What do you think?
Rate this book
A Beast So Beautiful
A darkness falls over the land when the Queen of Rurith dies.
Consumed with grief, King Ivar blames their son, Prince Leif, for her demise, and locks him away in the castle.
The Prince is left in total despair, until a girl, with hair the colour of a red sunset and green eyes shows him mercy.
For six years she visits him in secret, giving him hope where none existed before.
But Ruith hides many treacherous things that threaten to bring the Kingdom to its knees.
Until the Prince and his beastly curse are released.
Consumed with grief, King Ivar blames their son, Prince Leif, for her demise, and locks him away in the castle.
The Prince is left in total despair, until a girl, with hair the colour of a red sunset and green eyes shows him mercy.
For six years she visits him in secret, giving him hope where none existed before.
But Ruith hides many treacherous things that threaten to bring the Kingdom to its knees.
Until the Prince and his beastly curse are released.
177 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 20, 2021
About the author
Carlyle Labuschagne
21 books858 followersCarlyle is a USA Today Bestselling, international bestselling and international award winning South African author
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/carly...
- with a flair and passion for mixing genres , adding loads of drama to every story she creates. You are sure to lose yourself in the detailed words she dreams up. Carlyle has traveled the world with her books in hopes of connecting with all kinds of book loving people, to learn as much as she can from other book cultures with the hopes of bringing the knowledge back to her home country.
For now she is happy to take over the world and convert non Sci-fi believers.
Her goal as an author is to touch people's lives, and help others love their differences and one another by delivering strong messages of faith, love and hope within every outrageous world she writes about.
"I love to swim, fight for the trees, and am a food lover who is driven by my passion for life. I dream that one day my stories will change the lives of countless teenagers and have them obsess over the world literacy can offer them instead of worrying about fitting in. Never sacrifice who you are, its in the dark times that the light comes to life."
Carlyle uses writing as a healing tool and that is why she has started her very own writers support event - SAIR bookfestival.
"To be a helping hand for those who strive to become full times writers, editors, bloggers, readers and cover artists - its a crazy world out there you don't have to go it alone!"
follow @CarlyleL for all the crazy updates on all things me.
Founder of SAIR Book Festival
Co Founder of Fire Quill Publishing.
Founder of Help build a library in South Africa.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
August 10, 2021
Carlyle Labuschagne’s fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast is an utterly dark and grim story that I don’t want to even classify as a retelling of my favorite story.
A Beast So Beautiful is a must-read for all fans of fantasy, for no other reason than to enjoy the vivid imagery that the author has created with the descriptions of the Beast’s Kingdom called Ruith. It is an absolute mastery of words by Labuschagne with an explosive twisty ending that had me gasping at the end. My heart bleeds for Prince Leif, his kindness and fervent desire to control the beast in him and not be the reason for any more murder after having being locked for years together made him the perfect hero to root for.
The story begins in a way that had me scratching my head for a time, there’s no introduction of a scene or a prologue to ease into the story, it was sort of like a flight take off without any cruising thru the runway. Except for Prince Leif though I couldn’t enjoy any other characters. There’s a sense of wrongness that lurks underneath as you read the story and it is honestly hard to wait for book 2 to know how the curse and the greatest betrayal of Leif’s life are gonna play out.
A Beast So Beautiful is not a story that will have the readers smiling with romance in the air, if truth be told, the climax shakes the very core of the original fairy tale. The happy endings that we are so used to is probably coming up in the next book of the series but who knows what surprise Labuschagne has in store for the reader.
Highly recommended, just dive in expecting the unexpected. 4 stars for the story and a whole 1 star for that enchanting cover image.💦 💦 💦 💦 💦
Many thanks to BookSirens and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.
This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India, Medium.com, Facebook, and Twitter.
