Beast

by Lindz McLeod

After the noble adults have been dragged away and guillotined, Le Majordome—the castle butler— finds himself the sole protector of the castle's young heir. Hiding the teenager had seemed like a good idea, but the other servants don't agree; if the army return and discover they've been protecting a member of the aristocracy, all their lives will be forfeit. To make matters worse, the heir's now-dead elder brother left behind a bastard baby, calling the heir's inheritance into question. As tensions rise, Le Majordome must quell a murderous mutiny and rein in the heir's worst impulses if any of them are to survive. To add to his mounting troubles, it's rumoured that a local enchantress has been looking for her stolen child, and will stop at nothing to rescue him. To Le Majordome's horror, the bastard baby starts displaying magical powers, proving his parentage beyond a doubt.

Le Majordome has no idea which dilemma will reach the castle first—the army or the witch—or what the hell he's going to do about either, but perhaps help is closer than he realises.

Genres: Fantasy

313 pages, ebook

About the author

Lindz McLeod is a queer, working-class, Scottish writer and editor who dabbles in the surreal. Her short prose has been published by Apex, Catapult, Pseudopod, DIVA, Nightmare, and many more.
Her longer work includes the award-winning short story collection TURDUCKEN (Spaceboy, 2023), as well as SUNBATHERS (Hedone Books, 2024), QUEEN O'NINE TAILS (Hedone Books, 2025), THE UNLIKELY PURSUIT OF MARY BENNET (Harlequin, 2025), WE, THE DROWNING (Android Press, 2026), THE MISEDUCATION OF CAROLINE BINGLEY (Harlequin, 2026), the collaborative anthology AN HONOUR AND A PRIVILEGE (Stanchion, 2025), and more. Her work has been taught in schools and universities, displayed in a museum, turned into avant-garde opera, and optioned for TV.
She is a full member of the SFWA, the former club president of the Edinburgh Writers' Club, and is in her third year of a PhD in Creative Writing. She lives in Edinburgh with her talented fiancée and their two extremely photogenic cats, Fitzwilliam Darcy and Dane.

Reviews

[Marquise · Rating 2 out of 5]

How do you manage to place a prequel to a story that happens before the French Revolution after the French Revolution and still pretend it's a prequel?

Yes, in case you weren't aware, both Disney's version and the original Madame de Villeneuve fairy tale are set pre-French Revolution. Beauty and the Beast was published in 1740 (Villeneuve) and republished in 1743 (Beaumont); and although Disney didn't explicitly state the date their animated film takes place in, the aesthetics and world do point to a pre-French Revolution timestamp, plus Disney have greenlit an official "sequel" novel to their film version that places B&B during and post-French Revolution.

So, how do you expect me to take this retelling seriously when you explicitly state it's happening immediately after the Revolution but write the plotline as if it's a prequel to Disney's version?

And wonky timelines aren't the only issue with Beast. An aspect handled even worse than the incongruous date is the fact that, for a story taking place in a French château, this is startlingly lacking in Frenchness. And it's not merely because everything happens within the castle and we don't see anything from outside or because the POV is one single servant and thus very narrow. It's because the "inside the castle" part is completely lacking in Frenchness as well. Because:

a. The butler, who is the sole POV and narrator, is recognisably a stereotypical British butler straight out of UK novels and shows. He has an air and habits and speech that make him a clone of Stevens, the butler from Kazuo Ishiguro's "The Remains of the Day."
b. The castle is said to be huge, but the number of servants and the dynamics are more like that of the small staff of a wealthy Victorian manor than a 18th century French nobleman's castle's retinue. Has the author ever read about the French nobility before it was abolished by the Revolution? Doesn't seem so. Pre-Revolution, they still had a feudal system, and besides Beast was a PRINCE, so his retinue would've have been much larger than the fewer than a dozen servants in this castle. This is straight out of a British show like "Upstairs, Downstairs." Nothing to do with France or French society of the time.
c. The servants behaviour and speech is also very Britishy. Hilariously so at times, like when Le Majordome interacts with the castle's groundskeeper, and when the groundskeeper, supposedly French peasant stock to the core, opens his mouth he . . . talks like a Scotsman. Yes, stereotyped Scottish pronunciation à la didnae, tae, heid and all! Just imagine that, a 1700s French country bumpkin talking like a 1900s Scottish country bumpkin.

