Tag Archives: Beauty And The Beast Re-telling

ARC Book Review: Of Rime And Ruin by Liesl West

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The Basics:

The Book: Of Rime And Ruin by Liesl West

How long is it? 456 Pages

Will Be Published: July 25, 2025 wherever you buy books (Instead of my usual bookshop.org link, I’m going to send you over to Liesl’s website, where you can find pre-order links for several places, content warnings, and a really cool map of Adria)

The Genre: Adult Romance/Fantasy (Standalone-ish, but part of the Sirens of Adria series)

I received an advanced copy from author Liesl West.

What It’s About (Via Goodreads):

A kingdom on the edge.
A monster in the depths.
And a bond that could rule or ruin…

Princess Nahlani of the Brine would rather master her siren magic than endure the responsibilities of court. So, when she’s threatened with an arranged marriage to a land-bound prince, Nahla flees—only to swim into the icy domain of the cruel Frost King.

King Aethan rules a Rime in ruins, his cold exterior concealing an unspoken a curse that turns him into a bloodthirsty, unpredictable threat to his own people. The siren spy in his waters doesn’t know it yet, but she’ll be safer behind bars…

Determined to escape her new captor, Nahla’s magic sparks a forbidden alliance. Unaware of the bond she’s formed with the kingdom’s most feared creature—the fabled clawbeast—Aethan moves her from prison to palace.

But as the truth of the beast unravels, so does the distance between Nahla and Aethan, leaving them to confront a dangerous and undeniable attraction.

Part of the Sirens of Adria series, Of Rime and Ruin is a fantasy romance retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

What I Thought:

I loved Of Song And Scepter, and when I saw that West was looking for ARC readers, I knew I had to apply for the arc, and I am so glad I was approved for, because this book was so good!

I loved Nahla and Aethan so much!  You don’t need to read Of Song And Scepter first, even though both books are set in the same world, since both stories are stand-alones, and focus on two very different couples.  I think Of Song And Scepter is a great book, and you should read it, but you’ll still know what’s going on if you skip it.

I loved this take on Beauty And The Beast, and I loved that we not only had Nahla and Aethan narrating, but the Beast as well.  This version is dark and icy, with an interesting mystery to boot.  I didn’t see the resolution to the mystery coming, but I liked seeing how that got resolved and how it came together.  Lucas was awful, and he is definitely the Gaston of this story, if you’re looking for parallels to the movie.  I wasn’t surprised by his role in things by the end of the book, but I’d be curious to see if it’s something I’d notice if I’d re-read it again.  I did like the nods to the movie, as well, and it really makes me want to go watch the movie!

I loved Nahla, and I was rooting for her the entire book.  I don’t blame her for wanting to escape, and though things were rough in Rime, I’m also glad it worked out for her.  I also loved how Aethan defended her when her family was acting completely awful.  Aethan was interesting and I was surprised to see that Aethan and the beast was more of a Jekyll and Hyde situation.  While it strays from the movie, I thought it was really cool, because there are these two sides to him that he needs to reconcile.  Granted, I’ve never read Jekyll and Hyde, so I’m not the best source, but I thought it was a great take on the Beast.  I really liked Aethan as well, and I definitely understood why he thought Nahla was a spy.  Obviously, he changes his mind about her by the end of the book, but his initial distrust made a lot of sense to me.  I especially loved them together, and I loved seeing them fall in love.

My Rating:

I loved this book so much, and it is a 5 star read for me!  If you love mermaids, magic, and Beauty And The Beast, this is the book for you!

Book Review: Hunted by Megan Spooner

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Book: Hunted by Megan Spooner

Published May 2017 by HarperTeen|374 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Fantasy/Fairy Tale Re-Telling

Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them. 

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance. 

Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?

I really liked Hunted!  I really do like reading re-tellings, especially when fairy tales are involved.  Hunted is a re-telling of Beauty And The Beast, and I could definitely see the connections to the Disney movie that we all know and love.  But a little darker, and with some Russian folklore thrown in.  I really liked the addition of the Firebird, and it actually fit really well with the story.  I also thought that having Beauty be blindfolded was interesting as well.  I’m not sure why, but it made the story more interesting.

I also liked seeing the interludes that are narrated by Beast.  Interludes are the best way to describe them because they’re not really chapters.  But I really liked it because you get a lot of insight into who Beast is, and what he’s thinking.  You also get an idea of what happened, though not completely.

There’s something about this book that is cold and icy.  Which really fits the Russian feel of the book.  The snow and cold, and it’s rural and medieval Russia, and it just fits with everything going on.  It definitely feels more Russian than European, which was actually really nice, because it’s different than most re-tellings.  If you want a Russian twist on Beauty And The Beast, this is the book to read.  Actually, if you like Beauty And The Beast, this is a book I would recommend.

There is something about this book that is very haunting and restless, and Yeva definitely has a sense of wanderlust.  She definitely seemed happier when she was able to go between the cabin, her sister’s home, and the castle.  She and Beast seemed to fit well together, because they both seem restless and yearn for something more than what they have.  There’s definitely an…understanding…between them, and I actually really like that they aren’t in a rush to get married.  It would have been easier to have them get married in the end, but they don’t, and that was really refreshing to see.  Especially given it’s rural, medieval Russia.  I may be making assumptions here, but it seems like it would be the thing to do for that period and time period.

4 stars.  I didn’t completely love it, but I did really like it.  If you like fairy tales, Beauty And The Beast, and medieval Russia, this is the book for you!