A Beast So Beautiful is a must-read for all fans of fantasy, for no other reason than to enjoy the vivid imagery that the author has created with the descriptions of the Beast’s Kingdom called Ruith. It is an absolute mastery of words by Labuschagne with an explosive twisty ending that had me gasping at the end. My heart bleeds for Prince Leif, his kindness and fervent desire to control the beast in him and not be the reason for any more murder after having being locked for years together made him the perfect hero to root for.
The story begins in a way that had me scratching my head for a time, there’s no introduction of a scene or a prologue to ease into the story, it was sort of like a flight take off without any cruising thru the runway. Except for Prince Leif though I couldn’t enjoy any other characters. There’s a sense of wrongness that lurks underneath as you read the story and it is honestly hard to wait for book 2 to know how the curse and the greatest betrayal of Leif’s life are gonna play out.
A Beast So Beautiful is not a story that will have the readers smiling with romance in the air, if truth be told, the climax shakes the very core of the original fairy tale. The happy endings that we are so used to is probably coming up in the next book of the series but who knows what surprise Labuschagne has in store for the reader.
Highly recommended, just dive in expecting the unexpected. 4 stars for the story and a whole 1 star for that enchanting cover image.💦 💦 💦 💦 💦
Many thanks to BookSirens and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.
This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India, Medium.com, Facebook, and Twitter.
August 14, 2021
Be our guest! Be our guest!
Put our service to the beast
And King'll provide the rest
Don't believe me? Ask the witches
They can hide, they can curse
After all, this is Rurith Kingmass
Hmm, that wasn't the song, was it?
All witches in Rurith were executed after the queen’s illness, and the day of her death, King Ivar locked his son up in a dreaded dark tower for six years.
Prince Leif was born half human and half monster. He's the wonder that has his father finally forgives him? Hurt by his father, his people. And Avelyn is a very nice girl who apparently tries to help Leif with his beast curse and set him as a rightful king. But, that's right, always there is a BUT in a story with a bad king, good son, beast, witch, revenge, betrayal, lie, and love.
"Even monsters deserve happiness"
This was a little dark and a very different version of Beauty and the Beast with a fantastic cover. Well written, twisted narrative, and an unexpected ending.
Thanks to booksirens, I received a digital copy of A Beast So Beautiful by Carlyle Labuschagne for free, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
Put our service to the beast
And King'll provide the rest
Don't believe me? Ask the witches
They can hide, they can curse
After all, this is Rurith Kingmass
Hmm, that wasn't the song, was it?
All witches in Rurith were executed after the queen’s illness, and the day of her death, King Ivar locked his son up in a dreaded dark tower for six years.
Prince Leif was born half human and half monster. He's the wonder that has his father finally forgives him? Hurt by his father, his people. And Avelyn is a very nice girl who apparently tries to help Leif with his beast curse and set him as a rightful king. But, that's right, always there is a BUT in a story with a bad king, good son, beast, witch, revenge, betrayal, lie, and love.
"Even monsters deserve happiness"
This was a little dark and a very different version of Beauty and the Beast with a fantastic cover. Well written, twisted narrative, and an unexpected ending.
