Kaori Yuki introduces readers to an enchanting and dangerous new world in Beauty and the Beast of Paradise Lost Volume 1. After Young Belle's mother is taken from her by a beast with a penchant for taking beautiful women, she must live with the loss and responsibility of her mother's death. With a unique cast of characters and enchanting antihero, Beauty and the Beast of Paradise Lost Volume 1 is a promising start to a new manga series that will delight and enchant fans of morally grey characters. I loved the introduction to the Beast's and Belle's relationship and can't wait to see the progression in the next volume!

This was a very fun twist on Beauty and the Beast in a fantasy world. In this world, there are beasts that capture beautiful women and take them away. Belle's mother gets taken away instead of Belle and that is how the story starts. Belle is locked away by her father and while trying to find the beast that took away her mother, she almost dies but the Beast Prince saves her. It's the start of their love/hate relationship and I really like it. It seems like there is a reincarnation plot going on where there is the real Belle that the Beast loved and the main character who is also named Belle. There is a huge mystery going on with where her mother is and what the curse that the beast has. I would like to see if the questions will be answered soon.

This story is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast (obviously) with the telling of a supernatural barrier, maybe another dimension , and more gruesome and beautify details.

At first I wasn't exactly sure where the story was going, with the intense changes of added gore and emotional abuse, then physical, towards Belle.
I'm not sure if I feel these "heightened" details were needed, but the sad truth is this is probably closer to the original telling of the story than what is so popularly known.
By the last few chapters, I was interested in seeing how this stories plans to tie things together.

I feel some elements of how beauty is perceived, is fairly obvious to everyone but the title character. Kind of a typical short-sighted heroine trope.

**Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

I thought this would be Beauty & the Beast + John Milton. It was more like Beauty & the Beast + L. Frank Baum with a face stealing witch and everything.

There were more horror elements than I was expecting but so much as to call this a horror manga. The character design is great and this may be the first time a characters unnatural hair color is diagetic. Neat!

I'm fascinated to see where this goes because it is looking to be less of a remake and more a sequel.

This dark and twisted take on the Beauty and the Beast fairytale is a satisfying read, and I'm sufficiently intrigued. I think the art is quite beautiful and distinct from most current trends, and I'm excited for further volumes. It's precisely what some of my students have been asking for, as well, so I'm grateful this is going to be available!

This was a unique take on Beauty and the Beast and felt like it had some Cinderalla and Snow White moments as well.
This was a darker take on the classic tale and was enjoyable to read. This was my first Manga but won’t be my last!

The plot was a little strange, but I liked the art and am still curious how the story will progress.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is the first book by Kaori Yuki I have read and it will not be the last! The art is gorgeous; a fitting mix of beautiful and grotesque. The story itself is an interesting mix of old and new, presenting a unique take on Beauty and the Beast that kept me guessing despite mostly following the familiar narrative structure of the original tale. I love how dark this retelling is, and I especially love this iteration of Beast - his character art is both sinister and flamboyant (his glorious hair is particularly wonderful) and he is an endearing mix of stubborn, dramatic, bad-tempered and kind. Belle is sweet and she is certainly an enjoyable character to get to know, but I did find her back and forth between shy/naive and knowledgeable/outspoken to be somewhat frustrating at times - I'm looking forward to (hopefully) seeing her character grow throughout the following volumes. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'm excited to continue on with the series!

(Note: I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Beauty and the Beast retellings, dark fairy tales, monster love stories and the simmering heat of a slow-burn romance)

This is a different take on Beauty and the Beast and I honestly really enjoyed it. There is the Beast who is cursed (from what I am feeling he accepts his appearance), along with those who were in his castle, but we also get Belle who believes she is ugly. The servants have turned into different creatures. Belle loses her mother, basically imprisoned by her father, and then taken in by the beast as his seamstress.

I find it interesting how the castle is floating and from how it is progressing, it looks like they are in search of a specific Belle. This volume ends with us wondering about exactly Belle will be shown/told. As this series progresses I hope Belle gains confidence in more than just her sewing.

Thanks to netgalley and kodansha for the opportunity to read volume 1!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

I've been a fan of Kaori Yuki since I came over her Angel Sanctuary manga in the early 2000s.
Beauty and the Beast of Paradise Lost has the same feeling of psychological horror-ish fantasy, with beautiful drawings.

The story is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a twist. The characters are interesting and the author are surprising us with small twists and turns in the story that keep us wanting more.

Looking forward to the next volume.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

I really enjoyed this manga. It’s been so long since I’ve read one. The art was amazing. I loved twist on The Beauty and the Beast. The story was very interesting, well paced, and easy to follow. I’m really looking forward to the continuation of the series.

