Lucie initially thought her employer was handsome and dashing, but she quickly learned about his cruelty and selfish nature. 

When Lucie is raped by her employer, her anger causes a curse and turns Jean-Loup into a beast. 

The similarity to the traditional fairy tale pretty much ends there. Lisa Jensen puts her own spin to the story. But honestly, I liked the idea more than the actual story in this book.

Has rape in it, so probably not something for my children's library in a school, but great for high school and up. It is well written and a cool twist on a classic fairy tale. I will recommend it to friends and family, just not appropriate for my readers at work.

I loved the story but I feel with the rape scene that it may be to violent as a story i would use in my classroom. It is more for young adults. Great story and adaptations of Beauty and the a Beast

DNF this book at 16%.
When I read "when the chevalier's cruelty is revealed" in the synopsis, I didn't expect rape. There should be a warning before starting the book.

DNF. Note: I think this is a 'love' story in which the Beast is a rapist. I am so not into this. The writing was also not to my taste. The constant calling of the man, by 'The Master' makes my skin crawl. Considering this is being advertised as YA, I think that this is very misclassified.

"How to ruin Beauty and the Beast: A Tale"

I only requested this because it was based on Beauty and the Beast. How did this even get published?

Rape, suicidal ideations, abortion. And all made into a supposed love story. 
I DNF'd at 17%.

Okay, uuuuuum, okay. So thoughts. Firstly, I got this book in my grabby little hands and was reading it within the hour and continued to binge-read it in one sitting (at work, mind you), and did not, COULD not put it down until completion. My knee-jerk reaction is to give it 5 stars because I was so enraptured, but the truth is, the beginning of the book sets you up to think it's going to be way more problematic than it is.

This book is dark, and the first 1/3 needs several TRIGGER WARNINGS for Rape/Sexual Assault, Suicidal Ideation, Suicidal Intent, and Abortion. It also sets you up to believe that the Hero, or 'Beast', is a serial rapist who will find redemption and be loved by the person whom he had victimized once he said 'sorry' and realized the error of his ways, and it's causing a lot of people to DNF the book and give it 1 star.

THAT ISN'T THE CASE!

I pushed through the first 20%ish because I was just so  intrigued, and by the time I would have DNF'd any other book for content, the twists and turns kept me hooked and I just HAD to see if maybe I would be wrong the initial set up. 

The mark of true artistry with retellings is the ability to tell me a story I've heard hundreds of times in hundreds of variations and keep me interested and entertained. Everybody thinks writing retellings is easy because you just rewrite what's already out there, but it's not. 

How many versions of your favorite Holiday songs have you heard that have been remixed and altered until they sounded just plain stupid? A lot. But how many more times can you listen to the same version you listened to as a kid? If you're me, not that many. A good retelling is like a good re-release of a holiday song. Everybody and their grandma has a Christmas album, but very few of them *don't* suck.

The characters in Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge grow and twist and turn throughout this book until not even the beast is who you think he is. I loved that. Also, it's really not a romance either. To me, it read as a story about deep and intimate *companionship*. I didn't really get romantic love from it.

So while I want to give this 5 stars because I loved it and I literally put it down several times and didn't make it 5 minutes before I was picking it back up, I'm giving it 3.5, rounded up to 4 because the beginning can be very, very triggering for a lot of people and that with Jean-Loup being painted as the Hero in need of redemption, but also a serial rapist did the story a disservice because it turned people, especially women, off to the point where they didn't even get to enjoy all of the unique things in the remaining 2/3 of the book.

Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge is such a beautiful and different take on the classic tale, in which the prince (well, chevalier) is not charming and the beast is not frightening, 
Jensen's Beast is soft and warm and everything that makes for a completely lovable hero. And then there's Lucie whose capacity for bitterness and hatred will not be outdone by her capacity for kindness and love . Together, they make for such a compelling story. 
I finished the book in one sitting and really did enjoy it and here comes the but.
But, this book does have a few major flaws. First, there are no trigger warning where there really should be trigger warnings. There's is a rape scene at the beginning of the book. And while I did expect that based on the description, I did not expect it to be so graphic, and I know that other people might not have seen it coming. While I fully support authors who write about rape survivors, it should be spelled out for the reader prior to them even buying the book. There is also an attempted suicide that should have been noted.
The second big thing (and there are spoilers here) is that Lucie does end up falling in love with the Beast, who while not exactly her rapist is also kind of sort of her rapist thanks to ill advised magic. And while I think Jensen did a fantastic job differentiating between Beast and Jean-Loup, I can see where a lot of people would find that extremely squicky.
Still, I found it to be a very good read and would recommend it to lovers of fairytale retellings so long as I knew they understood what they were getting into with the before mentioned faults.