Thanks to booksirens, I received a digital copy of A Beast So Beautiful by Carlyle Labuschagne for free, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
April 9, 2022
4 stars
A Beast so Beautiful is a dark and original fairy tale retelling. I will start by saying, this book is nothing like I expected it to be. For context, everything that's described in the synopsis actually happens before the start of the book, and rather than watching those events unfold, they are the prelude to the actual story. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just means that I went into this book with specific expectations that weren't completely met. Granted, I think this is more of a marketing issue than an issue with the book itself, so even though this book was a 3 star read for me, I want to be fair in my review of the book itself, and I think it's objectively a 4 star story. As I mentioned, this book is a very original take on "the beast's story". I loved the dark atmosphere of this book (although I didn't expect there to be implications of sexual assault, so it did take me a minute to adjust to the world), the way the author jumped into the plot right away and slow fed the audience information was really satisfying and kept me on the edge of my seat, and this book has really good pacing. Even though it's only around 250 pages, none of that space is wasted, and it feels like a fully developed fantasy world. My main complaints for this book, oddly enough, are that a lot of the elements that I just praised often got pushed too far. For example, I loved how dark this book was, but sometimes it got a little too heavy. The main character was genuinely the only likeable character, which often made it hard to care about the world of this book aside from just him. Also, while on the topic of characters, I wasn't a huge fan of the twist. It wasn't poorly done, personally though, I found it a little disappointing. Lastly, because this book jumps right into the action and takes place after the events of the synopsis, I found the first 40 pages or so pretty hard to get into, since I was spending most of my energy trying to figure out what was going on. Still, as a whole, this is a really strong book, and I was super impressed by the epilogue specifically. Towards the end of this book, I wasn't sure if I was going to continue with this series, but the epilogue reconfirmed that I want to. It does a great job introducing new characters and quickly has you rooting for both them and their relationship. It also does an excellent job tying in the new plot and characters with the older ones, and showing how those have aged. And finally, of course, it leaves us on an unresolved conflict. So, overall, although it took me a little while to get fully invested in, I'm really glad I read this book and am looking forward to the sequel. I'd recommend it to readers looking for a change of pace in the "fairy tale retellings" genre.
Thank you to BookSirens and the author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
A Beast so Beautiful is a dark and original fairy tale retelling. I will start by saying, this book is nothing like I expected it to be. For context, everything that's described in the synopsis actually happens before the start of the book, and rather than watching those events unfold, they are the prelude to the actual story. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just means that I went into this book with specific expectations that weren't completely met. Granted, I think this is more of a marketing issue than an issue with the book itself, so even though this book was a 3 star read for me, I want to be fair in my review of the book itself, and I think it's objectively a 4 star story. As I mentioned, this book is a very original take on "the beast's story". I loved the dark atmosphere of this book (although I didn't expect there to be implications of sexual assault, so it did take me a minute to adjust to the world), the way the author jumped into the plot right away and slow fed the audience information was really satisfying and kept me on the edge of my seat, and this book has really good pacing. Even though it's only around 250 pages, none of that space is wasted, and it feels like a fully developed fantasy world. My main complaints for this book, oddly enough, are that a lot of the elements that I just praised often got pushed too far. For example, I loved how dark this book was, but sometimes it got a little too heavy. The main character was genuinely the only likeable character, which often made it hard to care about the world of this book aside from just him. Also, while on the topic of characters, I wasn't a huge fan of the twist. It wasn't poorly done, personally though, I found it a little disappointing. Lastly, because this book jumps right into the action and takes place after the events of the synopsis, I found the first 40 pages or so pretty hard to get into, since I was spending most of my energy trying to figure out what was going on. Still, as a whole, this is a really strong book, and I was super impressed by the epilogue specifically. Towards the end of this book, I wasn't sure if I was going to continue with this series, but the epilogue reconfirmed that I want to. It does a great job introducing new characters and quickly has you rooting for both them and their relationship. It also does an excellent job tying in the new plot and characters with the older ones, and showing how those have aged. And finally, of course, it leaves us on an unresolved conflict. So, overall, although it took me a little while to get fully invested in, I'm really glad I read this book and am looking forward to the sequel. I'd recommend it to readers looking for a change of pace in the "fairy tale retellings" genre.
Thank you to BookSirens and the author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 21, 2021
Book Review: A Beast So Beautiful
.
.
A retelling of Beauty & The Beast, of how Beast was made. The synopsis tells nothing about this book, because the synopsis happened before the book starts. From the get go, we are treated to fast paced story telling, which was something I enjoyed.
I feel for Leif, having had to go through so many lies in his life. From the first moment I read about Avelyn, it’s like I could smell her and what she is about to do from afar but it doesn’t anger me any lesser when the truth came about.
The second half of the book was fabulous. I only wished we had more time for Eric as he was a great father figure to Leif, a father he never had.
The epilogue was fantastic, an awesome insight into a potential second book, if that’s coming. Leif needs a redemption, and I can only hope it comes in the name of Evangeline.
