I really enjoyed this book! WHAT A TWIST. This is definitely going to my favourite list.

*I received a free copy of this ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

So when I got this book, I didn't see the Mature Content warning on it. Fortunately, it was in isolated passages that were easy to skip over. But still. Had I known, I would never have requested the book in the first place.

The story itself was okay. It's a Beauty & the Beast-type story, but set in what I assume is the future with AI robots doing most of the work that people do now. (So what do people do, then? Particularly those who aren't inventors or millionaires?) We've got out Beast character, Lorccan, who's never left his tower because he believes his immune system is too weak to survive in the outside world. And his face is disfigured. Then Alainn is the Belle character, taking a robot's place in Lorccan's tower in an attempt to prevent her father from going to prison. (We never find out what her father did to get in trouble with the law, by the way.) And somehow it's supposed to be believable that Lorccan could, in all seriousness, fall in love with a robot. No matter how realistic she is (I mean, she's actually Alainn), he believes she's a robot.

Yes, there are other elements of the story. Like the kidnapping during which Alainn lost her best friend when she was a teenager. And the real reason Rose convinced Alainn to take her place.

Overall, I feel like it was okay. If the sex had been left out, it would have been better. But omitting something distasteful doesn't automatically make a book great.


Note: Swearing, including f words. Graphic sex that can be skipped, but the book isn't worth the trouble.

Happy Friday! Today I’ve got a fairy tale retelling for you – Rita Stradling’s Ensnared. It’s a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, set in the “near-future,” where androids (humanoid robots, not the operating system!) are just starting to become a real thing. If you’ve seen the television show Humans, that’s kinda what I was picturing. Slightly less creepy than Westworld.

I’ve only read a handful of fairy tale retellings, and most of those have been from Marissa Meyer, so I’ll be the first to admit I’m not an expert here. To me, the good ones are the ones where you can recognize the similarities to the original story, but it doesn’t feel like a rehash. I thought Stradling did a fairly decent job with Ensnared. The parallels to Beauty and the Beast were pretty obvious, but also distinct enough to be interesting. I liked the sci-fi aspect with artificial intelligence, and appreciated that it was “dumbed down” enough for someone with very little scientific interest to grasp.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I definitely understand why people are criticizing it. With good science fiction (which is what this is, in my mind), you really have to be able to suspend disbelief – which places a LOT of pressure on the author to create a world that’s rich in detail and context. This is where Ensnared falls short. I read most of the book with a hefty dose of skepticism for where the story was going. Truthfully, I picked it apart, saying to myself, “well how is she going to shower/eat/use the bathroom?” or “that’s never going to work” or “yeah right, like that’s reasonable.” What kept me reading was less about knowing what happened than it was knowing whether Stradling was going to give me answers to these pressing questions of mine. (Some she did, some she didn’t.)

Despite that, though, Ensnared was a quick, light read, and if you’re a fan of retellings, definitely give this one a shot.

"Ensnared" is an entertaining and creative retelling of Beauty and the Beast, with robots. I enjoyed Rita Stradling's descriptive writing style and the imaginative ways her characters interacted and developed relationships. This was a truly entertaining read for young adults. Due to some graphic sexual encounters between the main characters, which also verged on creepy since a robot was supposedly involved, I would not recommend for younger readers like my middle school students. However, to more mature readers, "Ensnared" belongs among the other unique retellings of a classic story.

The blurb saying that it is a retelling of beauty and the beast in sci-fi setting made me read this one but maybe sci-fi is just not my thing right now. I had a hard time getting into the book and the lives of the characters. It was an okay read at the beginning but it never really gotten better.

I don't know if it was the writing or the story, but I sadly couldn't connect with the characters. I tried to continue reading till the end but I just felt like i was forcing myself. I'll hopefully go back to this some other time.

Alainn Murphy's father is hired on to create an AI for the reclusive billionaire Lorccan Garbhan, and he created the Rose model in Alainn's image. There are some flaws with the AI and the design, and her father isn't being given more time to perfect it. In order to ensure that he isn't sent to prison for fraud, Alainn takes the place of the robot. She is isolated in Lorccan's tower, away from living things and windows, as he is scarred and has a poor immune system. At first, she is scared of the situation, but gradually comes to love him.

This is a futuristic retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast story, and I'm always a sucker for rehashing fairy tales.

Alainn is a heroine that is very relatable. She makes mistakes, can be impulsive, and cares a lot about her family. It's why she agreed to the robot's plan to go to Lorccan's tower, but that same ability to care for others means that she starts to care for him as well.