Overall, this is an engaging story with a few unexpected twists and some interesting moments. I liked the concept of the novel, which contrasted the handsome but cruel Jean-Loup with the outwardly ugly but kind Beast. In my opinion the story makes clear that these are two different beings but I can see how it could be otherwise interpreted, and the story seen as one in which a rape victim falls in love with her attacker, which is obviously damaging and dangerous as a message to readers and as depiction of sexual assault. 

I liked the depiction of a community of women living in the forest and would have liked to see more focus on this, as well as on Lucie's journey to realising her own strengths and that she does not need to be defined by the actions of her abuser. I liked this concept but felt the portrayal of Lucie’s emotional landscape was a bit hit and miss and she sometimes felt a little flat in her characterisation, particularly near the beginning of the novel.

I didn't actually post this on the blog because I DNFed it and then went back and scanned it later, but gosh this book was super problematic. I'm including the review I posted to Goodreads below. A good portion of the review is hidden under a spoiler tag. 

	I'm one-starring this because I'm mad. Very mad. Let me explain.

This book turned me off very early with a brutal rape scene, so MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING for that, and it should be in the Goodreads blurb so that any rape survivors know ahead of time before stumbling on that by accident. 

I read 22% of the book in and I cannot possibly see how this man can get transformed into a beast and redeem himself. Because, see, here's the thing: I don't give a SHIT if the beast acts like a completely different person that expresses remorse for what he did. The fact of the matter is that he's not. He's still a man that RAPED someone (and maybe others) and I don't like how that is completely brushed aside. It's problematic as FUCK. I don't like that somehow Lucie falls in love with the beast (HER RAPIST) because that is disgusting and not at ALL realistic. 

I'm not sure how this book got published. But I'm FURIOUS.

Update: I get to add more shitty stuff! Yay. A friend asked me if I would look ahead and see how the book ended, so I am scanning through and adding what I find. SPOILERS FOLLOW, SO DON'T READ IF YOU WANT TO READ THIS AWFUL, AWFUL book.

[After he changes into a beast and Lucie is transformed into a candlestick that can talk somehow, he locks her in a cupboard because she is staring at him and he hates the way he looks. MUCH CHANGED. VERY ABUSE. SO WOW. Then later, he appears at the cupboard after taking a bath, and has no recollection of his life before, letting her out of the cupboard. Lucie remarks that there is nothing of the man he used to be in his new beastly form. So what. Don't care. Still doesn't make any of this okay.

Then he becomes this pathetic creature that cries when roses in his garden die. Oy vey.

Oh, and here's something else that's kinda fucked up. Lucie can share thoughts with the beast. She can think things in her mind and he can hear them. So not only did she get raped by this man, but she must share a brain with him as well?

JeanLoup was afraid of spiders, but the beast is not, and he even rescues them. So this, Lucie concludes, proves that the beast is NOT JeanLoup. Sorry, but I am not buying it. It just doesn't work for me. It doesn't work that way. 

Rose (Belle) shows up at the chateau because her father steals a rose and tries to steal Lucie (in candlestick form) from the beast after the beast took him in out of the cold and fed him and showed him kindness. The beast makes a bargain with Rose's father for his company, but Rose comes instead.

Blah, blah, blah all the unimportant stuff in the middle of the book, and then it turns out that JeanLoup is the enchantment and the beast was his true form, the way he was born to his mother. His mother went to the same witch to have him turned into JeanLoup, hoping that his beautiful form would make his father love him, but it did not, and JeanLoup turned all sorts of evil because he was unloved and miserable. Because we are never responsible for our own actions, it seems. *eyeroll* 

I still don't think this matters though, when it comes to the issue of the rape. He is STILL the same person, just in different forms. And Lucie falls in love with her rapist. This is NOT okay. I don't care how the author tries to twist it and make the reader forget about it, facts are facts. 

And finally, yes, Lucie does fall in love with the Beast, and he with her, and they run away together. I do not approve of this book.

I had really high expectations from this book since it was supposed to be a retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast but the rape scene in the beginning really put me off the book. Surprisingly it had no trigger warnings for rape or attempted suicide either. I tried really hard to get into it but a rapist cannot redeem himself. It just wrong on so many levels. The book can be saved if the rape scene is edited out of it in my opinion.

