The Beast Within Book Review!
When I found out there was going to be a second book in the series by Serena Valentino I was ecstatic! In fact when I heard Maleficent was getting a story and movie I was hoping the book would be written by this lovely author! Although it wasn’t I was glad we get to read more from her and her take on these classics! I read the first book about the Evil Queen and fell in love with it. I was gladly reassured when I opened this book that it had the same charm as the first. The one thing I love about her novels about the legendary Disney Villains and Beast’s is that by the end of her novels not only does she have you thinking about this character and what they’ve been through but she makes you see them in a different light than before. Any book that can make the Evil Queen look misunderstood and unsure of herself is an amazing novel!
With this particular novel the focus was on a character not normally seen as a villain. Beast from Beauty and the Beast is the main protagonist in the novel if you can’t already tell by the beautiful cover (which reminds me remove the jacket on this novel for a lovely spell binding surprise!) In the novel we see not only his time with Belle and their relationship but the time leading up to his curse which is the main focus. We see a man who is mean and cruel without really understanding the implications of his actions. While he is admittedly self-absorbed and egotistical he has his moment of second guessing his actions although mainly in fear. We also see how being a prince in itself has hardened him and his interaction with people which was beautifully done. From the transformation of the prince into a beast to his first sighting of Belle which may not have gone as you think the story is amazing. I also loved seeing characters in the book young women mainly who wanted more for themselves then what they were offered in 15th century France. A lovely lesson for young girls!
I’m also a huge fan of people changing up a story to make it their own and make it new and fresh and with Serena Valentino you can always count on that. The one recurring similarity in her novels about Disney characters are the odd sisters which you may remind you of the weird sisters growing up if you read Macbeth. Having recently just read it for school seeing these types of characters was lovely because as far as fairy tales and fables you don’t see them used much and they are three fascinating characters that add so much to this novel.
The book itself is a fast read with smaller pages and a sleek design. It mentions some small things that may not be suitable for very small children as the author is a horror writer though don’t be put off by that fact as the novel is amazing and not gory or horrific just light little splashes of dark themes that kids under 10 or so may not like. (Or if they’re anything like me at 10 they might love it!)
Overall I give this book a solid A-
This series is a favorite of mine as is this authors style and I can’t wait for the next book in the series about the very cunning sea witch Ursula! If it’s half as good as the prior two it’s sure to be a hit!
Get The Beast Within by Serena Valentino in book stores now!
(Also I’ve seen this lovely novel at the Disney parks so keep an eye out!)
Stay tuned for more book reviews coming soon!
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