.
.
“We are driven by fear or love; it’s that simple. Insecurities can either break us or make us.”
.
.
3.8/5 stars.
.
.
Thanks to @BookSirens, and author @carlylelabuschagne for the e-copy of this book. My thoughts and musings, as always, are my own.
.
.
A retelling of Beauty & The Beast, of how Beast was made. The synopsis tells nothing about this book, because the synopsis happened before the book starts. From the get go, we are treated to fast paced story telling, which was something I enjoyed.
I feel for Leif, having had to go through so many lies in his life. From the first moment I read about Avelyn, it’s like I could smell her and what she is about to do from afar but it doesn’t anger me any lesser when the truth came about.
The second half of the book was fabulous. I only wished we had more time for Eric as he was a great father figure to Leif, a father he never had.
The epilogue was fantastic, an awesome insight into a potential second book, if that’s coming. Leif needs a redemption, and I can only hope it comes in the name of Evangeline.
.
.
“We are driven by fear or love; it’s that simple. Insecurities can either break us or make us.”
.
.
3.8/5 stars.
.
.
Thanks to @BookSirens, and author @carlylelabuschagne for the e-copy of this book. My thoughts and musings, as always, are my own.
October 7, 2021
Packed full of adventure. Twists I didn’t see coming. My thought at the end was Is that all? Then I read the epilogue. Aha!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 7, 2021
2.5 but rounded up.
This book has a fantastic start and some gorgeous description. In fact, the description was a huge plus in the writer's favour—there is sublime imagery throughout.
It's clear a lot of effort has gone into this book; the presentation is beautiful. There were a few grammatical errors that occasionally pulled me out of the text (mainly missing commas) and the dialogue is not as fluid as I would like. There's an occasional tense change, too. It's written in a sort-of omnipotent 3rd person present tense, which helps the sense of drama in places, but in others results in head-hopping that's a little jarring. I would have liked a little more internal monologue and a bit more showing over telling. There were some inconsistencies too; Lief mentions having dreamed of his first kiss in a later chapter when he and Avelyn had kissed much earlier. I had to go back and check!
Despite this, it was quite readable, and I read it all in a few hours. I was certainly invested in Lief and his story. There's a huge twist which I didn’t see coming and can't work out if I like it or not. Looking back, it was certainly very cleverly foreshadowed so props to the author for this.
The ending was a bit… odd. I'm not sure how much I can say without spoiling anything, but it was 10% of the book at involved two characters we'd never met before. This is, presumably, setting up for a sequel, but it landed a little flat for me as I felt like I'd been thrown out of an unfinished story.
This book didn't fully match my expectations, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have something else to offer another lover of dark fantasy with shocking, if slightly confusing, twists.
I received an ARC of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 30, 2021
Found this one to be beautiful and romantic in it's own right.
Wonderfully written characters and story come together to give you a fantastic love story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Wonderfully written characters and story come together to give you a fantastic love story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 29, 2021
I want to thank the author and Booksirens for providing me with a finished ARC in exchange for an honest review.
“I need not kill to show my power. Kindness can get you much farther than fear.”
Carlyle Labuschag #A Beast so Beautiful
First off, I going to say I loved the cover. The cover just pulls you in and you find a good story line. You find out it’s a beauty and the beast retelling and you are sold. I finished this amazing book in one sitting.
The story starts in 900Ad where a prince is born who is half human and half monster. Prince Leif is a lost soul and is coming to terms with his identity. The character felt so real to me. The author has given an amazing character introduction.
The world building was breathtaking. Every gruesome detail was on point. It was like you were inside the story. The story had me guessing throughout the book. What I would have loved more would be a little humor or some sassy conversations. But overall the book was a page-turner. And the Epilogue! I can say I did not see that coming. I loved it. I cannot wait to know what happened next. Please let there be a book two.
I would recommend this book to readers who love a good Beauty and the Beast retelling.
