Six for Sunday – Beauty & the Beast Retellings
Happy weekend! Here is my next post in my ‘Fairy Tale February’ series. I love fairy tales as you will know if you have connected with me recently on Twitter. Fairy tale retellings are very popular this year with multiple releases based on our favourite classics. As my first Six for Sunday of February I wanted to share six retellings of my favourite fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast.
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Published: 5th May 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Genre: NA/YA Fantasy
Synopsis: Goodreads link here
Arguably the most well known Young Adult Beauty and the Beast re-telling at the moment. When Feyre is taken to the fae lands by Tamlin, Lord of the Spring court, for murdering a faerie she find herself a prisoner in his home. As she spends more time with her captor her feelings towards him begin to change. An ancient curse must be broken or she will lose him forever.
I really love the ACOTAR series, particularly because of the interesting cast of characters that we get to know as the series progresses. I think it is a very good re-telling as the fundamental themes are all there but there is also a lot more to the plot.
Uprooted
Title: Uprooted
Author: Naomi Novik
Published: 19th May 2015
Publisher: Del Rey
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: Goodreads link here
I only finished reading Uprooted recently and I absolutely loved it. I found it really difficult to get into another book as I was so engrossed in Uprooted. Agnieszka is your ordinary girl from the valley and no-one would expect her to be chosen to serve the wizard in the tower for the next ten years. No-one knows what he does to the girls he selects but after ten years of service they always want to move away.
I love this re-telling! Agnieszka is a great protagonist and I really like the way that the ‘beast’ character, the Dragon, is written. The book is full of action and has a lot of twists. The malevolence of the wood and the magical aspects of the novel are brilliant. I would highly recommend it to any Beauty and the Beast fan. A full review of Uprooted is coming soon.
The Phantom of the Opera
Title: The Phantom of the Opera/Le Fantôme de l’Opéra (Original title)
Author: Gaston Leroux
Published: 1st May 1998 (Originally 8th January 1910)
Publisher: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Company
Genre: Classic Fiction
Synopsis: Goodreads link here
The famous French journalist Gaston Leroux wrote The Phantom of the Opera in 1910. The Gothic novel is rooted in Victorian melodrama, and incorporates an eclectic mix of genres including romance, horror and mystery. Often described as a modern Beauty and the Beast, the novel explores a lonely, misunderstood and disfigured musical genius who was shunned by society and his seemingly unrequited love, a beautiful young Opera singer named Christine Daae. Despite being considered to be classic French literature, the original novel has been somewhat overshadowed by its numerous stage, screen and literary adaptations.
In my opinion the Gaston Leroux novel isn’t quite as exciting as the Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 musical or subsequent film adaptation (2004) but there are a lot of really interesting details that aren’t picked out anywhere else. That said, I did study Theatre at university and The Phantom of the Opera was a passion of mine. The Phantom is the perfect ‘Beast’ character and Christine a great ‘Belle’. If you are a Phantom fan or love Beauty and the Beast I highly recommend you read Leroux’s novel the next time you want to pick up some classic literature.
The Beast’s Heart
Title: The Beast’s Heart
Author: Leife Shallcross
Published: 3rd May 2018
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Genre: YA Fantasy
Synopsis: Goodreads link here
This retelling has been sat on my Kindle for quite a while but I am looking forward to reading it. The cover is absolutely gorgeous and perfectly fits the theme. The novel is set in 17th Century France and unusually is told from the point of view of the Beast. A weary traveller disturbs his lonely existence in his ruined château and the traditional tale plays out from there. I have heard from fellow bloggers that the romance aspect is the main feature of The Beast’s Heart so if you want a bit of romance then this will be a great retelling for you!
Hunted
Title: Hunted
Author: Meagan Spooner
Published: 14th March 2017
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: YA Fantasy
Synopsis: Goodreads link here
I have wanted this book for AGES. Hunted sounds like it has the perfect balance of retelling and new twists. Yeva is brought up an aristocrat but when her father loses his fortune and they move to the outskirts of town she can sense the forest holds secrets. Her father begins tracking the Beast and mysteriously disappears thus Yeva sets out to find him. Hunting the beast she comes across a cursed valley, a ruined castle and and fairy tale creatures. The plot sounds very promising to me and I have heard a lot of good things so this should definitely be a retelling to add to your TBR! Megan Spooner also has a new retelling coming out this year, this time focusing on the tale of Robin Hood called Sherwood.
