A few months back, I noticed a couple Kindle books by Kyle Robert Shultz were having a free day. I decided to download them solely because Shultz is a fellow indie author. I didn’t realize the books in his Beaumont and Beasley series are fairytale retellings until I started reading, and I’m happy to say that the first installment is a Beauty and the Beast retelling I won’t soon forget!

Highlights

Characters

BY FAR my favorite character was Crispin, our main character’s hilarious younger brother. He and the entire cast of characters leapt from the pages and added to the already thrilling plot. I can’t wait to explore the rest of the series and visit with these characters again.

Creative Retelling

Shultz has managed to take the classic fairytale of Beauty and the Beast and give it a unique 1920s-esque vibe, complete with insightful tweaks that put a new spin on the classic and make it his own. The end result is simply fascinating. If you’re a fan of loose retellings, I highly recommend checking out this book.

The World Building

Shultz paints a vivid description of the town of Talesend and the fantastical pit-stops Cordelia and Nick make on their quest. I especially liked the Mirror realm and all the complexities it offered.

Lowlight

The Final Battle

While the final battle against the villain was entertaining, I was a little confused about how the villain was defeated. The epilogue did help explain some of that though.

Rating: 

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

What are some of your favorite fairytale retellings? Some others I’ve enjoyed in the past include Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay, and Dagger’s Sleep by Tricia Mingerink.

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