This was okay. It was a very interesting twist and take on The Beauty and the Beast, and it was well written. Reading Hunted before this I think may have spoiled my view onBeast: A Tale of Love and Revenge. This was dark, and sad but not as well twisted and dark in a different way. I also while reading this I just kept thinking it was too close to Disney's version of this story.

This seemed to be all about Lucie's revenge and hatred of Jean-Loupe, which is fine but it started to become overwhelming. I am not sure if the authors purpose was for her to also turn into a beast with her hatred and revenge, but I felt that is what happened. And perhaps the purpose was for her to find redemption through the beast and his changed and loving heart. I did find it really interesting that the beast was his natural form, and that Jean-Loupe was the monster.

Other than that, I did find this book fast paced and it was a quick, easy and entertaining read.

WOW!
Much thanks to the crew at NetGalley and Candlewick Press for this early copy.
I love fairytale renditions and have been on a bit of a binge with Beauty & The Beast ones recently.
I gotta say this book right hear kinda blew everything else out of the water.
This was a beautifully crafted, entirely new take on one of my favourite stories!
She managed to add an edge to the story I didn't know it needed while still staying true to the original tale.
I devoured this and hope all of you get a chance to do the same!

I don't know what to make of this book. I'm a massive Beauty and the Beast fan, it's my favourite film of all time. It was a good adaptation of the story but was hard not to compare it to the original Disney tale.
I would recommend reading this book to others. Thank you for letting me read and review this book,

A BIG Thank You to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing me a copy of “Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge″ by Lisa Jensen in exchange for my review.

When I first started reading this book, I honestly did not expect to enjoy it. This story depicts a dark retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales. Moreover, I really didn’t like the idea of the main characters portrayed in a negative manner. Having said that, I enjoyed reading this book more than I thought I would.

Let’s start with the story line. Frankly speaking, I found the story to be dragging in the first half and I had trouble with the pacing. The plot is indeed very dark and disturbing in the first few chapters as it deals with rape and suicide. However, once the transformation happens and the two protagonists are stuck in the Chateau, the story shifts pace and nothing really happens for a while to progress it. True, it is interesting to see the nuances in the Beast’s personality initially, but I found this to be repetitive after sometime. However, the story considerably picks up in the second half when Rose enters the Chateau. There are lots of twists and turns that happens after she arrives, and I found myself glued to the book. I also loved the climax of the book and was satisfied with how the characters were treated.

Now let’s talk about the controversial topic that others are talking about this book, which is the victim falling in love with her rapist. I completely agree that if that were the case, I would have hated this book and put it down immediately. However, I disagree with respect to this story because I feel that the Beast and Jean-Loup are two completely different identities. It is clear that the Beast does not have any idea about the actions or the personality of Jean-Loup and vice versa. Furthermore, they don’t even look alike when they transform into their form. So while they may be using the same body to transform in, I felt that they were two completely different people and Lucie could clearly distinguish between both.

Lisa Jensen has written this story in a beautiful and majestic manner. Her words are like fine wine and compliment to the setting and timelines of the story. The cover design of the book is also amazing and I hope it remains the same for the final publication. Overall, this was an interesting retelling to Beauty and the Beast and I rate it 4/5 stars.

Château Beaumont is a rich, vast estate , run by a beautiful, stunning Chevalier. All house staff have warned Lucie to stay away from Jean-Loup., but she is unlucky enough to experience the young monarch's cruelty. When a wise old woman punishes the Chevalier for his crimes, transforming him into a hideous beast, Lucie will wish to stay at the Chateau and watch him be punished. The woman transforms her into an ever burning candle, and the two of them become the sole inhabitants of the ruined castle. As time goes by, Lucie realizes that the Beast is nothing like Jean-Loup - but could there be a danger of that horrible man ever coming back?

Beast is a wonderful retelling of Beauty and the Beast, an alternate plot that is very similar, and very different to the original story all at the same time. We have read and watched a lot about Belle, and we have seen the Prince coming back to life at the end of the classic fairytale. But what about the Beast? What was his role in all of this? If the Beast was a mere curse, why was he such a kind and generous creature? Lisa Jensen gives this beloved character the opportunity to have his own story, and the reader is wonderfully surprised by a different story: one with more depth, feelings and values than the original fairytale could ever have given us.

This intelligent, heartbreaking version portrays all the feelings of both a dark and a lovely story: betrayal, loneliness, sorrow, true love, compassion and remorse. Filled with carefully constructed, in-depth characters, The Beast is an interesting story that melts your heart in the end- after all, isn't this what fairy tales are meant to do?

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.

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 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

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.