A Curse so Dark and Lonely
Title: A Curse so Dark and Lonely
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Published: 26th February 2019
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Genre: YA Fantasy
Synopsis: Goodreads link here
The latest Beauty and the Beast retelling to be released and one that I have been looking forward to for a long time. I haven’t bought a copy yet because it is definitely going to be in a book box that I have already purchased. The thing that is very exciting is that this is a modern retelling with the protagonist hailing from Washington. Also I am excited that the book is meant to contain a lot of great representation – race, sexuality and disability.
The novel has multiple perspectives and contains some darker themes (so please check personal trigger warnings on Goodreads or reviews). Prince Rhen, the Beast character, is cursed by an enchantress to continuously repeat his eighteenth year. Harper Lacy is drawn through from DC into the cursed world of the Beast. She soon learns that is not just Rhen she needs to worry about… *Tingles with excitement* I will be reading and reviewing A Curse so Dark and Lonely asap!
Tale as Old as Time
These are just a few of the Beauty and the Beast retellings out there. It is a story that will never grow old as it teaches us not to judge and to face our fears. Beauty and the Beast fights superficiality and shows us the importance of both knowledge and kindness. Have you read any of the books listed? What is your favourite Beauty and the Beast retelling?
“Beauty is found within”
– Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
Thank you for reading! If you are enjoying ‘Fairy Tale February’ then have a go at my brand new fairy tale themed book tag.
47 Comments
I really loved A Curse so Dark and Lonely. I’m going to check out the others you have listed.
I hope you find something that you fancy reading! I can’t wait to read it soon. Thanks for commenting 🙂
Phantom is one of my favourite books and I’ve never realised it’s basically Beauty and the Beast! Wow – my world is SHOOK.
I do that all the time with retellings! It is only when someone points it out to me that I realise. My major dissertation was on The Phantom of the Opera so I am very familiar with its roots. It is my passion so I have to be careful not to get carried away (might have had to cut a few paragraphs in that section…)
I mean, if you have that dissertation lying around I would love to read it…
Tbh I was supposed to be shortening it as my tutor thought it should be published but I just never quite finished the all the referencing accurately. I really should do it one day. If you are interested though I am sure I can dig my original copy out for you to peruse 🙂
I would honestly love that!!
I love Uprooted, Hunted and A Curse So Dark And Lonely!! All such amazing books!
I can’t wait for my box with A Curse So Dark and Lonely to arrive! I would have pre-ordered and read it on publication day.
I had no idea that Phantom of the Opera was considered a modern Beauty and the Beast! I didn’t like ACOTAR, but I have all of these titles on my TBR as I love retellings as well! I am currently reading The Blood Spell, CJ Redwine’s latest book in the Ravenspire series.
I think I recommended As Old As Time to you sometime this month. After posting the top 5 fairy tale retellings I want to read someone picked up the Beauty and the Beast retelling from the Twisted Tales series.
Anyways, I have really been enjoying your posts this month!
Yes you did! It is on my list of retellings I need to pick up. Thank you so much! I like having a little theme to work on 🙂
Isn’t there a Phantom of the Opera movie? I might check that out.
Do you do a theme every month?
Yes, there are a few Phantom films. The most recent being the 2004 Andrew Lloyd Webber version, which is great if you like the musical. This is actually the first month I have had a theme but I do intend to do a few in the future! Hopefully with enough preparation I can have even more posts for those months too 🙂
I hope you do! I really love the theme! There are so many different themes that you could focus on! Like you could do a mystery and thriller month! I recently focused on cozy mysteries and tried out a bunch of different novels in the genre. I want to try out some different specific genres and see what I like. Like within fantasy, there are epic fantasies, high fantasies, urban fantasies… which do I like best? What are defining characteristics of each genres. Mystery and thrillers have psychological mysteries, cozy mysteries, whodunit mysteries… etc.
That sounds great. I had started to put together a must read list for the subgenres of fantasy as there are so many! The Dresden Files is my favourite urban fantasy series, with some of the later books being some of my favourite books ever written. I was going to do Sci-Fi September last year but ended up being too busy to put anything together but I will probably do that this year 🙂
I love checking out sub genres like that! I recently did that with mysteries, I read a bunch of cozy mysteries and then whodunits! I like fantasy over sci-fi, which is funny because it used to be the other way around.
I have never seen the film or read the story, but it sounds amazing! I will have to check it out!
I absolutely LOVED Uprooted. I also really want to read Hunted! I had no idea about The Beast’s Heart and now I’m going to add that to my TBR!
Have you read Spinning Silver? I am loving the audio book of it right now. The narrator is great and it was really easy to listen to after finishing Uprooted because it is the same style. I must read Naomi Novik’s other books too. I hope you enjoy The Beast’s Heart 🙂
I have not! It’s on my TBR, but I haven’t been able to get a copy yet. I really like her writing style so I’m hopeful for it.
