Author: Stacey Jay
Category: Young Adult
Publisher: Delacorte
Release Date: 7-23-13
In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds. Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe. As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love. – Goodreads
“She’s a queen; I’m her prisoner. I resent her and she fears me, and there are times when I fear her, too. I am her monster, and she is mine.” – ARC pg. 156
Of Beast And Beauty is probably one of the most interesting retellings I have read in a long time. Beauty and the Beast is a very old folk tale and its themes are well known; in some cases the sins of the father are visited upon the children, as a daughter must remain prisoner to repay a debt. In others, it is simply a tale of moral corruption and the way that true love can cleanse and redeem the soul. This particular interpretation takes on both of those ideas. In Yuan, a great environmental disaster took place long ago and those lucky enough to flee to the dome are protected, while those on the outside were left to fend for themselves until the curse could be broken by the two people who must fall in love. As I read it, I felt like the beast was not one person, but those in the dome, with Isra as their blind queen. She is blind both literally and figuratively until she starts to listen not only to the enchanted roses on the palace grounds, but the mysterious dreams that haunt her. In contrast, Gem is called a Monstrous because of the scaly skin that is an adaptation of the harsh desert environment, but it was soon obvious that any ugliness in this book existed within people. In many ways, Isra’s inability to see her prisoner allows her to know him better, and their relationship progresses into something deeper.
The twists in this story really made it for me. Yuan is filed with many, many secrets and as they are revealed, Isra must make some very painful decisions. When she discovers the conditions of the people outside, Isra becomes determined to make things right. One very interesting perspective is that of Bo, the son of a powerful adviser and Isra’s betrothed. I found him to be interesting because of his internal conflict. He has been raised to obey and he is ambitious, but there is something in him that sees the injustice that Isra sees. It brought a very interesting perspective to the story and I am so glad that Stacey Jay included his point of view in the book. This story has some very dark elements to it, and it was unflinching in its descriptions of the Monstrous in the desert region and the harsh conditions of their lives. The writing is beautiful and the different points of view brought depth to a story that has been written and studied many times before. Of Beast and Beauty is a retelling that keeps the core of the original but puts an amazing new spin on some very old themes and makes them seem new again.
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Find Stacey Jay online:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
I really, really loved this book! It’s definitely one of the best books I’ve read all year 😉 Glad you enjoyed it!
wow great review!! The story has been done many times, but I can’t wait to read this!
I haven’t had much luck with retellings yet, but I must admit your review makes me want to check this one out!
I have this and am so eager to start reading it! I have heard such wonderful things. So happy to see it worked for you too!
My Friends Are Fiction
Yep, I liked this too — loved the way it took the themes of the original story — beauty/ugliness, sacrifice, imprisonment, hatred — and turned them all around in new and original ways!
I NEED THIS BOOK to complete my life. I won’t be happy without this one on my shelves <3
Mel@thedailyprophecy.
So jelly you read this already. I love re-taling and super excited to read it. And I love that truel love can redeem a soul. Thanks for sharing.
So jelly you read this already. I love re-taling and super excited to read it. And I love that true love can redeem a soul. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so curious to read this one now, I keep seeing such wonderful reviews for it and it truly does sound like a unique take on this tale (which I wouldn’t think would be possible, there are SO many of them). This is definitely on my wish list. Lovely review!
