A familiar story, but also not. A Beauty and the Beast re-telling (which I’m a sucker for) with some twists and surprises. There are things that are different than the usual tale and I really liked how the curse worked. I can’t go into more detail because I don’t want to ruin it. :)
Beauty had a family to save and makes the choice to save them. She goes on an adventure of sorts and learns things about herself and the Beast. the ending was good with no unanswered questions.

***Trigger Warning***
This book deals with sexual assault. It is done in a sensitive way, but it is mentioned more than once and is part of the storyline .

Unique take on a Tale as Old as Time!

Beauty is running from herself, from a past she can't escape and she will gladly accept a beast's lair as refuge. Except, this beast is far more gentle and kind than any man she has known. Can she break free of her inner prison and find safety in the love of a beast?

This story is not only unique in its retelling but also in its prose. The author definitely has her own voice in storytelling. It took me a bit to initially get into the story, but once I did I was thoroughly engrossed. I really enjoyed the heroine's expression through music and the softness of the beast. The castle with all it's magic was enchanting in their own way. There is a depth of pain that has to be overcome and two hearts that are searching for healing. But that is what makes it even sweeter when they find it.

I would like to provide a trigger warning that this book does have a character dealing with the emotional trauma of sexual assault. I feel it was handled well and nothing is described in great detail. I would recommend this read for anyone who enjoys a good beauty and the beast story, with sweet and poignant lessons.

Reviews Posted: April 24, 2023
Goodreads
Storygraph

I thought this was a very interesting and creative way of retelling a classic fairytale. I felt that the author remained true to what the fairytale was saying but was still able to make it unique.

I think one of my favorite parts of the book is that the author explores Beauty’s relationship with her siblings a lot. Their dynamics were interesting to read about, and I liked how they propelled her story in different ways.

While much of this story resembles the original tale, I like how the author gave different motives for Beauty going to the Beast.

Even though I liked the changes the author made, there were still a few things that missed the mark for me. The Beast overall lacked the personality to me. Beauty had her own inner struggles that I thought were interesting to read about, but at times I wanted her to be more proactive in her life. Near the end, we get more of that, but the Beast never really comes into his own for me.

The writing was 50/50 for me. At times it felt too simple and choppy. And at other times, it was whimsy and beautiful.

Overall the author brings a classic fairytale to life but makes changes that set it apart from others. While Beauty shows great development in regard to her family, the romance feels lackluster, and the Beast feels like a background character. It was a fun and quick read, but I wish that there was a little more development in places.

Beauty, the youngest child of a once-wealthy merchant family, is running from her past--from the boy she thought she loved, who took from her forcefully when she was unwilling to give freely. When her father returns from the enchanted woods surrounding their tiny cottage with a stolen rose in hand and a tale of a vicious beast, Beauty enters the forest to pay his debt. She expects to die, not to find a cursed beast that challenges her to face her trauma head on.

BEAUTY REBORN is a relatively short Beauty & the Beast retelling that's approximately 200 pages. Written as though Beauty is telling the reader her own story, it tweaks the original tale and gives both Beauty and the Beast different motives and a different backstory for the predicament they find themselves in, yet it still holds on to the familiar story we all know. In truth, I found the book rather hard to rate. I feel very on the fence with this one. 2.5 stars.

I think why I feel so conflicted is that I enjoyed the fairy tale atmosphere but also disliked the flat characterization that can too often come hand in hand with that same fairy tale vibe. Beauty has felt as though she's lost herself since her assault; Beast is very gentle and understanding and mysterious. I don't feel like I have a capability to define them or any character arc that they might have experienced.

I was decently invested in these characters, but didn't truly feel that until I was nearing the end of the book--I wanted Beauty and Beast to have a happily ever after. At it's core, it's very much about Beauty processing the assault she experienced and choosing what the rest of her life will look like in the aftermath. I've sat on my feelings towards this book for a whole day and still don't quite know how I feel. I think this will definitely be a book that gets a mixed bag of reviews.

TW: Sexual assault (off page)

Posted to Goodreads on April 24, 2023.

Yes, this is a re-telling of the classic Beauty and the Beast but with some key differences. The biggest one being that Beauty is basically running TO the castle (albeit she does “officially” go to save her father) because she’s running AWAY from a personal trauma. The beast here is more of a furry balm for her soul than a terrifying monster.

While there’s not a lot of action (more towards the end), I enjoyed the slower introspective pace as I felt given the sensitivity of the subject matter (the trauma is mostly alluded to), I felt it should be a “quieter” book, if that makes sense. We are able to follow Beauty on her journey from a vivacious 18 year-old, to a broken, disillusioned victim and finally to a stronger, more confident woman on the other side.

There could have been more development on the Beast, but it’s a shorter book and as the title bears out, this was Beauty’s story.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing the free early arc of Beauty Reborn for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

When Beauty's family loses their money, they are forced to move to a tiny cottage near a forest. One day, her father comes home with a rose - coming to say goodbye before he returns to face the Beast he stole it from and pay the penalty. But Beauty, having suffered trauma the family knows nothing of, goes in his place, hoping to die. Instead, the magic castle welcomes her and makes her at home - though the master stays out of sight. Gradually, she works out what she needs to do to rescue him, but it's something she's sworn never to do. But as she gets to know him better, leaving him to his fate becomes increasingly unpalatable too...

