Review – Beauty by Robin McKinley (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 256 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: June 30, 1993
ISBN-13: 978-0064404778
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Swapped through Paperbackswap.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

“A strange imprisonment

Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lacks in looks, she can perhaps make up for in courage.

When her father comes home with the tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows she must go to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will. Her father protests that he will not let her go, but she answers, “Cannot a Beast be tamed?”

Robin McKinley’s beloved telling illuminates the unusual love story of a most unlikely couple: Beauty and the Beast.”

This was a decent retelling of Beauty and the Beast that was wonderful until the end. I felt like the ending was very rushed. I loved the dynamics between Beauty and her family, but thought that the romance between Beauty and the Beast could have been done a bit better.

Most of this story is very similar to the Disney version or the original version done by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. I was a bit disappointed that McKinley didn’t extend or elaborate on the original Beauty and the Beast tale.

The book is beautifully written and I really enjoyed the beautiful and kind relationships Beauty has with her sisters and father. However in the end I was hoping for something just a bit…more.

Overall this is a prettily written retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story. There isn’t a lot here that is unique or different from Beaumont’s original story. I would recommend to those who enjoy the Beauty and the Beast story.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Mount TBR Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge
– YA Reading Challenge