Title…
[…]Here are a few of the web-sites we advocate for our visitors[…]…
Title…
[…]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a handful of unrelated information, nevertheless definitely really worth taking a look, whoa did 1 find out about Mid East has got far more problerms at the same time […]…
Title…
[…]Every once in a although we opt for blogs that we read. Listed beneath would be the newest websites that we decide on […]…
Title…
[…]Here is a good Blog You may Locate Intriguing that we Encourage You[…]…
Title…
[…]that could be the end of this write-up. Here you’ll discover some web pages that we believe you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[…]…
Title…
[…]we prefer to honor lots of other net web-sites around the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Beneath are some webpages worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]one of our visitors recently encouraged the following website[…]…
Title…
[…]very handful of sites that occur to be detailed below, from our point of view are undoubtedly well worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]very few internet websites that occur to become detailed below, from our point of view are undoubtedly well worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]we came across a cool site that you might get pleasure from. Take a search in case you want[…]…
Title…
[…]below you will obtain the link to some web-sites that we feel you’ll want to visit[…]…
Title…
[…]here are some links to web-sites that we link to simply because we feel they may be really worth visiting[…]…
Title…
[…]very handful of websites that happen to be in depth below, from our point of view are undoubtedly effectively really worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]please check out the websites we comply with, such as this one, as it represents our picks through the web[…]…
Title…
[…]very few internet websites that occur to be detailed below, from our point of view are undoubtedly well worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]Every the moment in a though we decide on blogs that we read. Listed beneath would be the newest web sites that we pick out […]…
Title…
[…]we came across a cool internet site which you could appreciate. Take a search in the event you want[…]…
Title…
[…]here are some hyperlinks to web-sites that we link to due to the fact we believe they are worth visiting[…]…
Title…
[…]one of our guests a short while ago suggested the following website[…]…
Title…
[…]Here is an excellent Blog You may Locate Intriguing that we Encourage You[…]…
Title…
[…]we like to honor numerous other internet web sites around the internet, even though they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Beneath are some webpages really worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]we like to honor many other web web-sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages really worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]Here are a number of the web sites we suggest for our visitors[…]…
Title…
[…]we like to honor a lot of other online web sites around the internet, even though they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages really worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]just beneath, are a lot of completely not associated sites to ours, on the other hand, they are surely worth going over[…]…
Title…
[…]here are some links to web pages that we link to for the reason that we think they’re really worth visiting[…]…
Title…
[…]the time to study or go to the subject material or websites we’ve linked to beneath the[…]…
Title…
[…]very handful of internet sites that occur to become in depth beneath, from our point of view are undoubtedly very well really worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]that could be the finish of this report. Right here you’ll locate some web pages that we believe you will enjoy, just click the links over[…]…
Title…
[…]although web-sites we backlink to below are considerably not associated to ours, we feel they may be in fact worth a go by way of, so possess a look[…]…
Title…
[…]please take a look at the websites we adhere to, such as this one particular, because it represents our picks through the web[…]…
Title…
[…]usually posts some quite interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[…]…
Title…
[…]below you’ll discover the link to some sites that we feel you’ll want to visit[…]…
Title…
[…]although internet websites we backlink to below are considerably not connected to ours, we feel they are essentially really worth a go by way of, so have a look[…]…
Title…
[…]Every once inside a even though we pick out blogs that we read. Listed below would be the most recent sites that we opt for […]…
Title…
[…]the time to study or go to the content material or websites we have linked to below the[…]…
Title…
[…]The data talked about in the report are several of the ideal obtainable […]…
Title…
[…]here are some links to web sites that we link to mainly because we think they’re really worth visiting[…]…
Title…
[…]check below, are some absolutely unrelated sites to ours, nevertheless, they may be most trustworthy sources that we use[…]…
Title…
[…]just beneath, are many completely not connected web sites to ours, nonetheless, they may be certainly really worth going over[…]…
Title…
[…]always a large fan of linking to bloggers that I like but don’t get quite a bit of link love from[…]…
Title…
[…]below you’ll obtain the link to some web pages that we assume you must visit[…]…
Title…
[…]Every after inside a when we pick blogs that we read. Listed below would be the newest internet sites that we decide on […]…
Title…
[…]very few web-sites that take place to be detailed beneath, from our point of view are undoubtedly well really worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]Every once inside a while we pick blogs that we read. Listed below would be the most recent websites that we decide on […]…