Ratings 4.5 /5
“I need not kill to show my power. Kindness can get you much farther than fear.”
Carlyle Labuschag #A Beast so Beautiful
First off, I going to say I loved the cover. The cover just pulls you in and you find a good story line. You find out it’s a beauty and the beast retelling and you are sold. I finished this amazing book in one sitting.
The story starts in 900Ad where a prince is born who is half human and half monster. Prince Leif is a lost soul and is coming to terms with his identity. The character felt so real to me. The author has given an amazing character introduction.
The world building was breathtaking. Every gruesome detail was on point. It was like you were inside the story. The story had me guessing throughout the book. What I would have loved more would be a little humor or some sassy conversations. But overall the book was a page-turner. And the Epilogue! I can say I did not see that coming. I loved it. I cannot wait to know what happened next. Please let there be a book two.
I would recommend this book to readers who love a good Beauty and the Beast retelling.
Ratings 4.5 /5
October 3, 2021
This was a great book. Lots of twist and turns and surprises. Love Leif he was so honorable even though he was treated poorly. King Ivar was so cruel and and unbelievable things that he did to Leif. If you enjoy intense and adventurous settings you will definitely enjoy this book. There was so many surprises and twist and turns. The beast that Leif became and then finding out how he became this person was shocking and also amazing. Also finding out who Avelyn really was will that really through me off. All the characters where outstanding.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Read
April 22, 2021A unique take on the classic beauty and the beast story. The scenes are set with vivid detailed descriptions that transport you to another realm. the characters develop well along with the story that holds your attention through-out.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 13, 2021
3.5 ⭐️
April 11, 2021
This book offers readers beautiful, darkly descriptive writing and a unique story unlike anything I've read so far in my novel-reading life.
I liked Prince Leif (the poor, unfortunate thing) and no one else. That said, all the characters were written convincingly.
The story wasn't predictable (as I said, it is pretty unique), but the ending was 100% unexpected and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I have mixed feelings, however, I would read the sequel to see where the story goes from there.
I liked Prince Leif (the poor, unfortunate thing) and no one else. That said, all the characters were written convincingly.
The story wasn't predictable (as I said, it is pretty unique), but the ending was 100% unexpected and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I have mixed feelings, however, I would read the sequel to see where the story goes from there.
July 7, 2021
King Ivar has always blamed his son, Prince Lief, for the queen’s death, and Lief has been paying the price ever since. His only light is Avelyn, a girl he’s known since he was 10 years old and been in love with for just as long. Unfortunately for Leif, his court is fraught with danger and secrets, secrets that could force Leif’s beastly curse out into the open….
Wow! Labuschagne has such a richly detailed and darkly enchanting writing style. From the moment I picked up this novel, I couldn’t put it down, however cliched that sounds. Leif’s struggles were very well written. This book was super intense, but I loved it. Dark fantasy at its finest. Completely recommend!
Wow! Labuschagne has such a richly detailed and darkly enchanting writing style. From the moment I picked up this novel, I couldn’t put it down, however cliched that sounds. Leif’s struggles were very well written. This book was super intense, but I loved it. Dark fantasy at its finest. Completely recommend!
August 29, 2022
This is a very cool and unique take on Beauty and the Beast. I really enjoyed Leif’s relationship with his horse, Flicker. I actually loved Leif’s character in general, including his need for honor and to do better, even with the prejudices against him that instead of bringing him down, they fuel him to do better. On the other hand, I couldn’t connect with Avelyn at all and didn’t trust her. Their love and relationship felt toxic. Surprise!! But I won’t give away any spoilers. This book was really good, although the ending confused me a TON, making me want to read the next one.
All in all, I've read a ton of Beauty and the Beast retellings and this one was definitely a surprise!
All in all, I've read a ton of Beauty and the Beast retellings and this one was definitely a surprise!
April 19, 2021
I enjoyed this story very much. A beauty and the Beast type of story set in a period of superstition.