The romance itself is a slow developing one, which is far more believable in this scenario. They're too unsure of each other at first, and it takes months before the relationship turns physical.

There are a lot of twists and turns in the story, keeping me in suspense until the end. There are some aspects of Alainn's history that don't directly add to the plot, and seems to be almost a red herring at times. While Rose treated it as a huge "Ah ha!" moment, it isn't as big a part of her characterization as it's made out to be.

Maybe that's the point of it, though; Rose uses calculations and formulae to predict human behavior and emotions, but falls short. We're not so easy to predict, and even "knowing" someone or their history doesn't guarantee outcomes. People need human contact and companionship, and there is no replacing the human spirit.

bit spoilery.

this book had me at beauty and the beast retelling. unfortunately it fell flat for me, for many reasons.

one. the world building really isn't there for me. i know it's set in the future, but there are these robots that are super smart and all, but still junky cars and other things? how did we get to the point we are at? i know it's only a few years away and not like 100 years, but for some things to make huge leaps and bounds, and others not to? it doesn't make any sense, and the world building wasn't there to back it up and make it make sense, you know?

two. the plot. it was just a bit of a mess and all over the place to me. so much of it didn't make sense, wasn't a big enough deal to warrant the craziness, or just... pointless. blah. also, i know it was crucial to the story and the human-going-in-place-of-the-robot, but why the bloody hell would you make a robot to look like your daughter? talk about creepy.

three. the characters. can we just talk about the fact that
a) Alainn pretends to be a robot and Lor seriously believes her? First off, I was under the impression that Lor would know he was being sent a human instead of a robot, but no. Okay so then I figured, ooh they're gonna fall in love and he's going to realise she isn't a robot and then there will be a bump in the road before the happily ever after... but no. Instead... he falls in love with a robot. Well we know she isn't a robot, but seriously, what the ever loving fuck? for reals? and then when she comes back to save his ass, and he knows it's her because he hears and says her name... then she needs a transplant and at first he won't pay for it. what a jerk face. let's not even talk about the reason he commissioned a robot in the first place.
b) just kidding, let's talk about that. this guy had messed up parents and they did messed up things and now he's messed up and a germaphobic weirdo who won't leave the house.... AND THAT'S NEVER RESOLVED.


cool. let's marry a guy who won't leave the house. ever. and you're pregnant. with twins. cool. you should get married. oh wait he already married you when he was sick and a robot was pretending to be you, because you know, you look exactly the damn same
c) there were a lot of side characters that i didn't feel were necessary and they just made the story more of a convoulted mess.
d) i didn't like colby or her father.


also, i don't mind sex scenes. i was not expecting it in this one, so if you're expecting a clean read, this isn't it. didn't bother me, actually one of those stars might be for their little love story even though it was more than a bit weird, but it might bother you. i thought for sure after they had sex and she orgasmed he would be like, gee, i wonder if she's human?

to top it all off, this book was just too long. i'm sorry. i feel like a jerk, but it was just too much and not enough at the same time.

Okay this is not going to be for kids but young adults could read this. Sexual scenes but could be a weak story for adults. I did enjoy this but I wanted a light read and it’s good just not a gripping storyline and you are going to guess the plot from the beginning but I still loved it. I know mixed messages here but for a light romantic read with a steampunk feel even if it’s set in the future.

Rating: 3/5

Genre: YA Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Recommended Age: 18+ (violence, adult situations, and lots of robots. Like seriously, if you have automatonophobia I would highly suggest you not read this book).

I received a free copy of this book through Netgalley! My opnions are my own.

Alainn's father is not a bad man. He's a genius and an inventor. When he's hired to create the robot Rose, Alainn knows taking the money is a mistake.

Rose acts like a human. She looks exactly like Alainn. But, something in her comes out wrong.

To save her father from a five year prison sentence, Alainn takes Rose's place. She says goodbye to the sun and goes to live in a tower no human is allowed to enter. She becomes the prisoner of a man no human is allowed to see.

Believing that a life of servitude lies ahead, Alainn finds a very different fate awaits her in the company of the strange, scarred recluse. - Amazon.com

Another book I had to DNF. Beauty and the beast is my favorite fairytale and Disney movie. I pride myself on being like Belle (except I probably would have kicked Gaston's ass on my own but that's another thing entirely). That being said I was so excited to see this book on Netgalley and I jumped at the chance to review it! While reading it I thought the concept of the book was really intriguing. I also thought that the plot and the pacing were well done and that the writing was really good. This book should have been a 5/5 for me, but for a few reasons it just wasn't.

