The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross…Review

A sumptuously magical, brand new take on a tale as old as time—read the Beast’s side of the story at long last.

I am neither monster nor man—yet I am both.

I am the Beast.

The day I was cursed to this wretched existence was the day I was saved—although it did not
feel so at the time.

My redemption sprung from contemptible roots; I am not proud of what I did the day her father happened upon my crumbling, isolated chateau. But if loneliness breeds desperation then I was desperate indeed, and I did what I felt I must. My shameful behaviour was unjustly rewarded.

My Isabeau. She opened my eyes, my mind and my heart; she taught me how to be human again.

And now I might lose her forever.

Lose yourself in this gorgeously rich and magical retelling of The Beauty and the Beast that finally lays bare the beast’s heart.

My Review:

Do me a favor, put this book aside until you are convinced you can read it without wanting it to be the Beast’s version of the Disney movie. Because that is not this book. It’s a re-telling of your favorite tale as old as time. Trust me when I say if you go into it hoping to relive the first time you watched Beauty and the Beast, you’ll be disappointed. I was. Until I let go of the movie and read it for the story itself.

Shallcross brings the reader on an emotional journey as she navigates through the crushing loneliness and loss of humanity experienced by the Beast. It’s dark. It’s got angst. But it also has hope. You’ll be swept up in the Beast’s journey to find true love

and break the curse. You’ll get attached to whatever magical force is at work in the castle and how it’s clearly rooting for a happy ending.

The author transports the reader back in time with her writing that is firmly planted in the historical era, 17th century France, where the story takes place. There are engaging side stories with Isabeau’s sisters and father that round out the main story arc.

A unique re-telling of a beloved fairy tale.

Three Loves

About the author:

Leife Shallcross’s first novel, The Beast’s Heart, a “luxuriously magical retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale”, will be published by Hodder & Stoughton in May 2018. She is also the author of several short stories, including Pretty Jennie Greenteeth, which won the 2016 Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Short Story. Leife has a bit of a thing for fairy tales, and is particularly inspired by those characters that tend to fall into the cracks of the usual stories. She can be found online at leifeshallcross.com and on Twitter @leioss.

Visit her website for more info