This was a really interesting twist on a fairytale retelling. It was refreshing and also well written. I wasn’t 100% invested in the romance or I would have liked it much more. Still a very good read.

This was an interesting take on the Beauty and the Beast story. This version is from the Beast's point of view, which is rare (at least I haven't come across many like this). The author also added more to "Beauty's" family. In this version she has 2 sisters who's lives we get to see through the Beast's special mirror. There's no "bad" guy Gaston. And no magical furniture, though his castle does have magic and produces and does whatever they wish.

I give this book points for having a new vision of a classic story. It is slower in some parts and probably could have been shortened, but that doesn't mean it's bad. I'd say if you're a retelling fan or a Beauty and the Beast fan this book is a must read. If you're just a fantasy fan I'd say this book might be a hit or miss for you, but still give it a try.

There is always a special place in my heart for beauty and the beast. A childhood memory that always brings love, joy and danger to a wonderful story. This beast was a pure gentleman. A man... or beast of his word. He is only looking for someone who will love him for who he is, but aren't we all? There is something wonderful about a story like this. It really shows the good in people, something that is rare these days. This is what I loved about this book.

There were two things I didn't like, pretty big things. The beginning was a little flimsy. The beast let the father go and told him to bring his daughter back to live with him for a year. The father could have left and never returned since the beast had nothing that the father needed, but of course the father brought his daughter back to live with the beast.

The second thing that bothered me was the slow nature of the story. I was hoping something would happen, but it never did. Nothing really happened until the last 10% of the book and it made for a long read.

All together, this was still a good book. A wonderful twist on the childhood story that we all love. Read it and make up your own mind.

A very slow and lush retelling of Beauty and the Beast told from the Beast's perspective entirely. It follows the original version quite closely though it redeems the sisters and happily ever afters are had by all. As I mentioned though, this is a very long retelling. It rarely dragged surprisingly enough but if you aren't a fan of all the details of everything being shared, this version may be too slow for you. I liked the world building in such a small space and how it's as much a mystery to the person who was cursed (Beast) as the people who stumbled into the curse throughout the story. Also, Shallcross's language is gorgeous; the fairy tale tradition is leaned into hard and well. The Beast's voice is lyrical and yet authentic. He sounds exactly like a fairy tale hero should (with a hint of wokeness that was very much appreciated by this reader).

I love a good retelling! I saw this pop up on Netgalley and had to throw out a request for it. This was a fun re-imagined YA-ish settling of Beauty and The Beast. This one was a little slow rolling for me but the world crafting was excellent.


I am a big lover of the romance parts of a read, so the fact that that wasn’t the fore front for this read gave me a bit of pause, but at the end of the day it was a riveting read page after page. I loved the crafting of the world and the twists on the story that we all know. It kept me engaged and enchanted as I read.

Retellings have a special spot for me. I love the fact that loosely, we know where the story is going to go. We know the end game. But all of the parts in-between, all of those are up for grabs. This was one of the reads that plays very close to the known tale in some points, but browns and changes in a large way for others.

A solid 4 star read for me with a fantastic cast and beautiful world.

This is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, told from the Beast’s perspective. To be frank, I found myself bored through the majority of the book. It wasn't until the 60% mark that things picked up and I couldn't put it down. I liked the side plots of Isabeau's sisters and father; they were interesting and lent some variety to the same old stuff that Beast & Isabeau were up to. I know some find it creepy that Beast spied on them but I didn't really mind getting this glimpse and it helped the Beast I think become more human with time because he got to know and care for people. The character of Isabeau seemed to be a little flat and not a lot of personality. I was a little confused, even at the end of this book, as to <i>why</i> exactly the Fairy cursed the Beast. Those flashback scenes with the fairy just served to confuse me and didn't really enlighten me further.

This was a decent debut and I would probably pick up further books by Leife Shallcross, as I liked her writing style.

The book was a binge worthy read over a weekend. I couldn’t put it down. It was a different take on Beauty and the Beast. Having the perspective of the Beast opens a whole new perspective on this old classic tale.

I really enjoyed this title. I'm a sucker for any "Beauty and the Beast" themed titles and this is the first I've read from the Beast's point of view. It kept me reading and it was nice to see things from his perspective. In fact, in reading I saw several parallels to another book series I'm reading, one that has nothing to do with this original tale. Recommending it to fantasy and fairy-tale fans will be easy!

This book was received as an ARC from Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and Thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I love the story of Beauty and the Beast and have read and seen many adaptations of the story. This one however had a new twist on the character of the Beast that caught my attention in a good way because the character focused on the connection he had with the girl Isabeau and not on his angry monster qualities at first compared to the Disney adaptations and the original story by Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve. Every page got better and better and more interesting as you read on and if you are fans of any of Beauty and the Beast than you will enjoy The Beast's Heart.

We will definitely consider this title for our YFantasy collection at the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I loved everything about this book. The language was beautiful, the narrative compelling, the characters relatable and the ending satisfying. Just like in the Beast's castle, just as I started to ask a question, the answer appeared. It would have been interesting to hear a bit more about his grandmother and the fairy, but it wasn't necessary. I liked that the book didn't end with the transformation, but told a bit about the adjustment from beast to man. I would highly recommend this to everyone who loves Beauty and the Beast and is not fully satisfied by any other version.

It's always interesting to read a retelling of a Beauty and Beast story to see what they've included and what they've been influenced by. I was surprised how much this story took from the original story. I've never read someone using the dreams Beauty had.