I've seen reviews comparing this to the original Beauty and the Beast story - but since I've never read or seen it, I can't comment on that. Instead, I'll say that this was my first book by this author, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised and hope to read more in future. Though fantasy mostly isn't my thing, and fairy-tale retellings something I would often pass up on, something about this story grabbed me from the start, and the characters and the interactions between them held my interest throughout - probably helped by the often-amusing magic castle. I particularly appreciated the way that Beauty gradually drew out the Beast from his darkness into the light. A good read.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

A tale that never grows old!

Scintillating, heartfelt retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Lowham ensorcelled my heart with a story that’s creatively original in its telling, and lyrical in its execution.
Beauty has two sisters, a brother and a father whose fortunes as a merchant sank with his ship.
Forced to sell everything and live in a humble cottage near the enchanted Forest, the family endures
Beauty at seventeen is a whimsical young woman who fancies herself in love with the local Baron’s son. He asks her to marry him but she refuses due to having older sisters. They must marry first. He persists. The third time he asks and she says NO, is when he confronts her alone in the house, in her bedroom. I can say no more!
Beauty goes to cut down some wood in the Forest. She chops into a living tree. Alarmed by her own actions she bandages the cut near the root and covers it with dirt. This is her first momentary glimpse of something that looks like a blue fairy.
Her father returns from hunting in the Forest with a rose he’s taken from the castle garden for Beauty. Beauty knows her father will have to pay. She sneaks out and goes in her father’s stead, standing at the gate and calling on the Beast.
Now the storyline takes us on a journey of loss, of understanding and of wishing. Magical!

A Shadow Mountain ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

This book is toll from two different timelines one is current day where she is living with the beast because her dad decided to pick arose after taking shelter during a storm and forfeited his life but instead he four fits the life of the youngest daughter beauty so she willingly goes to the castle but unlike other retailings and the actual beauty and the beast there’s no talking teacup or cattle or anything else the only other person/animal she can see is the beast after a while when he finally lets her see him of course they fall in love and the other timeline it was before her dad lost his money in the nephew in air to the local Duke Stefan falls in love with her as a post to her sister Astrid who wanted it and expected it. Needless to say at first beauty is enamored with Stefan who is handsome but he slowly but surely shorter sometimes luxe are just a disguise for an evil nature and after asking her to marry him and her saying no he eventually decides to take what he actually wants from beauty and this is why and current day with the beast due to her trauma in past experiences she does not want to marry him. No this is why the book didn’t work for me for one they kept alluding to her loving the beast and yet she wouldn’t marry him and help him remove his curse I know she had trauma I get that that’s great but if she’s stuck at the castle anyway and she truly has an affection for the beast then I didn’t get why she kept saying no. I’m not gonna say how the book ends but I will say this book wasn’t as great as other retellings I have read because beauty and the beast has the always been my favorite Disney movie and book because Bell is the one who saves beast unlike traditional Disney tales where the prince save the day bell to me was always the hero but as I said this is a retelling and if I wanted the actual story I guess I could’ve read that. I received this book from NetGalley and a publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

A perfectly fine Beauty and the Beast retelling, but nothing really groundbreaking. I did appreciate the exploration of healing from trauma.

It was a surprising and intriguing book. I love retellings of Beauty and the beast and both the story and the cover really attracted me. The story is hard with a lot of trauma that made it just a little too heavy for me.
Although many aspects of the original story came back which it was definitely worth 3.5 stars for me


I received this arc through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion and a review

This story had more depth to it than I originally thought it would. It is not just another version of beauty and the beast. It is the story of pain and struggles and learning to survive and heal. I really liked the beast in this story. He is more than a gentle beast. He is patient and kind. Overall a great story. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this title.

I've been reading a lot of not-so-great retellings recently, so I was relieved and elated that I loved this one so much.

Beauty and the Beast is easily the story I've read the most retellings of. What I liked about this one is that it shared elements with others, such as Robin McKinley's Beauty or even the Disney animated version, but it brought its own originality to the story. For example, I tend to get annoyed when authors draw out the sequence before Beauty comes to the castle, and I was happy Lowham only spent a chapter laying the groundwork before Beauty arrived.

Additionally, I appreciated the conversation around sexual assault. Although it's not something I've personally experienced, I know many women who have. I think it's a topic worth talking about, especially when it's more common than people think.

Overall, I recommend this title to both newcomers to the fairytale and experienced veterans like me. Seriously, I've read like nine versions of this story and seen at least four.

This stunning new take on Beauty and the Beast more than fulfilled my hopes. Beauty's background and family are real people, as important to the story as she and the beast are. Echoes of other tellings occasionally pop up, but not to the point of distracting from this rendition, and the growth of Beauty's relationship with the Beast, and the disclosure of his own, unique backstory, all blend together into an engrossing read. Highly recommend.