I am sure you will love it when you manage to grab a copy!
I recently got a copy of The Beast’s Heart and cannot wait to read it!L Lovely post!
Thank you. The Beast’s Heart seems to be making a comeback at the moment as I keep seeing it pop up. I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Because I am basic I loved ACOTAR and its the only one I have read on this list! I do kind of want to pick up A Curse So Dark and Lonely though because of the hype!
I love the ACOTAR series too. I always worry when books are hyped but to be honest, the author would have to have done something very wrong for me not to be able to appreciate a Beauty and the Beast retelling! Bloggers I trust have a high opinion of it though so I am very excited 🙂 Thank you for commenting 🙂
You have a good point! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
I wouldn’t class ACOTAR as YA, but I love it as a retelling. I didn’t like it the first time I read it, but at then end of last year I binged the series and I *got* it and I liked they way it blended BATB and Tam Lin.
I loved Hunted, I thought it was excellent.
I cannot wait for A Curse So Dark and Lonely.
Cora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/
Interesting! Why wouldn’t you class it as YA? (Genuinely interested). I’m glad you enjoyed your second reading better. If I could have super powers I swear reading faster would be one of them so I could get through all the book I really want to read.
I think mostly because of the sexual content, and it reads more NA than YA, like Feyre’s already grown up and somewhat experienced in life rather than coming-of-age. For me the narration feels very much an adult perspective.
Even SJM has said herself it’s New Adult not Young Adult, although I can’t remember if that was on an online interview or an event I saw her at.
Haha yes being able to read faster would be amazing, imagine how much more we could read! (and reread)
I definitely get that. I should use NA more when describing some books. I wish it appeared more on Goodreads actually as a lot is clumped into YA. There are definitely darker themes, especially those that come out in book 2. We would need super-reviewing powers too I guess or it would get out of hand very quickly!
I made the mistake of pre-ordering a copy of A Curse So Dark and Lonely so thanks to a certain subscription box, I will have two copies by the end of the month. I don’t really mind though because I want to start collecting different editions and retellings of Beauty and the Beast!
ACOTAR and Hunted are two of my favourite non-Disney BATB retellings I’ve read as well. It took me a while to get into ACOTAR but once I did I really enjoyed it and the rest of the series. I hope the same can be said for Uprooted, The Beast’s Heart and A Curse so Dark and Lonely once I finally pick them up!
I hope you enjoy them! I really loved Uprooted so let me know what you think about it when you pick it up (it is also really good on audio book). Duplicate books always make lovely gifts so I never mind too much 🙂 A shelf of different Beauty and the Beast retellings… Ooo don’t give me ideas! Thank you for commenting.
I didn’t really like ACOTAR, but A Curse so Dark and Lonely and Hunted are on my TBR and I hope I’ll like those!
These all look amazing- especially the covers!! I’ll have to have a look, as I don’t think I’ve read any of these and they all look worth it 😀
I hope you enjoy any you decide to pick up. Uprooted is great on audiobook too if you like something to listen too 🙂
Beauty and the Beast retellings are some of my favourites! I had no clue that Uprooted was a Beauty and the Beast retelling but I want to read it so much more now.
You should definitely read it! It is fantastic.
i had no idea uprooted was abatb retelling whaaat!! i love that book so much but never made that connection oops
I can understand why as there are a lot of different fairy tale elements to it. I knew it was supposed to be a Beauty and the Beast retelling before I read it so I probably looked out for those elements more.
I adore The Phantom of the Opera musical, should really get around to reading the original book
If you love the musical you should definitely read it! I really enjoyed seeing what elements were picked out and which were left behind for the musical adaptation.
I love retellings! I didn’t realize there were so many Beauty and the Beast retellings. I haven’t read any of these but a couple of them are on my TBR!
Beauty and the Beast always seems to be a very popular pick for retellings as does The Little Mermaid. Which are on your TBR? 🙂
The main one has to be A Curse so Dark and Lonely. I keep hearing good things about it. I also have A Court of Thornes and Roses. I hear mixed reviews about this one so I am a bit nervous about it but i definitely want to give it a try.
I had no idea that Uprooted was a retelling! Good thing I bought the book lol
I have a review for it going up this week and I am really excited to share it <3 Let me know what you think of it when you read it!
I’ve never been a fan of the stories that were turned into Disney princess films but I am very intrigued about A curse so dark….
And I cannot believe I never saw the Phantom of the Opera link before – doh!