I liked the way this story went down! I can’t really elaborate since that would spoil half the story but to me, this is a pretty good retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Our main characters are Lucie and Jean-Loup / Beast.
Lucie herself is very focused on getting revenge, wanting to see Beast suffer. She honestly doesn’t bother with anything else but that. I could totally understand why she was like that, but on the other hand… I have to admit I wouldn’t go down that road myself. 
As for Jean-Loup / Beast, I loathed him. I absolutely bloody loathed him. The way Lisa Jensen made me go from that hate to having pity… I admire it because we all know it isn’t easy to change a reader’s mind on characters, ha. 

The point of view from which the story is told is one I hadn’t seen before. There’s both a human perspective and the POV from an inanimate object. 
Automatically, though, this made it harder for me to connect with the characters. Simply because an inanimate object is… well.. hard to connect with?

Although I did have some difficulty with the POV at times, I still loved this take on a classic fairy tale. I often wondered what Beauty and the Beast would’ve been like should certain changes have been made and this one showed me one of the possibilities. A wonderful tale of love, magic and revenge!

Triggers: Abuse, rape, one very short scene of animal death that was fairly graphic (for me, at least)

I loved this book and I honestly want to go back and read it again sometime soon. I hope to read more from the author in the future.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Like many a reader, I’ve always been a huge fan of Beauty and the Beast! What girl didn’t love the Disney movie seeing a reader get to be the hero of the day? Plus I totally rocked the ponytail in my youth as well, lol! I’ve since read many a version of the beloved tale as well as a handful of retellings too. Lisa Jensen’s Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge was definitely one that tool the story to new levels, ones that would make you see the classic story in a new way, which I feel like is the point of every retelling.

I do want to forewarn you that this story starts off with some darkness, and I will get to that momentarily. In this story, we journey with a young woman named Lucie who has come to the Chateau Beaumont to work as a maid. The master of the house, Jean-Loup is quite the catch; eligible bachelor, easy on the eyes, and a charmer to boot. Though—and here’s where the darkness starts to come in—as to be expected, he’s also selfish and has many moments of cruelty. Especially when he rapes Lucie, this is where the warning is necessitated, especially since it seems that this is being marketed as Young Adult. Though it’s what happened to Lucie sets the course for Jean-Loup as Lucie seeks refuge with a medicine woman, one who has great powers and abilities as well.

From this point, you can imagine what happens next. The mysterious woman gives Jean-Loup a test and he fails, causing him to be transformed into a beast. Everyone in the house has left him, except Lucie who takes delight in seeing everything taken from him. Then she too is transformed into a silver candlestick, though she is still sentient…think Lumiere minus the face and ability to actually talk. Though she still sees and thinks and all that for she is our storyteller. She continues to watch the newly formed Beast try to get by with his new way in life taking great joy in when he can’t seem to do the simplest of things and loses his temper frequently.

It’s unclear how much time passes, but then Lucie starts to notice a change in the Beast. One that is most strange, for it seems like he no longer remembers his life as Jean-Loup and instead embraces life and everything it has to offer.

Though what would this story be without a Beauty? There’s a point in the story where the classic fairy tale comes into play and soon a young girl named Rose comes to the castle in her father’s place. She intends to stay in the Beast’s domain forever, keeping him company. Falling in love wasn’t something she ever intended, and something that Lucie didn’t want to happen whatsoever. For if the Beast were to have someone love him and agree to marry him, his curse would be broken and he’d return to his human form.

Just when you think it might be time for the happily ever after part of the story is when Lisa takes the reigns back into her hands and turns the story on its head. She added a great deal of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming that I found I quite enjoyed! I always enjoy a new twist to a beloved fairy tale, it practically makes up a new story entirely without totally detracting from the original, as I know some readers don’t always like the changes made to the classics they love—though sometimes I wonder if they confuse Disney for the actual fairy tale, but I digress.

I feel like the point in fairy retellings is to change things up, make us see the story in a different way, but still keeping true to the finer points of the story. A great fairy tale retelling should have aspects of the original one to give us that familiarity, but then take the story to new heights and mix things up a bit, and Lisa does exactly this!

When it comes to fairy tales, I never really expect that fast-paced, head-on kind of action. Fairy tales always take time to build things up and give the proper backstory. They are definitely for the patient reader—and though I may not be a patient person, I am a patient reader. i.e. waiting for the next release doesn’t count because at that time I am no longer reading and therefore a reader! Lol! I enjoy a good buildup when it comes to fairy tales, mind you. I loved the magic that was present in this one, literal and figurative. Seeing the familiar parts of the fairy tale and a little bit of Disney perhaps was heart-touching. Lisa’s own added flair and style made this story even more remarkable!