This was more of a 3.5 for me, because of how it ended up surprising me! This is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, with a dark undertone. The ending had some plot twists that I was not expecting but thought made sense for a Beauty and the Beast story. This volume definitely has peaked my interest, and I'll be looking forward to see where this story goes!

There are whispers of a beast in the wood who kidnaps pretty girls. However, Belle doesn’t heed these warnings and ventures into the woods to pick flowers. There she encounters the beast, and her mother sacrifices herself to save her.

Ever since that day, both Belle and her father blame her for her mother’s disappearance, and as punishment, he keeps her locked away.

However, Belle is convinced that her mother is still alive and she’s determined to bring her back.

In Beauty and the Beast of the Lost Paradise Volume 1, Kaori Yuki introduces a gorgeously dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast. You may know Yuki as the mangaka of Angel Sanctuary and the queen of gothic manga herself, and her latest manga certainly delivers in the gothic department.

It really amps the magic and the horror factor with all sorts of fantastical characters and monsters. For instance, there is a Cogsworth-like character who can control time at the Beast’s castle. There’s also the Idoles—faceless corpses who try and steal the faces of the living—who are wonderfully creepy.

Not to mention, the artwork itself since the art style is so hauntingly beautiful, and I initially picked this manga up because its cover reminded me of a good old-fashioned pulpy horror novel.

However, my biggest issue with the story so far is its break-neck pacing. It’s filled with a lot of twists and turns right out of the gate, and I feel like some of the reveals would have had a greater emotional impact if the story had taken a moment to breath.

All and all, Beauty and the Beast of the Lost Paradise presents an enchantingly gothic spin on an old fairytale. I just hope that the story remembers to hit the brakes every once in a while.

[Thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]

Belle’s adventurous streak gets her and her mother into a situation that only one of them will walk away from. Kept in solitude thereafter, Belle winds up in the castle of a mysterious beast rumoured to prey on people. But this is most certainly a fairy tale and evil wears all kinds of faces…

I didn’t come to this book with high hopes - I haven’t read any Kaori Yuki in over a decade and I was no big fan of <i>Godchild</I> back in the day. Admittedly my tastes have changed quite a bit, but I distinctly remember not caring for it.

Which is why this turned out to be such a pleasant surprise. This book turns out to be a really nice blend of manga sensibilities with a classic fairy tail that doesn’t much pull its punches in a way I appreciated. No candelabras fresh from the set of <i>Law & Order</I> here.

Despite her mother being the fulcrum on which this story pivots, the real meat here is the relationship between Belle and her father, a man who definitely has his reasons (which don’t make him less garbage), but literally spends five years holding his daughter hostage and using her trauma to grind her into the dirt.

For as much as her father tries, however, part of Belle remains free and I like that it expresses itself at various points in the story, balancing her PTSD with her initial spunk. This is not a heroine who is afraid of getting her hands dirty. Part of the way she has to ascertain if she is truly talking to her father towards the end is wrenching.

It also puts her prejudices way up, which come into play when she crosses paths with Cyril, our titular beast. Cyril is a lot less likeable, essentially presenting as a turd in fine clothes. In fairness to him, you get hated for a hundred years and see how pleasant you are.

I really appreciated the characterization here a lot - these people have reasons for why they behave as they do. Special shout-out to one side character, whose initial Disney-esque appearance belies both sinister intent and a wonderfully bizarre true form.

And while this book adheres broadly to the <i>Beauty and the Beast</I> story, enough so that you can tell the source material, it definitely wants to blaze its own path within that material - there’s at least one wrinkle thrown in the path of love at the end that I didn’t see coming.

If I had complaints, I do think that Belle could be a little quicker on the uptake at points and she could really stand up for herself a bit more when even she knows she’s being messed with. Cyril needs to be toned down a touch, he’s near crossing a line with me at times. And I swear if they go in that direction after the town of Bathory gets mentioned I will sigh and roll my eyes quite strongly.

3.5 stars, and I believe we will be rounding up because I quite enjoyed this. It has some lovely art, a great heroine, and a pretty clear idea of where it’s headed. I really liked this blend of two different genres and I’ll be back for another volume for sure.

So "Beauty and the Beast" is right in the title so this was obviously going to be a retelling. The cover is a little confusing because Belle looks like little red riding hood with the cloak and basket. Belle is adventurous and goes into the forest where only the red roses grow to pick some that would compliment her strange violet colored hair. Her mother runs after her and they are attacked by "the beast" her mother pushes Belle to get away and has her face stolen because it is beautiful. Belle's father is angry and locks her up in a room and makes her do his work as a seamstress all day and he uses the money to drink. She decides to run away to find out what really happened to her mother and her father runs after her with an axe and calls her ugly and says he wished she was the one to die instead of her mother. The best from the beginning shows up but then another beast shows up as well. Apparently the beast who was stealing faces at the beginning was an imposter and kills Belle's father. The real beast rescues Belle but isn't happy about it. This story was really confusing with the way they decided to tell it. By the end I was able to organize it all but as I was reading it it didn't make sense. Also, if Belle is supposed to be ugly why isn't she drawn that way?