Firstly, a couple of the characters felt a little flat and one of them did not have any character development at all. I also thought that while this book is set in the "near future" there was still not enough world building to it. It really made me confused in some spots because I wasn't sure about how the world was and how it was laid out. I also thought that because of the massive boom in retellings, especially Beauty and the Beast retellings, that I just could not get into this book. I tried multiple times, but failed every time. I felt like I knew all the of the surprises and things that would come from this book.

Verdict: Will I try this book out again? Yes definitely. I'm still intrigued by it and I want to read it. Will I give it a second shot anytime soon? No. As of right now I'm Beauty and the Beast worn out and I want to wait a few years before I attempt anything like this book again. I'd still highly recommend this book for any fairy tale lovers and any sci-fi lovers and especially those that belong in both categories.

Ensnared for me was a love/hate novel. I loved the fact it was a futuristic retelling of Beauty and the Beast and it gave me serious Lunar Chronicle vibes, but it gets so confusing I had to re-read parts and try to figure out parts, before giving up and moving on hoping that it would all click in my head later on. As a whole Ensnared's plot was poor, the characters were shallow, I couldn't really connect to any of them. It may be due to all the confusion or maybe they were just poorly written I won't know until I re-read this novel down the line. One thing I must mention though is the unnecessary explicit sex scene. Now I am not against explicit sex is YA novels I absolutely love the Court of Thorns and Roses series but it has to fit with the plot and add something either to the story or the characters and this did neither, so it felt disjointed and like it had just been shoved in there for effect

Hmmm, a retake of the Beauty and the Beast story. The twist: this one includes robots.

In my mind the main character Alainn is crazy, but agrees to trade places with a robot, one that looks just like her, to keep her father out of prison. A wealthy, eccentric man that lives a sterilized tower, has placed his order for a companion. Slowly but surely, she sees a softer side of man who has "ordered" a robot. Who would have thought you would find a robot love story. Just a bit crazy.

Mixed in with this story is the true robot's crazy scheme to seemingly take over...

<I>Ensnared</I> by Rita Stradling

<b>Star rating</b>: ★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

<b>Format</b>: ebook galley

<b>Summary</b>: In a scifi retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Alainn must take the place of her father's AI robot Rose. She's due to Mr. Garbhan but the AI isn't quite ready. To keep her father out of prison Alainn pretends to be the robot ordered.

<b>Review</b>: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review.

This book kept my attention throughout the whole of it. It was an overall enjoyable story though I had a couple of issues with it that kept it from being higher than a three star read.

The world-building was not very great. So many jobs were taken over by robots so, what do humans do? It wasn't ever addressed, you would think with jobs being replaced there would be more distress but he one time it's brought up its kind of shrugged off. This bugged me a whole lot.

There was some questionable stuff with Lorccan sleeping with Alainn when he believed her to be a robot. Although it is stated that the AI's were designed with free will but it was still kinda... Weird and creepy.

I had hoped that Lorccan and Alainn would actually discuss the whole lied to you about being a robot thing but they never did. I thought there should have been a scene she had to confess but the author gave her a heart transplant seemingly to just skip those issues.

Alaina's past with her friend seemed out of place. I thought it would give us more than what it did. I was very disappointed because it seemed to be implying there was a whole lot of meaning to it and then it just fell short. Also, how does Alainn not hate her father? All her problems are because of him and when they need to stop Rose he's hesitant to help his children. He won't help Alainn after she's removed from the tower to reconnect with Lorccan but tries to set her up with a friend that she's told him numerous times is only a friend. He doesn't listen to her or respect her opinions.

I mean I did enjoy reading it and it kept me engaged but I did have some issues with the story overall.

<b>Recommendation</b>: If you want a quick, scifi, fairytale inspired book then this isn't all that bad of a choice.

I should just be honest and tell everyone that I do not like the story of Beauty and The Beast. In fact, I have never seen the Disney version because I fall asleep at the same time every single time. THAT BEING SAID...I still read Ensnared and expected the fairy tale....however retold.

What I got was a dystopian/apocalyptic vibe with robots. The story dragged....and again, I FELL ASLEEP.

Maybe I'm more Sleeping Beauty.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This re-telling of beauty and the beast creative and fun. I liked the worldbuilding, although I needed more (so much more). I also liked that it still was a recognizable beauty and the beast tale.

I liked that Alainn was given her own motivations and backstory outside of her family. I also liked Lorccan. I did need more backstory on why things were happening the way they did. What did Alainn’s dad do that was so bad for him to be sent to jail? What about the barely mentioned ‘fraud’ at the beginning of the book? Where did all these robots come from? Why is her dad the only one to make the most human robot the world has ever seen? I spent a lot of time going why, why, why.