Loved he characters and the way they developed. I read this book over 3 days and found it very hard to put down
Highly Recommended
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Loved he characters and the way they developed. I read this book over 3 days and found it very hard to put down
Highly Recommended
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 22, 2021
The queen has died and he was overcomed with grief. He takes it out on the Prince by locking them away. She visits them in secret giving them hope. Will she save him? What if she is found out? How will this tale take you? Read to find out
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 23, 2021
This book was so far beyond brilliant!!! Carlyle Labuschagne Is a phenomenal author, and can keep you glued to the edge of your seat flipping kindle pages so fast, you’d think they were on fire!!!! This book was beautiful, and will definitely be in my permanent to be re-read list!!!
I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 18, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this book, it was a beautifully done fantasy novel. The characters were interesting to me and I enjoyed going from the beginning to the end. The author has a great writing style and I look forward to more from them.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 3, 2021
Best book ever. Took my emotions on a roller coaster journey with all the twists and turns throughout the story. Author did a great job with the detailed plot. Couldn’t put it down. Highly addictive read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 15, 2021
Great book! It pulled me in from beginning to end and held my attention. The world building is detailed and imaginative. This book has strong, well developed characters and an interesting story line. Recommended read!
May 6, 2021
What a story. A Queen dies, the Kings blames his son, locks him away. His only hope of happiness is the girl who visits him. How will this all end. I was definitely drawn in.
July 13, 2021
A new take on the tale of Beauty and the Beast. It is engaging and dark which makes it all the more interesting. A very good remake of an old tale.
June 11, 2021
** I received a electronic copy of this book from the author so that I may give a fair and honest review.**
A Beast so Beautiful is a fantasy novel written by USA Today best selling author, Carlyle LaBuschange. The story focuses on Prince Leif who is blamed for the death of is his mother by his father. Locked away in a tower by his evil father. Prince Leif's only source of happiness and hope, a girl who visits him.
What I liked
At the very start of the book LaBuschange just jumped into it. She hit the ground running with this book, which is a pleasant change of pace in this genre. It’s always refreshing to see authors change things up when it comes to the start of their works of art. To compliment not only the opening of this book, but the book in its entirety is LaBuschange imagery. Her unparalleled, grim, and bewitching use of words breathes life into this work of art.
The tale in my opinion is a refreshing take on the classic story, Beauty and the Beast. Am I been a fan of that story, not in the slightest. However, I can respect and acknowledge a work of art and that’s what the story is. Full of intrigue that will keep you turning pages if you are a fan of this type of genre. An example of this would be the ending. The ending itself was very interesting. Not what I expected, but that is a good thing.
What I didn't like
There were some parts that just didn't really flow. It was more telling than showing. The story is written in third person. Nothing wrong with that but it can be overwhelming. With the jump back and forth between the characters. I didn’t really get that strongly invested in the characters. The characters weren’t bad by any means, but they weren’t outstanding either. They were decent.
Overall
LaBuschanges art hooks you from the start. Hear alluring use of words brings out the joyous moments of this art and simultaneously captures the grim darkness. This art is full of in intrigue and twist. I wouldn’t call her characters forgettable, but they were just okay.
I am not a fan of this type of genre, but I know great art when I see it. LaBuschanges novel is an exceptional work of art regardless of my opinion on this genre. I look forward to see where her renowned award winning talents take her.
A Beast so Beautiful is a fantasy novel written by USA Today best selling author, Carlyle LaBuschange. The story focuses on Prince Leif who is blamed for the death of is his mother by his father. Locked away in a tower by his evil father. Prince Leif's only source of happiness and hope, a girl who visits him.
What I liked
At the very start of the book LaBuschange just jumped into it. She hit the ground running with this book, which is a pleasant change of pace in this genre. It’s always refreshing to see authors change things up when it comes to the start of their works of art. To compliment not only the opening of this book, but the book in its entirety is LaBuschange imagery. Her unparalleled, grim, and bewitching use of words breathes life into this work of art.