Beast isn't a jerk in this, instead he's feral because he's been by himself in rundown castle for hundreds of years in the form of a beast. The book quickly does away with the idea that Beauty is a captive and instead makes him so pathetic that she agrees to keep him company.

I really liked how her family was expanded. In the original, she had lazy, spoiled sisters. I was so glad that when Beauty left the sisters started taking care of the house and develop as characters.

My one complaint is that the book could have been shorter. A lighter bit tighter in area.

Well, folks. You know the story. A cold-hearted prince meets Fairy Justice. Except this time the story is told entirely from the perspective of the Beast. Will the beautiful Isabeau fall in love with him and break the curse?

Full disclosure...I've always been in love with fairytales and I am a super-mega-raging Beauty and the Beast fangirl. I was just about six years old when the original Disney phenomenon hit the theaters and I remember watching it on the big screen like it was yesterday. It sounds ridiculous but this movie did alter the course of my little life. It ignited my love for epic romance. It set my standard for brainy, beautiful book loving heroines. Everyone who knows me knows that I'm obsessed with this story.

So I was excited to read a version of this story from the Beast himself. And, generally, I liked it. There's a heavy fantastical feeling threaded through the entire story and Leife Shallcross is a talented author who writes vividly and emotionally. If you like fantasy, and I do, you will probably enjoy this book.

However, and maybe it's just the reading mood I'm currently in, but I do wish that there was a little bit more going on in this story. A little more action. As this story is told from the perspective of the Beast A LOT of the story is happening inside his own head. It's a lot of inner monologue. And while it's executed superbly, I thought a little more action would have been nice. There were a few scenes that felt prolonged to me and I was tempted to skip ahead.

But, again, Ms. Shallcross is a very talented writer and weaves magic very prettily throughout this adored classic tale. If you're in the mood for something with an epic, contemplative feeling, check out The Beast's Heart!

When I asked a group of my high school students their interpretation of the message in Beauty and the Beast, they emphatically answered that it's not what's on the inside that counts. However, I then proceeded to point out to them that the "inside" of the beast, at least in Disney-fied and many other version of this tale, is that of a jerk for much of the story. For the most part, he's not nice and does not deserve Belle's affections or kindness. Finally, we have a retelling that breaks this mold. Keep in mind, Leife Shallcross' The Beast's Heart truly is a retelling of the traditional tale. There is not much different plot-wise: a prince-turned-beast, a father in need stumbling upon a castle, the beast saves his life, the beast demands the father's youngest daughter in exchange for his life, youngest daughter shows up, the two tiptoe around one another for months, and then the beast and daughter fall in love.

Readers will finally see the tale from Beast's point-of-view, and it is rather refreshing, honestly. Beast hates himself more than anything, and acknowledges his selfishness while also having brilliant moments of selflessness. Leife Shallcross' The Beast's Heart is a gorgeously written retelling of a classic story, shedding light on the other side of the tale to allowing readers a glimpse into what it's like for a man to find himself inside the body of a beast.

This is an imaginative premise that mostly delivers on its charm. There are interesting character twists, with the inversion of the sisters' and father's feelings regarding the heroine's capture and subsequent good fortune. The Beast is written well, and the account from his point of view adds both dimension, depth, and humanity to the character.

That said, the plot doesn't differ greatly from the known story, and because of the nature of the narrative (largely recounting their day-to-day activities) the book feels stiff and slow in a few places in the middle. Readers could skim or skip large chunks without significant detriment or loss of storytelling. It is for that reason that I wouldn't feel comfortable recommending this for YA readers, though it otherwise fits the bill quite well.

*Thank you to the author and NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Literally one of the best retelling's of Beauty and the Beast I have ever read. It was so unique and I love the spin that was put on this.

The Beast has been put under a curse from a fairy. For centuries he lives alone in a castle, battling with his beast self. A man is lost and struggling through the woods so he uses the magic that his Chateau grants him to help the man survive. He sees in the man's dreams that he has a beautiful daughter. The beast terrifies the man into bringing the daughter to live with him so that he will not be alone anymore. However, stricken with guilt for being so selfish, he tells Isabeau of his loneliness and gives her the choice to stay with him for a year to quench his solitude.

I loved that this story completely took out any of the "Stockholm syndrome" critiques that some people have of this tale. It was simply a story of a woman trying to help a beast. It made so much sense to me and I was intrigued by the friendship they were building and the mystery of why the beast was cursed. The only reason this didn't get 5 stars was that in the middle there was a lot of the beast watching his enchanted mirror and following Isabeau's family in the wake of her departure. Some of it got a little boring and I wanted to know what was going to happen with Isabeau and the beast. Those parts however, made the story so much more than a love story so I do appreciate them for what they were.

A beautifully written fairy tale featuring The Beast from Beauty and The Beast fame. This is told from Beast's point of view, starting from his memories of living wild in the forest. Beast finds his way back to his castle, now a falling down ruin after many years of neglect. Magic within the house takes care of the Beast, his needs, and the house. He slowly evolves into a more human-like Beast, which is when he encounters Beauty's father, setting in motion the Beast's fascination with Beauty. This story is so well written, echoing the classic movie versions which most are familiar with, but expanding into the lives of Beauty, her family, and The Beast's feelings and thoughts. I so hate the thought of finishing this book I have already decided that I will start it again, it is that good.