I liked the supporting characters. Each had their own specific issues to be dealt with, and each added something to the plot. Rose, Rosebud and Rosette were my favorites.

I did have one issue with the romance. I’m just not I believing that one can fall in love with a robot and not care that they may not be real. There should be some effort and for sure a discussion revolving around what makes us human and where the line is drawn with artificial intelligence. But instead, a character latches on to the first human-like person he meets. And then decides he doesn't even care if she is real, which is not healthy and should not lead to a HEA.

This story had great potential. I think it met a portion of that potential but not all of it. I needed more worlding and why’s for character actions.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

It is late 2026, and robots with artifical intelligence have become increasingly common in the world. Alainn Murphy's father has been commissioned to build a robot for Lorcann Garbhan, but the design is taking a little longer than he planned. Rose, the robot, has been built to look and even sound exactly like Alainn, so when Mr. Murphy runs out of time, Rose convinces Alainn to take her place until they can swap her out with the finished design. Convinced that it is the only way to save her dad from going to jail, Alainn reluctantly agrees. Life with Mr. Garbhan turns out to be quite different from what Alainn expected.

The consequences of artificial intelligence was a unique story line. With the quick integration of computers and smart phones into everyday life, it is easy to believe that in the span of 10 years, AI robots could become just as ubiquitous. The book starts by following a Beauty and the Beast plot but diverges about halfway through. Some parts of the book were better than others. I hope teenagers interested in the book will take note of the caution that there are adult scenes and it is recommended for people 18+ instead of thinking they would like to read it because it's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Ensnared was an interesting retelling of Beauty and the Beast and i really liked the modern twist on the story. The AI and the drama were an interesting aspect. I'm not sure I fully believed the developing relationship between Alainn and the Beast. It was an entertaining read while it lasted, but not particularly memorable.

Alainn’s father is a genius bent on creating an amazing AI robot to pay off his debts. But things go awry and Alainn ends up drawn into a scheme meant to save him from prison. As a result, she’s pretending to be an actual robot commissioned by a very rich man living all alone. Creepy!

Also, there’s a robot conspiracy going on (as we know, they aren’t exactly reliable), and the best parts of Beauty and The Beast.

The beginning of the book was really kickass, powerful and amazing and I thought it would become a really good retelling. Unfortunately, in the second half the book fell short for me.

My biggest issue was our “Beast”. Let’s face it, there’s only so long a girl can pretend to be a robot without being discovered however the fact that the guy was clueless until the very end of the book drove me crazy!

I mean, come on! I don’t care if you’ve been isolated your whole life, the guy just has no common sense or good judgement which made me eye-roll like crazy and in the end I just didn’t see what Alainn fell in love with. At all.

I’m willing to believe in evil robots with a vendetta against humanity but I will only go thus far when a person is being a complete fool. :)

This is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and in some moments I could clearly see that.. But especially in the plot there were not enough similarities with the original story. But that's just in my opinion. That's something that I really didn't like. Ok, I know that it's really hard to have a futuristic story resemble the original one, but I really wanted more similarities

*Spoilers*

I really hated Alainn. In the beginning she was allright. I felt pity for her, because everyone in her family is a brainiac except for her. But when she's with the beast, she just keeps lying. She's completely in love with him, but keeps lying? No, I couldn't feel sympathy for her anymore. And Rose? That was also very confusing. One moment she's just a maid in the house and the other moment she's plotting the murder on Alainn? I didn't work for me..

The story itself also reminded me of Uprooted from Naomi Novik. I didn't find the story original, but the robots were a nice twist.

This book had a lot of things happening in it. On the surface, it was a near future Beauty and the Beast story. Alainn, Beauty, is sent into the beast, Lorcann's, tower when her father doesn't get the AI robot who is meant to go in ready in time. What she doesn't know is that Lorcann has already given them a month's extension on the project.

It's also a story of Lorcann's incredibly terrible (maybe mad?) parents, who kept him locked in the tower all his life until he was severely immunosuppressed, while at the same time his mum particularly tortured and abused him.

It is also the story of Alainn coming to terms with the death of her best friend Cara that was at a different AIs hands.

It is also the story of AIs who are capable of killing or remarkably changing humans for what they see is their own wellbeing in the long term.

Like I said, there was a lot going on here. There were a lot of good ideas even. Ultimately, though, I feel it was a case of too much, or at least that the plot didn't quite seem to support all of the threads, or even flesh them out to the point where there was a real reason for every single one of these things to be featured. The end of the book seemed like a mad scrabble to tie everything up satisfactorily.