The tale in my opinion is a refreshing take on the classic story, Beauty and the Beast. Am I been a fan of that story, not in the slightest. However, I can respect and acknowledge a work of art and that’s what the story is. Full of intrigue that will keep you turning pages if you are a fan of this type of genre. An example of this would be the ending. The ending itself was very interesting. Not what I expected, but that is a good thing.
What I didn't like
There were some parts that just didn't really flow. It was more telling than showing. The story is written in third person. Nothing wrong with that but it can be overwhelming. With the jump back and forth between the characters. I didn’t really get that strongly invested in the characters. The characters weren’t bad by any means, but they weren’t outstanding either. They were decent.
Overall
LaBuschanges art hooks you from the start. Hear alluring use of words brings out the joyous moments of this art and simultaneously captures the grim darkness. This art is full of in intrigue and twist. I wouldn’t call her characters forgettable, but they were just okay.
I am not a fan of this type of genre, but I know great art when I see it. LaBuschanges novel is an exceptional work of art regardless of my opinion on this genre. I look forward to see where her renowned award winning talents take her.
July 13, 2021
The title and the cover of this book can lead one to think it might be a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and the blurb doesn't have any information that might confirm or deny this assumption. Anyways, it is totally not a retelling, but a whole new story in itself.
The story is full of suspense from cover to cover. Lief has such a sweet heart; and despite the beast that lives within him, one can really feel his inner battle in order to not give in to the beast and/or hurt anyone.
Avelyn seems to be a very nice girl at the beginning, but it didn't take long for me to start thinking she might actually be a villain in this story. Still, I was caught completely by surprise by her real role in the story...
The end is not really a HEA; although it is kind of a happy ending, I still felt very sorry for Lief and how things ended up for him.
I was also very surprised to get to the end of the book and, in the aknowledgments, find out the author is Christian. There really was no hint of it throughout the story...
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The story is full of suspense from cover to cover. Lief has such a sweet heart; and despite the beast that lives within him, one can really feel his inner battle in order to not give in to the beast and/or hurt anyone.
Avelyn seems to be a very nice girl at the beginning, but it didn't take long for me to start thinking she might actually be a villain in this story. Still, I was caught completely by surprise by her real role in the story...
The end is not really a HEA; although it is kind of a happy ending, I still felt very sorry for Lief and how things ended up for him.
I was also very surprised to get to the end of the book and, in the aknowledgments, find out the author is Christian. There really was no hint of it throughout the story...
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 14, 2021
... 𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻 ... 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 ...
Prince Leif, locked in a tower for years... hiding... even from himself what he truly is capable of...
This was a unique reimagination of the classic fairytale.
Leif's character arc is so compelling... as he grows from being the boy scared of the beast within... to the beast that is scared of nothing.
King Ivar... I hated, which speaks volumes about how well the author has brought the character to life.
Avelyn, I did not like... She was a total witch...
The world the author builds is beautiful, in odds with the darkness of the narrative.
The ending was unexpected, and I can't wait for the sequel... A Love So Lonely
The author shared an e-copy of the book with me in exchange for a candid review.
Prince Leif, locked in a tower for years... hiding... even from himself what he truly is capable of...
This was a unique reimagination of the classic fairytale.
Leif's character arc is so compelling... as he grows from being the boy scared of the beast within... to the beast that is scared of nothing.
King Ivar... I hated, which speaks volumes about how well the author has brought the character to life.
Avelyn, I did not like... She was a total witch...
The world the author builds is beautiful, in odds with the darkness of the narrative.
The ending was unexpected, and I can't wait for the sequel... A Love So Lonely
The author shared an e-copy of the book with me in exchange for a candid review.
September 7, 2021
What is going on in a person’s life is much more than one can ever judge. We certainly think that we know our family members truly but do we actually know? Everyone has a life that is hidden from others. This book is evidence of the manifolds of a person’s life. The author, David Myles Robinson, has brought up this perspective through this heart-melting story of a father and his son. The story is filled with emotions and regrets with a hint of thrill and mystery.
