Genre: Publication Date: November 6, 2013 Pages: 311 Published By: Sky Pony Press Series The Tales Trilogy #1 Review copy: e-ARC from publisher
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A dark rendition of the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast!
She bears no name. Her silvery appearance is freakish to the numerous inhabitants of Sago, the cosmopolitan capital of Pevorocco in a fantasy realm. With her mother vanishing at the instance of her birth, she is sent to live with the cruel, rich Ma Dane, where she is punished daily for something, though she knows not what. Tauntingly named Beauty, she flees Sago in a violent uprising that sets out to massacre all Magics and journeys to the furthest point of the country.
But Beauty cannot hide in the grassy Hillands forever. Before long, the State officials find her and threaten to take her back to war-torn Sago where death surely awaits. In a midnight blizzard she escapes them, running into a deep, enchanted forest to a great and terrible beast who will bargain for her life.
But can Beauty accept Beast? Eternity is a long time.
She bears no name. Her silvery appearance is freakish to the numerous inhabitants of Sago, the cosmopolitan capital of Pevorocco in a fantasy realm. With her mother vanishing at the instance of her birth, she is sent to live with the cruel, rich Ma Dane, where she is punished daily for something, though she knows not what. Tauntingly named Beauty, she flees Sago in a violent uprising that sets out to massacre all Magics and journeys to the furthest point of the country.
But Beauty cannot hide in the grassy Hillands forever. Before long, the State officials find her and threaten to take her back to war-torn Sago where death surely awaits. In a midnight blizzard she escapes them, running into a deep, enchanted forest to a great and terrible beast who will bargain for her life.
But can Beauty accept Beast? Eternity is a long time.
The name stuck. The child became Beauty, though for a long time she did not realize that it was said in cruel jest.
"Well, maybe I teaches yur to ride and yur can be a stable hand like me?"She blinked at him. She had never considered her future."I do not know what will become of me," she whispered.Owaine said nothing for he did not know what would become of her, either.
They galloped on and on for half an hour before stopping again. Beauty looked over her shoulder and groaned to see the castle just as near as before. It was all an illusionthey were running and going nowhere. She reached down and patted Champ's neck."At least we shall never be lost," she muttered, but she did not feel particularly grateful.
OMG how did I not know about this book before now?! Seriously, I love retellings and this book has existed in the world for over two years without me knowing! G.R. Manning created a beautiful and magical story, that weaves many elements together seamlessly. I was intrigued right from the start and tore through the book with ease. This felt to me like Cinderella meets Beauty and the Beast, with some unique magical elements mixed in. It was the type of book that I devoured in one sitting with zero regret.
Roses is everything you want in a book. It has strong and complex characters, an intriguing plot and twists that keep you guessing. I think the twists are mostly because there is so much uncertainty when it comes to Beauty. There is so much that you really don't know about her. This isn't because Mannering doesn't take the time to develop her, but because she is uniquely a mystery among everyone. With the book circling around all of the unknown, and in a world where being magical or different is dangerous, there is much to consider. The beauty of this read was that there was such vivid and remarkable details when it came to the settings. I loved how easy it was to envision and slip into this curious world and it's changing landscapes. Beyond that with everything changing, there was never really a time where I felt the pacing dipped out. I would have to say Mannering had no problems keeping my attention.
Beauty was something else. You don't really get a handle on who she is for the first while. It is made clear by those around her that she is "different," and you learn quickly she is curious but she is also quite young. This book passes times in seasons (which might have tripped me up to start), so you kind of get a small feel of who Beauty is as she grows. Defiant as a child due to the cruelty she was shown, I was pleased by how her spirit never seemed to break. She may not have spoke much and taken more than she should have, but she never let anyone break her. There was so much more to her and so much more to figure out with the coming books, I can't help but wonder how many more challenges this girl can face.
The Beauty and the Beast part was wonderfully unique, and I loved the story behind Beast. I think the different takes on both Beauty and Beasts characters are really what gave this read so much originality. The tale itself is twisted into something that could become an original tale if one did not know about the originals. Every bit of the Beast and how he came to be was revealed at different times, and I found it that it made it easier to mould him into what he was to be to me. Even the rose itself was not how it was in the more well know Disney version. Though this was a smaller portion of the book, there were so many important things packed into it. Little details that I am sure hold much importance for the books to come.
I loved, the depth in which the author took to twist the tale more than I could have imagined I would. Mannering and her beautiful writing crafted this book into nothing short of amazing, making it a classic in its own way. Though I had not heard of this book or author prior to picking the read up on Edelweiss, I must say that this is an author that I will watch for and ensure that her books make it to my shelves. I would highly recommend this read if you are a fan of twisted tales, and if you normally aren't but enjoy some seriously amazing fantasy... Well, lets just say that this book is definitely for you as well.
Roses is everything you want in a book. It has strong and complex characters, an intriguing plot and twists that keep you guessing. I think the twists are mostly because there is so much uncertainty when it comes to Beauty. There is so much that you really don't know about her. This isn't because Mannering doesn't take the time to develop her, but because she is uniquely a mystery among everyone. With the book circling around all of the unknown, and in a world where being magical or different is dangerous, there is much to consider. The beauty of this read was that there was such vivid and remarkable details when it came to the settings. I loved how easy it was to envision and slip into this curious world and it's changing landscapes. Beyond that with everything changing, there was never really a time where I felt the pacing dipped out. I would have to say Mannering had no problems keeping my attention.
Beauty was something else. You don't really get a handle on who she is for the first while. It is made clear by those around her that she is "different," and you learn quickly she is curious but she is also quite young. This book passes times in seasons (which might have tripped me up to start), so you kind of get a small feel of who Beauty is as she grows. Defiant as a child due to the cruelty she was shown, I was pleased by how her spirit never seemed to break. She may not have spoke much and taken more than she should have, but she never let anyone break her. There was so much more to her and so much more to figure out with the coming books, I can't help but wonder how many more challenges this girl can face.
The Beauty and the Beast part was wonderfully unique, and I loved the story behind Beast. I think the different takes on both Beauty and Beasts characters are really what gave this read so much originality. The tale itself is twisted into something that could become an original tale if one did not know about the originals. Every bit of the Beast and how he came to be was revealed at different times, and I found it that it made it easier to mould him into what he was to be to me. Even the rose itself was not how it was in the more well know Disney version. Though this was a smaller portion of the book, there were so many important things packed into it. Little details that I am sure hold much importance for the books to come.
I loved, the depth in which the author took to twist the tale more than I could have imagined I would. Mannering and her beautiful writing crafted this book into nothing short of amazing, making it a classic in its own way. Though I had not heard of this book or author prior to picking the read up on Edelweiss, I must say that this is an author that I will watch for and ensure that her books make it to my shelves. I would highly recommend this read if you are a fan of twisted tales, and if you normally aren't but enjoy some seriously amazing fantasy... Well, lets just say that this book is definitely for you as well.
