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Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
2017 | Fantasy, Musical, Romance
Being a lover of Disney movies, while this along with two other movies being my absolute favorite. Hearing they were gonna make another 'Beauty and the Beast' I was ecstatic I immediately went to theaters. I don't think I've ever payed so much attention to a movie in a long time. I usually watch a movie one, maybe two times but I have watched this to many times to count. I personally loved Emma Watson playing Belle I don't know of anyone who could fit the role better. I still don't like Gaston, but I love the movie just as much as I did the original!
  
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Ashley Wold (5 KP) rated A Court of Thorns and Roses in Books

Jan 31, 2018 (Updated Jan 31, 2018)  
A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. Maas | 2015 | Young Adult (YA)
6
8.7 (108 Ratings)
Book Rating
World Building (1 more)
Complex characters
Slow pacing for most of the book (0 more)
I first heard about this series several months before the third book was released. I was interested because it is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I didn't know what to expect as I had never read a Maas book before; little did I know this would become one of my favourite book series!

Out of the three books, ACoTaR is my least fave, but I think it is still a good book. I couldn't put it down (despite lack of much action for most of the book), and started on the second book asap.

I wasn't very fond of the main character Feyre in this first book, and I didn't particularly like Tamlin. I was intrigued by Rhysand, and liked Lucien.

I am so glad I got into this series, and would recommend it.
  
A Whole New World
A Whole New World
Liz Braswell | 2015 | Young Adult (YA)
8
7.0 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book has had very mixed reviews… and to be honest I can see why.

The first about 1/3 of the book follows the Disney film pretty much to the letter, and without surprising anyone too much that is when the story changes.

In the film Aladdin gets the lamp… in this book he doesn’t (I won’t write “spoiler” as that bit is written on the front cover) and needless to say the camel dung hits the fan.

Where I think people might not like this book is the style of writing. Without being derogatory to the style this is very fanfictiony. You know those AU stories where one thing has changed? Well, that. At times the language is a bit too modern, it IS set in old Agrabah afterall.

I can see where the author tried to go with the plot, and while maybe not the most highbrow retelling of the story, it also wasn’t as bad as the previous reviews I’d read made it out to be. Certainly not a kids story (a tad gory, character death warning, violence etc) but a logical enough route for the bad guy winning.

Don’t go into this book expecting an epic Disney tale and you might well enjoy it. The author has rewritten Beauty and The Beast and Sleeping Beauty to follow this one, and I’m going to give them a read as well.
  
A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. Maas | 2015 | Young Adult (YA)
9
8.7 (108 Ratings)
Book Rating
Amazing protagonist (2 more)
Action packed
It's a page turner - you will not want to put the book down!
World building got confusing (0 more)
Great Start to the Series
A Court of Thorns and Roses was just a sea of feels. It took me a while to pick this up, because I'm in love with Sarah J Maas' other series, Throne of Glass, and was scared I was going to be disappointed. I was wrong. This book is a story retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but SJM just takes it to a whole other level. This book will keep you on the end of your seat, as you fall in love with the characters and the world. This is such a fantastic first book to this series, and it honestly just gets better from here on out! Definitely pick up this book if you haven't already!
  
The Merchant’s Daughter
The Merchant’s Daughter
Melanie Dickerson | 2011 | Young Adult (YA)
10
8.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Set in the Medieval Era, Annabel and Lord Ranulf will steal your heart in this unique story that mirrors the story of Beauty and the Beast. From a nasty "Gaston" to a sweet young boy, and a caring housekeeper...The heart of the story reminds us that it is not our appearance or circumstances that define us...But our heart.

If you have read some (or all) of these books, you know that each novel can stand alone. But ultimately, they all intertwine. You can see the Family Tree on Melanie's website. I highly recommend this story and hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

I purchased a print copy of The Merchant's Daughter. This review is based on the audio version which I borrowed from my local library. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
  
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Rachel King (13 KP) rated Beastly in Books

Feb 11, 2019  
Beastly
Beastly
Alex Flinn | 2007 | Young Adult (YA)
8
8.2 (10 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have a small obsession with the classic fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast, so any time a new retelling comes out, I must read it. This version written by Alex Flinn is both modernized and aimed at the Young Adult genre. I was curious to see how closely it would parallel the original fairy tale and still feel like an original story, and I think that it succeeded fairly well. There were parts that felt cliche, and it certainly verged into the realm of fantasy with the presence of the witch, but not so much that I was bothered by these elements. Plus, I liked the ways that the author diverged from the original tale and added new elements, such as the continuing involvement of the witch and the character of Kyle's father.
The plot wraps around the character of Kyle Kingsbury, who becomes the Beast. The book mainly felt like a character study as he progressed from a conceited, self-involved boy to a self-sacrificing, repentant young man. This is certainly a change from most retellings of this tale, since it is usually from the viewpoint of the character who plays the role of "Beauty." Many of the side characters were also just as fascinating, such as the blind tutor who comes to live with Kyle. I love the fascination that Kyle adopted for roses and the details of their care that were included in the book, it gave the book more depth. Probably the most exciting part of the book was his frantic race through New York City and the way that he handled the reactions that he created during this foray.
I know that this book was turned into a movie recently. I have not seen it as of yet, other than the previews, but I do look forward to it. But I already know of one major difference that the movie has from the book, and that is Kyle's beastly appearance is changed to resemble extravagant and disfiguring tattoos. I'll reserve opinion on this until after I've seen the movie.
  
Gathering Frost (Once Upon a Curse, #1)
Gathering Frost (Once Upon a Curse, #1)
Kaitlyn Davis | 2015 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
8.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
I've always loved fairy tales so when I was given the opportunity to receive an ARC of Gathering Frost I quickly jumped on it as Sleeping Beauty was one of the movies I remember my mom taking me to see in the theaters when it first came out (that's another shh moment). I love how the author took a classic fairy tale and gave it her own twist as this is definetely not the tale we grew up with.
 

After a catastrophic life altering event, we find ourselves with two worlds that have become one and we find that Jade is a completely different person. Strong, agile and fierce she does what needs to be done to accomplish the task at hand but she doesn't feel emotions. An encounter with Asher is the beginning of changes that she never expected, let alone believe to be possible.
 

I loved how well the blending of the old with the new was done and I certainly loved the scenery and characters but above all else the story. You will find yourself being transported into the story line as Ms. Davis weaves her web and I believe you will find it hard to put this book down. I certainly am looking forward to the next book as the author left us with what I call a tid bit of what's going to be her rendition of Beauty and the Beast.
 

You won't be disappointed!