There's a reason why British authors are panned so savagely in reviews for simply juxtaposing their own culture onto other cultures instead of doing research; it's myopic and disrespectful.

Now, let's move on to the plot. In the beginning, the story is actually good, the idea that we're going to learn what happened before the prince was cursed into Beast from the POV of the castle's butler is so intriguing! I've read other Beauty & Beast stories from the standpoint of the domestic service, but never from the butler's side. And Le Majordome has a very distinct voice, too. There's a possibility hinted at that he might actually be able to stop the curse, that he could change the master's behaviour so he can avoid the beastly doom. How will he do it? Can he do it? That's why I was so engrossed in the beginning and spent my time wondering how this could unfold.

And . . . it just didn't. The second half of the book is a downhill ride. Magic enters the plot, and it's magic the servants just accept without questioning. When the witch that curses the prince appears, Le Majordome doesn't question her powers, doesn't bother to find out who and what exactly she is, and what her relationship with the castle's former master is. And when he finally thinks he should, it's too little and too late. He's so incurious, always justifying it as improper to snoop on his "betters" even if lives could be saved if he bothered to find out how to stop the curse or help the people under his supervision. He doesn't even want to deal with the magical child the castle is saddled with! It's all "none of my business, I'm too superior in my butlery status to stoop to such basic levels as learning more of what is under my nose because it's not part of my duties." Even Stevens was more knowledgeable about the comings and goings at the manor than Le Majordome is about the castle and its inhabitants.

And this makes for a very anticlimactic conclusion. The servants start turning into furniture, like in Disney's tale (which is why I think this retelling was meant to be for the Disney version), and that is all. The fact that we have Pseudo-Stevens as the POV means we don't know much about why or how of most things that happen in the castle. What happened to the child? We don't know, the ending seems to imply he's some sort of Gaston character? What with his hunting and leader-of-a-pack scene. What happened between Jacques and the witch? We don't know. How is Charles? We don't really know. And why was the master's brother the one cursed instead of the actual one that did the witch wrong? We don't know. There's too much magic and non-magic unexplained, and Le Majordome is so complacently ignorant that we simply don't know much. It's not a problem of a limited POV, no, it's a problem with characterisation. Le Majordome could know much more than he does, see much more than he does, but the author chose to characterise him like that, so the writing being the real issue is evident. Besides, the author chose to make the epilogue a universal POV type, breaking from the first person POV pattern, and yet even there we still don't know.

It's all so impersonal and so obfuscated that we never find out even basic things like what Le Majordome's name is. He's simply a butler called The Butler. And this is very strange, too. All the other servants have a name, including La Cuisinière (literally, The Cook), but not him. Not that it mattered in the end, I was mentally calling him Dumber Stevens anyway.

Enfin! I suppose I can file Beast under great plot premises poorly executed, more's the pity because it was really original as B&B retellings go. I'm not rating it lower because of the first half, when it was still good.

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ai Jiang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lindz McLeod’s BEAST is both witty and enchanting, yet suspenseful and broody. McLeod is a master of crisp imagery with a confident and purposeful voice. BEAST is the perfect read for those looking for a tense historical and fairytale blend.

I'd received an ARC for a blurb!

[Peggy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was supposed to be the retelling of Beauty and the Beast. After reading this book I can tell you it was not. I admit it started off really well then the plot became so unbelievable, what the hell was I reading. It just got worse and the story itself went out the window. In the end I gave up at 25%. My advice give this one a wide berth!!!!
Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc. DNF!!!!!!!

[Allie Gerard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book appears to be a speculative prequel to the familiar story of Beauty and the Beast, focused on one particular resident of the castle from the fairy tale. The book begins as a story of the servants of a noble family affected by the French Revolution, and gradually changes until there isn't much of anything historical left.

