catch Stephan’s eye. He is the lord baron’s heir, well above her family’s modest station, but when he kisses her hand at a party, Beauty is swept away by his charm, his wit, and his passionate declarations of love.

Hearts can be untamable creatures, especially when touched by the fires of first love, and Beauty doesn’t see the truth of Stephan’s intentions until it is too late. Until he stops asking for Beauty’s love—and simply takes it from her one night despite her refusal.

Beauty locks away the secret of what happened to her, and when her father emerges from the enchanted forest with a stolen rose in his hand and the tale of a vicious beast on his breath, Beauty seizes the chance to run as far from Stephan as possible.

She has some experience with beasts, after all. Certainly the one in the forest couldn’t be any worse than the one she’s already encountered.

Breaking the Beast’s curse might be the key to discovering her own path to healing—and finding the courage to allow herself to feel reborn.



Goodreads | Amazon

Rating: 4 Stars
My Review: I die hard love Beauty and the Beast so any retelling are right up my alley.   This one was wow it did an amazing job with the parts of retelling the original story as well as making it all its own.  It was almost nearly perfect but something just felt a little off with the story to make it an unbelievable 5 stars.  This one sets solid at the 4 star mark.  It was so worth the read and I would totally read its again. 

Review

"This retelling of 'Beauty and the Beast' adds a #MeToo backstory. Suspense-building flashbacks. Soul-searching, cautionary realism. Beauty herself is an intriguing, well-crafted original, her story building on the tale's perennial theme of consent: She goes willingly to a Beast who does not force her into marriage though his life and humanity depend on it. In that respect, this iteration does not disappoint. Readers who appreciate narrative risk-taking are well served." --―Kirkus

About the Author

Elizabeth Lowham dreams of a future house that is seventy-percent library with at least three lavish window seats. Her reality is five bookshelves and a rocking chair, which isn't so bad. Apart from reading and writing, her hobbies include sewing, sketching, dancing, eating, and other -ing verbs. Plus yoga. She has a bachelor of arts in English and works as an author, editor, and screenwriter. She is a sexual abuse survivor who believes stories have a unique power to lift and heal for author and reader alike. She lives with her husband and son in the Loveland area of Colorado.

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Posted in: 4 Stars, Netgalley, Review, Shadow Mountain, Young Adult