Belle, a young and peculiar girl insists on playing in the forbidden forest however one fateful day, her mother gets kidnapped right infront of her eyes by the Beast who has been known to take away beautiful women. Angered by this, Belle's father a brute and hypocrite keeps her locked up.

A few years later, she realises that something don't add up. And when the beast re-emergence news reaches, she is tempted to find out the truth this time.

But she is in for a perilous adventure, the one that will take to the darkest of places and baddest of situations.

Woah!!! That was not the story I was expecting. To say I'm surprised would be an understatement. But I'm definitely enjoyed it. My favourite character was the Beast. He was the charm of this book but don't think for a second charming like a prince... Oh no he is a character altogether.

If you think you have read all the retelling and spin-offs of The Beauty and Beast, I'm sure this will change your mind. It's not your average a beautiful girl and arrogant beast falling head over heels in love, it's dark and frightening delightful. Being the first volume, I cannot wait to read the next one.

I received an e-book copy of Beauty and the Beast of Paradise Lost Vol.1 through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have always liked the story of Beauty and the Beast, a bookwormish character and the concept of inner beauty…😊
But this manga…At first nothing made sense and the whole fairy tale was upside down and grotesque. And grotesque it remained throughout the whole volume. 😜
The messy beginning put aside it became a rather exciting story with insane plot twists and the very Japanese-like weird vibes. I would definitely read more volumes in the future! 😉

Firstly, I would like to thank Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
TW: gaslighting, kidnapping, abuse, murder, bullying

To be honest, I wasn't expecting myself to enjoy this as much as I do. Surprisingly, the first volume showed potentials and I found it had a promising start.

Summary: Belle and her mother went into the woods to pick out roses but a monstrous beast known to kidnap young woman ends up taking young Belle's mother away. Still traumatic from the incident, she was kept in her house by her father until she reached her teens for five years. When she heard there is sighting of the beast, she decided to confront the monster in hope to find her mother. She encountered another Beast and then whisked away to his palace.

Based on Beauty and the Beast, this was sort of a retelling but it strays from the original piece and instead make its own story. I found its very intriguing to see that there are differences in the fantasy element here where Belle wasn't kidnapped in the first place but somehow ends up in the Beast's palace. There are apparently imposters in the world. The Beast or Prince Cyril was cursed alongside the servants in the castle as they take shape of animal form in their features. This story is darker in nature with the curses, killings and much more refreshing in terms of storytelling.

I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline, the characters and their roles in here. Belle was an unforfunate child who is hated by her own father. There is a reason why but its absolutely despicable to see his treatment. We didn't get much on The Beast but I'm liking his character as he seems gruff and grumpy but that is the only way he expressed himself. There is a twist in the story with a different person named Belle too and I'm very curious on the relationship. The servants in the castle are also hilarious and fun to read so I can't wait to see their character grow along Belle.

Would definitely be continuing with the story as it had all of the elements I like. Highly reccommended to those who love fantasy romance with slight darker twist.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

I couldn't resist the call of Beauty and the Beast retelling, not with the promises of twisted shadows and something I had never read before. Add in the manga format of the story I just knew this would be promising.
And I wasn't disappointed. From the beginning, it was clear this would be no ordinary retelling of the popular fairy tale. I am already on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next. Because I have no clue where this story is going. It is unlike any other Beauty and the Beast retelling I have ever experienced.
Worth the read for anyone who likes the original fairy tale but looking for something different. If you like twisted fairy tales and manga, this one is for you.

A manga-style retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast story pretty much everyone knows. In this story Belle is as clueless and annoying as in the original, having lived a sheltered life. The Beast is toxic, grumpy and rude, just as the Beast in the Disney version. However, this is a dark take on the classic which means there are some extra layers to Belle, and I love it.

It took a little bit of time for me to get into the story, and sometimes I just felt like the pacing could have been a little bit slower so we could get just a little bit more of information or background story. Since this is based on a classic and the storyline so far is pretty straightforward, this wasn't a big deal but I felt I had to mention this.

The artwork was fun, brutal and disturbing at times (all positives in my book!). I absolutely love how the Beast looks. Some panels weren't completely clear and I struggled to see what was actually happening. This was luckily just on a very few panels and I didn't feel like I missed anything in the story. Now I'm just very very curious and want to read more.