The author did a very good job of creating tension here. I always had a sense that the events were building toward something, but wasn't sure how the book would make its own story mesh with the familiar one. The main character was not exactly relatable, but did undergo character development at a quick enough pace that I was able to continue from his POV without becoming too irritated. The side characters were also all fairly well fleshed out-- they all had at least some purpose in the story, and defining traits that kept me interested in what happened to them.

I did feel that certain original elements to the story, that is, those that didn't seem to tie in to the fairy tale, were not adequately resolved. I had trouble figuring out what role a specific child character was to play going forward, and the ending was of course inconclusive because it's a prequel, but this character doesn't appear in the common version of Beauty and the Beast, so I'm left to wonder. Similarly, I wasn't clear on the witch's whole deal, because she only appears in tiny fragments-- she wants the child, but what is her backstory and connection to the family, exactly? I know that when you're working with the limited POV of one character, the reader can only know what that character knows, but that limitation worked against the book in this case.

Overall, I don't consider the time I spent reading this book to be wasted, since the writing was good and the suspense enjoyable, but if the author doesn't plan to write another in the series, I don't know that I'd recommend it without a warning that it doesn't wrap up neatly.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[C.L. Jarvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a dark prequel to Beauty & The Beast, leaning more into horror than fantasy. The rigid, rule-abiding butler must deal with the execution of his aristocratic masters, the degenerative behaviour of the surviving son, and a threat from a vengeful witch.

I was left a little dissatisfied at the end, because I don’t think the book leant as hard into the horror as it could (and a cursed falling on everyone in the castle is pretty horrifying), so the servants reactions to the magic/curse came across as a little muted. Since several plot points in the novel don’t match the common fairytale version of the tale, I wasn’t sure what the reason for their inclusion was, or if I was missing some knowledge of the original fairytale to appreciate what was going on.

In this version it’s hard to imagine the curse ever breaking, nor would I want Belle to encounter *this* Beast (he was spiteful, immature and lethally cruel to the servants - I didn’t see anything redeemable about him). Maybe the focus was on the partial redemption of the butler (a fascinating, infuriating figure) all along.

I received an advance copy of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

During the dark days of the French Revolution, the servants in an old French castle find themselves bereft of their employers, with only the family's teenage younger son and a bastard baby left in their charge - the former an ungrateful, arrogant wretch, the latter rumoured to be a sorceress's child taken from her by force that she will go to great lengths to get back.
Told from the POV of the castle's rigid, rules and propriety-obsessed butler, this dark fairytale - an intriguing, imaginative prequel to Beauty and the Beast - draws the reader inexorably deeper into its oppressive, haunting atmosphere and quietly riveting plot.
While, as some readers have pointed out, the overall feeling of the setting is more Downton Abbey-esque English manor than 18th century French castle, I thoroughly enjoyed this well written, creepy tale.

*** I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. ***

[Robyn Tocker · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Beast" was an interesting take on the classic "Beauty and the Beast" fairy tale. Told from the perspective of Le Majordome -- head butler and overseer of all things proper in the castle -- who, if one is following the Disney version, would be Cogsworth.

It's set against a dramatic period of time in French history, where nobles are rounded up and executed, and the servants in this story are navigating a chaotic new world that doesn't follow the rules Le Majordome knows by heart. It's clear the author did their research in order to make this story believable -- minus the magic of course 😂

This wasn't my favourite retelling, as the ending left me wanting more, but this was still a good read. And it was short, too!

[Linn van den Heuvel · Rating 2 out of 5]

received Beast, written by Lindz McLeod, as an ARC via @netgalley.

