Review – Beauty and Beastly (Steampunk Fairy Tales, Book 3) by Melanie Karsak (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Length: 210 pages
Publisher: Clockpunk Press
Release Date: December 6, 2017
ASIN : B074MQCWKL
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Steampunk Fairy Tales
Source: Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 4/5 stars
“In this tale as old as time, Isabelle Hawking must tinker a solution to a heartbreaking mystery.
When Isabelle Hawking and her papa set out from London on a sea voyage, Isabelle is thrilled. Visiting foreign courts, learning from master tinkerers, and studying mechanicals is her dream. And it doesn’t hurt that the trip also offers Isabelle an escape from her overbearing and unwanted suitor, Gerard LeBoeuf.
But Isabelle never arrives. Swept up in a tempest, her ship is lost.
Isabelle survives the storm only to be shipwrecked on a seemingly deserted island. The magical place, dotted with standing stones, faerie mounds, and a crumbling castle, hints of an ancient past. Isabelle may be an unwilling guest, but her arrival marks a new beginning for the beastly residents of this forgotten land.”
Series Info/Source: This is the third book in the Steampunk Fairy Tales. I borrowed this book for my Kindle through Kindle Unlimited.
Story (4/5): This is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Isabelle and her tinker father are on the way to a wedding to deliver some of their inventions when their airship ends up shipwrecked on a strange island. What Isabelle finds in the abandoned manor there is an amazing house full of automatons that seem too lifelike to be real machines. While her father goes for help, Isabelle stays to unravel the mystery.
This is an excellent Beauty and the Beast retelling and has a lot of steampunk elements throughout. The story is very predictable and there weren’t any surprising twists here, however I wanted a fun steampunk story with some adventure and mystery and that’s exactly what I got with this story. There is kind of a neat mystery involving old druidic runes that ties into the story.
Characters (4/5): I enjoyed Isabelle and her creativity and inventfullness. The “beast” is well done too and does a good job at being beastly while still being a sympathetic character. Additionally, Isabelle’s father is well done. The romance between Isabelle and Beast is sweet and gentle and was fun to read about.
Setting (4/5): I enjoyed the setting of this mysterious island and thought Karsak did a good job converting the traditional Beast’s manor into a steampunk wonder. I especially love the mechanical garden!
Writing/Drawing Style (4/5): This was well written, engaging and an easy and quick read. I wanted a simple and sweet steampunk romance and that is exactly what I got. I was impressed with how many elements from the original Beauty and the Beast story (as well as from other adaptations like Disney) were pulled into this story and how seamlessly this was merged with the steampunk world created in the rest of the series.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this. It was both an excellent Beauty and the Beast retelling and a fun steampunk story. It’s an easy and quick, if predictable, read. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next book in the series “Golden Braids and Dragon Blades”.