"I knew that, no matter where I tried to go, there would never be an escape to satisfy me. The escape I wanted was safety, a corner somewhere to tuck myself away in warmth and peace. But there was no safety anywhere in the world."

Since I'm a bit new to this whole reviewing game, I'll forgive everyone reading for not knowing this, but I absolutely LOVE fairy tales. I have lived and breathed and dreamed them since I was a little kid. And above all fairy tales, I love a good Beauty and the Beast retelling. And while it's true that I found this book absolutely amazing, it's far from the fairy tale I thought I knew.

It doesn't start or end with happily ever after. Instead, in this story, Beauty runs into the forest into the arms of a beast not just to save her father - but because she is dreading something. She dreads this thing from her past so much that death at the hands (claws?) of a beast seems preferable.

For the sake of spoilers and a very important plot twist, I won't elaborate on what exactly this thing is. I will tell you that once at the castle, Beauty finds the Beast conspicuous by his absence. He doesn't show up until about midway through the novel and when he does arrive, their interactions are very brief and he won't allow her to look at them. That's what makes this version so unique - both Beauty and her Beast are damaged. They will need to learn to see past their own scars in order to try to find happiness with each other.

There is a magical element to the story, like any fairy tale. Beauty has a father and siblings, also pretty standard. It's her relationship with the Beast and how it comes about that makes this book shine. Even though it takes place 'once upon a time' it's very easy to see how such a story could fit into a modern time period as well.

To sum up, if you love fairy tales, tales of characters healing and overcoming trauma, or tales of love (or all three), you will not be disappointed. Thank you very much to Shadow Mountain Publishing, Elizabeth Lowham, and Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great reimagining of a fairy tale classic. I will say I wanted more backstory and maybe I just didn’t want it to end, but I also would have liked to see more of the enchanted house characters’ personalities. Still thought it was a fun, quick read that was very well done.

I did not like this at all. Sorry but I stopped reading at %45. The plot was just boring and the romance flat. I really disliked Beauty. She had no backbone or personality. I just found the book overall dull and did not wish to finish.

Beauty Reborn is the perfect title for this whimsical retelling of the Beauty and Beast tale. All the elements of a fairy tale were present along with the addition of the modern #metoo element to the story . However I appreciated the ending of happily ever after. The author cleverly gave us the reality of love and creating a life together.
It’s when fantasy meets reality

A Beauty and the Beast retelling keeping in the magic and enchantment elements. Told entirely from Beauty’s POV the reader follows Beauty's family fall from wealthy merchant status. Then she goes into a magical forest to pay her father’s debt for picking a rose. I enjoyed the magic of the castle and seeing her relationship with Beast grow. I found it a bit jarring having her flip back and forth from the present to her life before meeting Beast. The book covers the main elements of the original story but adds a darker background for Beauty. She is getting over trauma and is learning to trust again. For me personally it is overly dramatic but it is geared towards teens and YA who will probably enjoy it more. It is clean, but a trigger warning for an off the page rape that is handled discretely. I think the cover is especially lovely. Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for an ARC and I’m leaving a voluntary review.

This was a unique retelling of Beauty and the Beast. The story is very intriguing and a bit on the heavier side as the aftermath of a sexual assault is a main theme in this story. Beasts’ character was my absolute favorite and I loved how gentle and patient he was. A lot of this book is inner dialogue for Beauty and I liked her growth. The only thing that held me up a bit was that the writing style sometimes was so poetic and flowery that I found myself getting lost in a lot of beautiful words that I had to think a bit about to connect to the story. Overall, this story is unique and beautiful in its own way. The magic system is not overly complex or hard to grasp.


Trigger warnings: there is a rape, it’s not graphic, though it is mentioned throughout the entirety of the book as this story is a journey of healing from that evil.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher/author for an advanced copy of this book.

Oh my goodness, what a great book. I was not expecting so much from this one but it has ALL the feels. It is such a unique take on the classic Beauty and the Beast story. I loved the voice of this story; it draws you in from page 1 and doesn’t let go.

Beauty has a secret that is burning her from the inside. Afraid and distrusting, she hides from vulnerability. But Beast is kinder than expected, gentle and peace-giving. He so careful with her that he starts her on her healing journey and sticks with her through it all.

I LOVED these characters. Beauty’s whimsy and bravery are equally the best parts of her, and the fact Beast can appreciate and encourage both facets is so engaging. Beast’s patience, kindness, and gentleness makes one fall in love with him pretty quickly. The character growth arcs for both characters are honest and fully developed. These were not cardboard characters!

I finished this book in less than 2 days and am hopeful there will be more in this series. Beauty Reborn is going on my recommendation shelf for friends and the author is now on my TBR/auto-buy list. Great book!

Rated PG-13 for adult themes (tactfully handled)
—mention and tactfully described sexual abuse/rape (non-graphic)
—little to no violence
—no gore
—no language
—no graphic sexual content (one closed-door scene, again tactfully handled)

I received this book free from NetGalley. My opinions are my own and voluntarily given.