I really wanted to read this book because of the awesome and intriguing cover. However, it did not exactly live up to my expectations unfortunately. I had a hard time getting through the book because I was waiting and waiting for the prince (or so to say, the beast) to take his spotlight, but that never happened. So, the book isn’t about the prince (or in this case the Majordome), but it’s completely written about the butler. I do have to say that is a very original point of view and I thought that was refreshing. But, unfortunately I just really really disliked the butler in itself. He was rude, arrogant and pompous. He seemed to think he was the most wonderful and smart person in the world and everybody else was just trash. He was supposed to be a Frenchman, but acted like he was some uptight British butler from the era of Downton Abby. Even the butler from Downton Abby had my sympathy, but unfortunately this butler in the story.. he did not.

I also was a bit shocked about the things this butler did and how the people around him don’t seem to notice or worse, don’t seem to care.

So, because I had expected something else for a story, this was a bit of a led down. However, I do think if you know what the story focuses on and you read it because that interests you, I think it might be a fine book. It definitely had some interesting parts to keep you reading.

[Danelle✍🏽 Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Butler Le Majordome, superior (in his own eyes anyway) to all servants in and around the castle, must see to it that the castle and its surrounding grounds remain in order despite a terrible tragedy that has struck thanks to the revolution which sees the working class and nobility at odds with one another. In fact, it has reached boiling point and too much blood has already been spilt. To make matters worse, a scorned witch is intent on entering the castle and taking what is hers and if she is to succeed it will mean the end for the castle and it's inhabitants. Friendless and extremely isolated, (that is how he prefers it) Le Majordome must now ensure that things do not reach that point, but how? He has no friends, no allies and no plan.

Amazing, comical, original and well-thought-out. That is the fantasy novel Beast by Lindz McLeod described in 4 magical words. The main character, La Majordome had me in stitches the entire time! What a memorable character! Wow, I laughed out loud like a maniac and had to explain myself quite a few times. It was just that good! The realization that I was going to have to say goodbye to Le Majordome and La Cuisinière at some point made me not want to finish this fantastic novel but as they say, all good things must come to an end.

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lindz McLeod does a great job in this story, it had the great dark fantasy feel to it. The characters were what I was hoping for and loved that we got to know the butler in this fantasy story. It worked perfectly and I'm glad I got to read this. I loved the use of historical events in this fantasy book and I thought Le Majordome felt like a real character.

"Le Majordome remembered what little he had been told. The lord’s son, a strapping young man of nineteen called Henri imbued with all the audacity and arrogance of youth, was eager to supplant his father. He had assumed the lord’s position once the old man had ridden to war, safe in the knowledge that he was unlikely to return. When de Caumont did return, Henri could not hide his impatience to be rid of him."

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le Majordome, a butler for French nobility, is the keeper of the castle and unofficial guardian of the only surviving heir and his illegitimate nephew. The teenager is racked with grief from the loss of his parents and older brother. With each day, his temperament becomes more hateful and cruel toward the house staff. As for his nephew, he remains under the care of the cook for his safety. The two are kept apart so that the teenager does not fear his title being challenged.

This story is told from the butler's point of view. The rigid butler lacks social skills. He is not experienced in developing relationships or rearing children. Emotions are intense because the lives of the staff are at risk due to the butler hiding the teenager from the angry mob that stormed the castle. Furthermore, the baby, who is the child of the older brother, was taken from his mother and hidden at the castle. The mother, a powerful witch, hunts for the child. Presenting the butler with not one but five problems. The first is the increasingly cruel behavior of the young Lord. Second is the baby with magical powers. Third is the possible return of the mob once they realize all the nobles were not seized. Fourth is the revenge of the witch if she should come for her child. Finally, the fifth is caring for the castle. That's a lot for a person whose main, if not only, concern is the house and the grounds. The butler lives by every lesson his father taught him. Unfortunately, his father did not prepare him for such times.

I gave this story 4 stars because the beginning drew me in. The butler is an interesting character. The castle is his life, but he is forced to interact with the inhabitants in a manner that makes him uncomfortable. Everyone is in peril from threats outside and inside the castle.

This review is voluntary. I received a free advance review copy.