We see the story of the Blaze family. The father, Russ Blaze, dies in a mysterious accident. However, his son Cody finds out a letter written by Russ claiming that it wasn’t an accident and that he had been murdered. The mystery unfolds when Cody reads the unfinished memoir of his father. He comes to know about the tragedy of his father’s life. The person who he thought to be a perfect father and husband, has gone through so much in early life. Amidst the war and violence, the troubles with his own abusive family were adding to his struggles. Cody begins to connect the dots between these incidences and his father’s death.
Brilliantly articulated, this book brings out the intrigue to read uninterruptible. The author has served us much more than just a murder mystery. The writing is justifying the plot and successfully creates the ambiance of the era of the ’60s and ’70s in the readers’ minds.
To all the murder mystery fans, read this amazing piece to have a deviation from the usual mystery plots.
We see the story of the Blaze family. The father, Russ Blaze, dies in a mysterious accident. However, his son Cody finds out a letter written by Russ claiming that it wasn’t an accident and that he had been murdered. The mystery unfolds when Cody reads the unfinished memoir of his father. He comes to know about the tragedy of his father’s life. The person who he thought to be a perfect father and husband, has gone through so much in early life. Amidst the war and violence, the troubles with his own abusive family were adding to his struggles. Cody begins to connect the dots between these incidences and his father’s death.
Brilliantly articulated, this book brings out the intrigue to read uninterruptible. The author has served us much more than just a murder mystery. The writing is justifying the plot and successfully creates the ambiance of the era of the ’60s and ’70s in the readers’ minds.
To all the murder mystery fans, read this amazing piece to have a deviation from the usual mystery plots.
July 6, 2021
The author presents us with a grimdark epic fantasy, full of hidden intrigue and baroque twists and underground magic, with the broody eerie atmosphere of the unsanitized Grimms' fairy tales. Heroes do not always win, innocents do not always get rescued, loyalty is not always rewarded - this tale reminds the reader of that as it insinuates itself into the reader's imagination. If you are looking for an unusual Beauty and the Beast retelling, you've got it. If you are looking for a happy Beauty and the Beast retelling, move on; this is not the book you are looking for.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 20, 2021
Review:
The land of Rurith is filled with grief, after the death of their Queen. King Ivar blames his son Leif for the death of his mother. The Prince with his beastly curse is abandoned by his father, but he finds his true love in Avelyn, who gives him hope for a better future.
The story then unfolds the darkness which has consumed the Rurith kingdom.
I really loved the cover of this book, gloomy and dark. The characters were not very complex and yet not very simple.The book contains alot of description which is not my cup of tea, but the climax was very gripping and unexpected.
The land of Rurith is filled with grief, after the death of their Queen. King Ivar blames his son Leif for the death of his mother. The Prince with his beastly curse is abandoned by his father, but he finds his true love in Avelyn, who gives him hope for a better future.
The story then unfolds the darkness which has consumed the Rurith kingdom.
I really loved the cover of this book, gloomy and dark. The characters were not very complex and yet not very simple.The book contains alot of description which is not my cup of tea, but the climax was very gripping and unexpected.
April 21, 2021
A BEAST SO BEAUTIFUL by Carlyle Labuschagne is a dark story of misplaced guilt and shame.
This is a story of an innocent young boy blamed for his mother's death and shunned by his father and locked away alone in a tower. When he's released from the tower he will face the hate and dark plans of his father. Be prepared for a dark and twisted ending.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a story of an innocent young boy blamed for his mother's death and shunned by his father and locked away alone in a tower. When he's released from the tower he will face the hate and dark plans of his father. Be prepared for a dark and twisted ending.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 1, 2021
I love retellings so as soon as I saw this one I knew I needed it. I was drawn in by the story and was hooked from page one. The story was unique and intriguing. I loved seeing the characters grow throughout the story. I enjoyed the authors storytelling and look forward to reading more from her.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews