Beauty and the Beast - K.M. Shea

Welcome back from what was apparently a 3 year (?!) long hiatus! A lot has happened since I dropped off the face of Blogger in 2018, but I knew it was time to come back when I realized that there was one very important thing that hasn't changed - I still love reading and sharing recommendations with people, so I have returned from the Land of Abandoned Blogs to bring you more fabulous book recommendations! I might play with the format a bit so everyone is getting the most out of it, but I pinky promise it won't be anything *too* crazy. Probably. However, at this specific second, we now return to your regularly scheduled content!

When Elle, an indentured servant to the Crown, is sent on a routine errand, she has no reason to expect that it'll turn out differently than any of the other times... until a single, miscalculated step sends her plunging through the roof of Chanceux Chateau, enchanted home of the cursed Prince Severin and his equally unfortunate staff. Faced with a broken leg and other injuries from the fall, Elle has no choice but to accept the hospitality of the disgruntled prince until she's well enough to return to her post. Unsure of her tenuous situation, Elle allows them to believe she's nothing but an ignorant peasant from the nearby village. Naturally, rumors abound where the chateau and its occupants are concerned, but Elle soon discovers that  reality is a far cry from the chitchat around the village. The servants, voiceless and forced to wear masks to hide their disappearing faces, are the very image of kindness, tending to her injuries and going out of their way to help her. Prince Severin, on the other hand, is exactly what she expected: arrogant, a cunning tactician, and merciless when it comes to fulfilling his duties as the realm's Commander under his half-brother, Prince Lucien. Cursed with the body of a beast but spared his mind, Severin has neither the time nor the patience to deal with an unwanted intruder in his chateau. But deal with her he must; as the only other person that can communicate verbally in the chateau, he's often wheedled by the staff into relaying information to Elle since they believe her incapable of reading the chalk slates they use to communicate with each other.

As time goes by and her injuries begin to heal, Elle finds herself becoming more and more acquainted with the inner workings of the household and the people who run it. Emele, her closest confidante in the chateau, loves all things fashion (and the gardener, although neither of them will admit it) and is determined to teach her to "read". Bernadine, the cook, is strict and always ready to crack her ladle on the heads of unsuspecting layabouts. Duval, the barber-surgeon, is compassionate and knowledgeable. Much to her surprise, Elle finds that even moody Prince Severin isn't all he first appeared to be; beneath the gruff exterior, he clearly cares about the well-being of his staff and his cold treatment of her thaws as her stay stretches on. Despite both of their best attempts to avoid each other, the staff connives to push them together and Elle soon learns why; a loophole in the curse allows it to be broken if the prince can find love. After multiple failed attempts, he's given up hope of ever being free of the curse, but his servants aren't so willing to spend the rest of their days voiceless and faceless. In spite of her affection for the household, including brooding Severin, Elle knows love isn't in the cards; her distaste of the royal family that holds her bond and Severin's lowly opinion of peasants like her don't make for a good fairy tale. Regardless, she promises to at least attempt a friendship with the chateau lord and when Elle agrees to do something, it's 110% effort. 

Suddenly the pair are spending more time together than ever: reading in the library, tending to the horses in the stable, even working to help Elle regain her strength. As they get to know each other, each comes to the realization that their surface assumptions about the other couldn't be further from the truth. But still, a prince and a lowly born village girl could never fall in love with each other... could they? When a plot is uncovered to destroy the Crown and hidden truths begin coming to light, they have no choice but to confront their feelings before it's too late. 

Okay first things first, I know what you're thinking: "ugh *ANOTHER* Beauty and the Beast knockoff, will she ever stop??" I've written the following poem to answer your question: 

"Roses are red, I like oldies bands, YOU CAN PRY THESE FAIRY TALE RETELLINGS OUT OF MY COLD, DEAD HANDS."

I have at least 4 sitting on my shelf right this very second and that's not counting anything other than Beauty and the Beast riffs. The good news for you is that since I've read so many, I'm in a good position to inform you about their quality. Does it have a complex plot and completely reimagine the original? No. Is it a fabulously great read even though you can probably guess what's going to happen? 

In spite of that, this rendition manages to add some great twists while still putting in fun little Easter eggs from the original. Elle is super quirky, the staff are very well-fleshed out, and it's much more than just your average fairy tale love story thanks to some complications I've done my best to keep hidden in the summary. Some of the scenes are positively swoon-worthy and there aren't many books I'll say that about. If I have one complaint, it's Prince Lucien. Literally all the man does is whine. Every. Time. He. Appears. 

"Father wants me to marry a princess from the neighboring kingdom and HEAVEN FORBID, the woman reads!!"

 "If only we could attack our ally next door for absolutely no reason." 

"Why is it so cold all the time? I never should've left the castle."

 Happily, he's not really a major player, so we're only forced to endure his presence for a few (very patience-testing) instances. The long and short of it? READ THE BOOK.

Pros:

• Beauty and the Beast, obvs, but not just a trashy, thrown-together attempt to recreate something popular in hopes that it'll become popular by extension
• Unique plot devices with a few nods to the original
• Well-developed characters

Cons:

• Prince Lucien
  
• Ending felt a *little* rushed compared to the rest of the book, but not enough that I'm mad about it
• You have to finish the book eventually and then you'll be sad there's not more to read :(
  

Final rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