Title…
[…]below you will uncover the link to some sites that we think you need to visit[…]…
Title…
[…]below you will locate the link to some internet sites that we assume it is best to visit[…]…
Title…
[…]we like to honor a lot of other world-wide-web web pages around the net, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]Here are a few of the internet sites we advocate for our visitors[…]…
Title…
[…]although web-sites we backlink to beneath are considerably not associated to ours, we feel they’re essentially really worth a go through, so have a look[…]…
Title…
[…]that would be the finish of this report. Right here you’ll uncover some websites that we feel you will appreciate, just click the hyperlinks over[…]…
Title…
[…]Sites of interest we’ve a link to[…]…
Title…
[…]please go to the web sites we follow, including this a single, as it represents our picks through the web[…]…
Title…
[…]although sites we backlink to beneath are considerably not associated to ours, we really feel they’re actually really worth a go by way of, so have a look[…]…
Title…
[…]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[…]…
Title…
[…]Here is an excellent Weblog You might Locate Interesting that we Encourage You[…]…
Title…
[…]below you will find the link to some web-sites that we think it is best to visit[…]…
Title…
[…]although web-sites we backlink to beneath are considerably not associated to ours, we really feel they are essentially really worth a go via, so have a look[…]…
Title…
[…]Every when in a when we pick out blogs that we study. Listed beneath would be the most recent websites that we pick out […]…
Title…
[…]we like to honor a lot of other world wide web websites on the web, even when they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Beneath are some webpages really worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]just beneath, are a lot of entirely not related web sites to ours, having said that, they may be certainly worth going over[…]…
Title…
[…]we prefer to honor numerous other world-wide-web web-sites on the internet, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Beneath are some webpages really worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]The facts talked about in the write-up are some of the most effective readily available […]…
Title…
[…]we prefer to honor lots of other net websites around the net, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]the time to read or take a look at the material or sites we’ve linked to beneath the[…]…
Title…
[…]Every after inside a even though we opt for blogs that we study. Listed below are the newest web pages that we select […]…
Title…
[…]The info talked about within the report are some of the ideal readily available […]…
Title…
[…]Here are a few of the web sites we advise for our visitors[…]…
Title…
[…]Every once inside a although we opt for blogs that we study. Listed below would be the most up-to-date sites that we choose […]…
Title…
[…]we prefer to honor lots of other internet web-sites around the web, even though they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]Here are a few of the websites we advocate for our visitors[…]…
Title…
[…]although internet websites we backlink to below are considerably not associated to ours, we really feel they are essentially worth a go via, so possess a look[…]…
Title…
[…]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine some unrelated data, nevertheless definitely really worth taking a appear, whoa did one find out about Mid East has got additional problerms also […]…
Title…
[…]just beneath, are various totally not associated internet sites to ours, even so, they’re certainly worth going over[…]…
Title…
[…]we came across a cool web page that you just might appreciate. Take a look if you want[…]…
Title…
[…]one of our visitors not too long ago proposed the following website[…]…
Title…
[…]that is the finish of this write-up. Here you’ll come across some web-sites that we believe you will value, just click the hyperlinks over[…]…
Title…
[…]Sites of interest we have a link to[…]…
Title…
[…]below you’ll locate the link to some web-sites that we assume you ought to visit[…]…
Title…
[…]just beneath, are a lot of entirely not connected websites to ours, even so, they’re certainly worth going over[…]…
Title…
[…]always a significant fan of linking to bloggers that I appreciate but don’t get a whole lot of link enjoy from[…]…
Title…
[…]Here are several of the web sites we recommend for our visitors[…]…
Title…
[…]that would be the end of this article. Right here you will find some websites that we assume you’ll enjoy, just click the hyperlinks over[…]…
Title…
[…]we prefer to honor quite a few other internet web sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages really worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]we came across a cool web-site that you just might delight in. Take a appear when you want[…]…
Title…
[…]please stop by the websites we follow, including this a single, as it represents our picks through the web[…]…
Title…
[…]please go to the websites we adhere to, like this one particular, as it represents our picks from the web[…]…
Title…
[…]please check out the internet sites we follow, like this one, because it represents our picks from the web[…]…
Title…
[…]below you will uncover the link to some sites that we assume it is best to visit[…]…
Title…
[…]that would be the finish of this report. Right here you’ll obtain some sites that we think you’ll enjoy, just click the links over[…]…
Title…
[…]Every as soon as inside a whilst we select blogs that we read. Listed beneath are the latest internet sites that we choose […]…
Title…
[…]just beneath, are many absolutely not associated web sites to ours, nevertheless, they’re surely worth going over[…]…
