Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales
by Soman Chainani

Blurb:
You think you know these stories, don’t you?
You are wrong.
You don’t know them at all.
Twelve tales, twelve dangerous tales of mystery, magic, and rebellious hearts. Each twists like a spindle to reveal truths full of warning and triumph, truths that capture hearts long kept tame and set them free, truths that explore life . . . and death.
A prince has a surprising awakening . . .
A beauty fights like a beast . . .
A boy refuses to become prey . . .
A path to happiness is lost. . . . then found again.
New York Times bestselling author Soman Chainani respins old stories into fresh fairy tales for a new era and creates a world like no other. These stories know you. They understand you. They reflect you. They are tales for our times. So read on, if you dare.
My review:
After writing The School for Good and Evil series, Soman Chainani turned to write a collection of fairy tale retellings. Beasts and Beauty is a collection of twelve classic fairy tales–creatively retold with a fresh new twist.
Anyone who admires fairy tales as much as I do will get lost in this book. Original, twisted, dark, magical—I found most of the tales fascinating, and I’d go so far as to say that Beasts and Beauty is at the top of my favorite retelling books this year. The endings of some of these stories have the power to make your jaw drop, while others offer more of a beginning—a prequel of a sort—originally left to the reader’s imagination. “Hansel and Gretel” had a twist I didn’t see coming. Not only that, a few of these sparked up conversations between everyone in the room who was listening. We needed time to mull over them for a while, and we all had our own opinions to share. This was a welcome change of pace, and the uniqueness of these tales exceeded my expectations. The gorgeous illustrations (mostly color) add the perfect touch too.
With that said, I’m still surprised this came out of the children’s section at my bookstore. This is a book I’d ‘cautiously’ recommend to children because there’s darker content including brutal killing, etc. Unless children are used to reading stories like that, these might be haunting, but then maybe they’ll love them like my older kids. A few tales also have vague sexual innuendos, but I’m confident that won’t sink in with younger readers. My 8-year-old was able to follow along, but she was lost in places with some of the complexities and the advanced vocabulary, so most of the tales weren’t as enjoyable for her. I had to sort of pick and choose which ones to read with her; however, they were perfect for my older middle-graders and my fairytale-loving self.
This is a happy purchase earning 4.5 stars from me.
4.5****
This book has been added as an extra for the 2021 Retelling Reading Challenge. You can see my progress below by clicking the image.
Thanks for reading my review! Have you read any good retellings lately?
❤ Mischenko
Pingback: 2021 Retellings Reading Challenge: #2021ReadingChallenge #FairyTales #RetellingsReadingChallenge #Retellings #Books – ReadRantRock&Roll
This one sounds like it could be interesting. Also something adults would like.
Happy New Year, Mischenko!
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It really is, Mae. I love when a book written for children captivates me so. Fairy tales are some of my favorite reading though. BTW, I’m heading over to grab your book! Thanks for sharing the sale. ❤
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Whoa! Thank you so much for grabbing A Thousand Yesteryears. I hope you enjoy the story. Happy reading!
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I like the sound of fairy tales with a new twist and I can totally see your point about appropriateness for children. Seems like maybe they just assumed fairytales = children’s section without being aware of the actual content. Excellent review!
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It seems like more and more, children’s books are just like this. Maybe it’s just me, but I know kids who would be sensitive to it. Thanks, Tessa. 😀
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I know kids who would be sensitive to it too. Definitely!
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From what you said I think this is more middle grade book. Great review!
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Thank you, Yesha. 😀
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I like the sound of this one (I know you enjoy fairy tale retellings), but I’m also surprised it would be in the children’s section. I’d agree with Yesha about the MG rating. Nice review, Jenn!
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Thanks, Teri! Again, there are some parents out there who wouldn’t think twice about it, but I know a few who would, and it’s why I make it a point. I’ve seen much worse content for kids. This isn’t bad at all. 😉
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I listened to some of these stories when you were reading with your youngest and have to agree, some of them were really different.
Nice review! 📚
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Thanks!
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Pingback: Final results! 2021 Retellings Reading Challenge: #2021ReadingChallenge #FairyTales #RetellingsReadingChallenge – ReadRantRock&Roll
Sounds interesting. Was it any good?
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For some reason the WordPress Reader isn’t showing my review. I’m going to have to contact support. If you go to the actual blog webpage, you should be able to read the review. WP can be such a pain sometimes. 🙄 We did enjoy this one a lot. It’s on my retelling favorites! 👍😁
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