Good evening, my bookworms! Long time, no see! I’ve been trying to get to you guys for awhile now, but life loves to mess with me and get in the way. I had one of the busiest months ever at the office, plus friends and family, catching sleep when I can, and then little escapades like tonight when I was trying to finish a book to make a post, and my basement sink decided to clog, flood my basement, and mess up my laundry. That’s been my life in a nutshell lately. I apologize for my absence, yet again, and I’m getting back on track to get my books read because I feel so disconnected to my literary world and community lately and it’s time to get back to it, I think!
Anyway, I’m excited to talk about one of my latest reads because it ties in to one of my favorite childhood stories that recently returned to the big screen in a new way. I’m talking about the live action Beauty & the Beast, and the book of short stories entitled, Beast.
I have to say, to start, that I adored every minute of the movie. It was utter magic, and made me feel completely nostalgic, so I’m really glad some of my favorite contemporary authors (and some I haven’t read before) decided to release this book to coincide with the film debut.
Using the classic fairy tale as a foundation, each author came up with their own version of the story, which I was fascinated with simply because of subjectivity. It was so interesting to see how creative each author was able to get with the story they were telling and what I learned from each and every one.
While some installments were more obvious as to their nods to the original story, it didn’t dampen my experience with each tale. I found myself immersed in each one, and taking my time to enjoy the characters. If anything, I loved that I could point out the similarities and see where the ideas stemmed from. Others masked theirs so well that I felt I was reading something completely new.
A few of the shorts were modern day love stories, some had a dystopian element to them, while others still were purely fantasy and enchantment. I was thrilled at how completely original every story was, and not a single one was a story I had read before. I was really impressed, and even a bit envious of all the creativity of these talented ladies.
I can’t say that I had a favorite because, as I stated prior, every story was so different and I found myself adoring things about each individual tale. Unfortunately, that made me absolutely indecisive regarding picking a favorite. They each had moments that stood out to me, and I promise that I walked away from this book having learned lessons from each and every short. You’ll just have to experience it for yourselves to know what I’m talking about.
If you’d like a break from life to enjoy a collection of modern fairy tales, especially if you’re a fan of Beauty & the Beast, I can’t suggest this book enough. I promise you’ll enjoy every minute!
My Final Rating: four out of five stars