The ending wasn’t one I was expecting either. Again, I commend Lisa on making this story her own. While Lisa’s first book, sadly just didn’t hold the same kind of magic for me, I can easily say that this one did and even went beyond my expectations. Beast was a truly magical and heartfelt read that will allow you see the tale as old as time in a new light and will have you rethinking almost every other fairy tale you read as well, but in a good way! Beast has definitely marked its place on my list of favorite fairy tale retellings and I would highly recommend this one to all fairy tale retelling fans! This book was beautiful and superb and I can’t wait to see what Lisa will do next!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars

Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge releases July 10, 2018

I should preface this by saying that I love Beauty and the Beast re-imaginings. I really REALLY wanted to like this, and I was so excited when I received an ARC version of this from Netgalley. That being said...
The summary and the foreword should definitely include trigger warnings for rape, suicide, abortion, and a few scenes of emotional abuse/trauma. I think it's irresponsible not to at least hint at the very dark aspect of this book in the summary. I had no idea what was going to happen until BAM there it was in chapter 4.
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD




So the main character gets raped by Jean-Loup, the lord of the estate. A witch helps her abort her resulting pregnancy with magic, and then changes Jean-Loup into a beast and Lucie into a candelabra (very subtle symbolism there). So I presume the rest of the book is about how the Beast is really a great guy in the end and she falls in love with her rapist. 

I stopped there and went ahead read another review on here that spelled the rest of the novel out because I just couldn't bear to read the rest. Apparently the big twist is that the Beast is actually his true form and is a nice person, but his mother was ashamed of him and got the witch to turn him into his human form "Jean-Loup" who was a huge doucher that raped women. 

The writing is beautiful at times, and it was interesting to learn about the way business was conducted back then, but I just can't get past the premise of the plot itself. I am not cool with rape apologizing in any form or fashion. I get that the author wanted to make it a big mystery and make her own mark on the backstory of the fairy tale, but it just hits a sour note for me.

Anyone who knows me knows I love fairy tale retellings, with my favorite by far being beauty and the beast.  My absolute favorites are Heart's Blood by Juliette Marillier and Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. Alas, I digress. I was excited to add A Tale of Love and Revenge to my armoire of B&B retellings, but I was sorry disappointed. I generally do try to force myself to get through at least 60% of a book I receive for a review, but I am ashamed to say I only made it through 30% of this book before DNFing. Lucie seems like a fine and likeable character at first. Not a strong minded heroine, mind you, but hey- not all start out that way. So I read on.  And while Lucie is tolerable, Jean-Luce was simply not. I did not appreciate the way his character was as either the chevalier or the beast.  
As human he was unlikeable, as a beast he was...fake? I'm not even sure if that's the word. It was enough so that I couldn't continue on to see where the huge changes in personality came from. 

Perhaps I could not get into the story because it was trying to too hard to be French and not hard enough to be a story. Who knows, really?

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a digital arc in exchange for an honest Review!  
It was so boring and so slow...I DNFed it

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.


DNF at 34%. I really tried with this one after a particular triggering scene but it had no redemption points for me. It's basically just romanticizing an abuser. The writing in itself is good, but the story is way too bad. This does not feel like a beauty and the best re-telling at all. Also, there is an attempted suicide here but that isn't WAY too graphic. 

I would not recommend this book to anyone.

First of all, where's the trigger warning? 

I'm extremely disappointed. The universe of "Beauty and The Beast" is very special to me, so whenever I see a book or film related to it, I always want to check it out. 

This time, I almost couldn't believe what my eyes were reading. I've never thought that someone could ruin the story this much. Please, stop publishing books that romanticize abusers. I won't be writing any public reviews because I don't want to promote this kind of book.

* Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.*

I am always super excited to find new Beauty and The Beast retelling and I must say that The Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge, didn't disappoint.
The point of view through which the story is told is by far the most original one I have read in quite some time. I also loved the darker tone that the author gave to the story. It is not your typical fairytale, it's quite bleak and cruel but it holds a very great message. Let's say that sometimes beauty isn't a gage of virtue and kindness, quite the contrary.
I personally found the Beast very attaching and am very pleased with the end of this book. 
I think that the author did a great job at creating a very original and educating story with the amazing classic fairytale that we all know.
The only little complaint that I could find would be that it dragged a little bit sometimes and it's definitely a slow-paced book. Other than that, it's probably one of my favorite Beauty and The Beast retellings. 
100% recommend that you give it a try when it comes out on July 10th 2018 !

Trigger warnings for rape and suicidal thoughts.