Title…
[…]check below, are some entirely unrelated internet sites to ours, on the other hand, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[…]…
Title…
[…]please pay a visit to the web-sites we follow, such as this 1, as it represents our picks through the web[…]…
Title…
[…]the time to read or take a look at the subject material or web-sites we’ve linked to below the[…]…
Title…
[…]The information and facts talked about within the write-up are some of the top offered […]…
Title…
[…]Sites of interest we have a link to[…]…
Title…
[…]we prefer to honor numerous other world-wide-web websites on the net, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages really worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]check beneath, are some entirely unrelated web-sites to ours, on the other hand, they may be most trustworthy sources that we use[…]…
Title…
[…]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine several unrelated data, nevertheless really really worth taking a search, whoa did one understand about Mid East has got much more problerms also […]…
Title…
[…]below you’ll come across the link to some internet sites that we assume you’ll want to visit[…]…
Title…
[…]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a couple of unrelated information, nevertheless seriously really worth taking a search, whoa did one study about Mid East has got extra problerms too […]…
Title…
[…]very handful of web-sites that take place to become detailed below, from our point of view are undoubtedly nicely really worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]always a massive fan of linking to bloggers that I appreciate but do not get lots of link really like from[…]…
Title…
[…]usually posts some quite fascinating stuff like this. If you are new to this site[…]…
Title…
[…]The data talked about within the post are a number of the best out there […]…
Title…
[…]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a number of unrelated data, nevertheless really really worth taking a appear, whoa did 1 understand about Mid East has got additional problerms also […]…
Title…
[…]the time to study or pay a visit to the content or web-sites we’ve linked to below the[…]…
Title…
[…]please stop by the web sites we follow, like this one, as it represents our picks through the web[…]…
Title…
[…]that will be the finish of this report. Right here you’ll discover some web pages that we assume you will value, just click the links over[…]…
Title…
[…]usually posts some extremely interesting stuff like this. If you are new to this site[…]…
Title…
[…]below you will locate the link to some web-sites that we believe you ought to visit[…]…
Title…
[…]just beneath, are several absolutely not associated web pages to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[…]…
Title…
[…]usually posts some extremely intriguing stuff like this. If you are new to this site[…]…
Title…
[…]that may be the end of this article. Here you’ll come across some internet sites that we feel you’ll enjoy, just click the links over[…]…
Title…
[…]The info mentioned inside the write-up are a few of the top readily available […]…
Title…
[…]we came across a cool web page that you just could possibly enjoy. Take a appear when you want[…]…
Title…
[…]Here are some of the web-sites we advocate for our visitors[…]…
Title…
[…]that would be the end of this post. Here you will locate some internet sites that we think you’ll enjoy, just click the hyperlinks over[…]…
Title…
[…]one of our guests recently recommended the following website[…]…
Title…
[…]that will be the finish of this post. Here you’ll find some sites that we feel you’ll value, just click the links over[…]…
Title…
[…]check beneath, are some entirely unrelated web-sites to ours, having said that, they may be most trustworthy sources that we use[…]…
Title…
[…]Here is an excellent Weblog You may Discover Exciting that we Encourage You[…]…
Title…
[…]here are some links to websites that we link to due to the fact we feel they’re worth visiting[…]…
Title…
[…]Here are a few of the web pages we advise for our visitors[…]…
Title…
[…]Sites of interest we have a link to[…]…
Title…
[…]very couple of internet websites that happen to be comprehensive beneath, from our point of view are undoubtedly properly worth checking out[…]…
Title…
[…]Here is a good Weblog You may Uncover Fascinating that we Encourage You[…]…
Title…
[…]Here is a great Blog You may Locate Exciting that we Encourage You[…]…
Read was interesting, stay in touch…….
Well written!…
Title…
[…]Every once in a whilst we choose blogs that we study. Listed below would be the latest web sites that we pick out […]…
Title…
[…]Every the moment inside a even though we decide on blogs that we read. Listed below would be the most current web-sites that we choose […]…
I have been absent for some time, but now I remember why I used to love this website. Thanks , I¡¦ll try and check back more frequently. How frequently you update your web site?
Title…
[…]Every when inside a though we pick blogs that we read. Listed below are the most current web-sites that we pick […]…
Title…
[…]we came across a cool website which you may possibly love. Take a appear if you want[…]…
Title…
[…]here are some links to sites that we link to since we believe they’re really worth visiting[…]…
Title…
[…]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a handful of unrelated data, nevertheless definitely worth taking a search, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got additional problerms at the same time […]…
Title…
[…]here are some hyperlinks to sites that we link to since we assume they’re worth visiting[…]…
Title…
[…]Here are a few of the internet sites we suggest for our visitors[…]…
Title…
[…]Here are a number of the web sites we recommend for our visitors[…]…