Last month at Dastaan, we talked about the modern take on Jane Austen’s novels. Today, we are focusing solely on “The Beauty and the Beast” retellings. We all grew up listening to the tale of innocent Belle and her evil captor, the Beast. Even though the original tale dates back to thousand of years, there have been many versions of this story throughout the history. Let’s have a look on the contemporary YA “Beauty and the Beast” retellings.
A Court of Thorn and Roses – Sarah J Maas
In Feyre’s village winters are long and merciless. Therefore, there is no choice left for her other than to go to the forest and hunt for her family’s survival. However, the forest is home to all kinds of predators. One evening, Feyre ends up killing a giant wolf-like creature and the course of her life changes. To avenge the death of the wolf-like creature, his friend Tamlin, a masked man who shape shifts takes Feyre captive in Prithyian, the land of fae. Soon Feyre and Tamlin grow to like each other and the rest of the tale unfolds in the old fashioned ‘beauty and the beast’ manner. Even though, A Court of Thorn and Roses is known to be a fairytale retelling, Sarah J. Maas has been able to build a separate fanbase for this series because of her descriptive prose and a wide range of complex characters.
“Be glad of your human heart, Feyre. Pity those who don’t feel anything at all.”
A Curse So Dark and Lonely – Brigid Kemmerer
The story always begins with an evil enchantress or sorceress cursing the vain and arrogant yet handsome prince to a life of loneliness. In the Curse-breaker series by Brigid Kemmerer, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall is condemned to relive his eighteenth year slowly turning into a beast, unless a young girl falls in love with him. However, with the ruin surrounding Emberfall, it is almost impossible to find a girl who would fall in love with a cruel beast. But hope knocks at Emberfall, as Harper a girl from the streets of Washington, DC, is suddenly pulled into a magical world. Upon meeting each other, both of them are bewildered at the thought of what is at stake for them. As the duo spends some time together, Rhen realises, for him Harper is not just a means to end the curse, she is so much more.
“Have you not figured it out yet? The curse torments us all.”
A Thieving Curse – Selina R. Gonzalez
A Thieving Curse by Selina Gonzalez is a beautiful “beauty and the beast” reimagining with clever twists. Here we do not have a naive girl from a humble background being lost in the woods. The story revolves around Princess Raelyn who is betrothed to the Crown Prince Tristan. Their political marriage is a seal cementing a peace treaty between their kingdoms. However, on the day of her wedding, a monster-man Alexander, takes her captive claiming to be the real crown prince. Read the book to unfold how Raelyn learns the secret to Alexander’s rough exterior and starts to fall for the kind man hiding behind that facade.
“There are a great many things that shouldn’t be. Being angry won’t change it or make it easier.”
We hope you enjoyed these unique takes on “The Beauty and Beast” fairytale. For more literary goodness, stay tuned!