[Phoenix McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lindz McCleod is a master at historical fiction. Down to the last detail in the setting, and the actions of the characters. This is a masterful prequel to Beauty and the Beast, setting up why and how the servants became the household pieces and the young Master himself became the Beast.
If some might not understand the more subtle nuances of this tale, this might not have been the book for them, but while not action packed, this is a telling of the tale that carefully lays the blame in multiple directions. The Beast himself might not be entirely at fault for his condition, but there are actions he takes that clearly show he is a spoiled child who is jealous of a brother who isn’t even alive anymore to suffer his anger. The actions of the butler, who refuses to changes his ways despite the unraveling he can see happening in front of his eyes, are clearly those of a man who embedded his simple dreams in becoming only perhaps a shadow of the man his father was.
The hiding of a baby from its powerful mother even after the death of its father continues to cause the death of staff and isolation of the estate. The ongoing indications that this is occurring during the French Revolution is a satisfactory explanation for why a young boy would be abandoned on a rich estate to his own devices and explains also why no other relatives come to his aid.
All in all, this is a wonderful book, albeit a terribly sad one. It could honestly be nothing else, considering we know what is going to happen in the end!

[Shai Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found ‘Beast’ to be well written and extremely well researched as to the time period. In fact, I was rather impressed about the quality of the research as anything I had questions about I asked a friend who has a degree in French history and it was all correct.

I had issues warming up to the main character, Le Majordome, as he is a man who tends to see everything through a view of past. Anything new or ‘fashionable’, he simply doesn’t care for. But no one could ever question his loyalty to the family.

The secondary characters are also well developed though as this story is told from the viewpoint of Le Majordome, we can only catch glimpses of their motivations. They do a great job of helping to fill out the story.

Personally I found the pacing to be a bit slow for my tastes. It was the quality of the writing itself that kept drawing me back into the story. I would definitely read another book by this author in hopes of the same quality with a quicker pace. If I had the means, I would rate this book 3.5 stars.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

A big thanks to Netgalley and Brigids Gate Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly this wasn't my cup of tea, even thought I really wanted it to be.

Beast by Lindz McLeod is about Le Majordome—the castle butler— who finds himself the sole protector of the castle's young heir. Hiding the teenager had seemed like a good idea, but the other servants don't agree; if the army return and discover they've been protecting a member of the aristocracy, all their lives will be forfeit. To make matters worse, the heir's now-dead elder brother left behind a bastard baby, calling the heir's inheritance into question. As tensions rise, Le Majordome must quell a murderous mutiny and rein in the heir's worst impulses if any of them are to survive. To add to his mounting troubles, it's rumoured that a local enchantress has been looking for her stolen child, and will stop at nothing to rescue him. To Le Majordome's horror, the bastard baby starts displaying magical powers, proving his parentage beyond a doubt.

It was a really cool concept, but really poor execution.

[Andrea]

Thank you to Booksirens for giving me this to to review.

The book takes place in a castle. The heads of the castle are gone. One son Charles who’s 13 yrs is left there. Therefore the castle is basically run by the butler, Majordome, the cook, 3 Male and 3 female servants.

The second brother Jacque drops off a baby and is gone. One of the footman hears in a tavern that an Entrantriss, better know as a witch, has a baby missing.

Well, if you like magic stories then things start to happen with no explanation. Even the baby has some skills of its own. The butler tries to hold it together, but the head of the castle is only 13yrs old.

For example the baby can turn things into colors, there is a ghost outside and things happen to the people. It’s an interesting read if you like the magic story.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a prequel to Beauty and the Beast, rather than a Beauty and the Beast retelling, which is an important distinction because the style and tone is different than your average Beauty and the Beast retelling. This might not appeal to all Beauty and the Beast fans.

For me, this had a strong and intriguing start, and I enjoyed the ending as some of the pieces came together. However, the middle portion lost me, as it was rather slow-paced and not much happened.

So I didn't love this, but it had a promising concept and I think others who like the writing style will enjoy this more than I did.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

[Devon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I unfortunately dnfed this book. I was quite excited and the premise sounded absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, it has an incredibly slow start. The characters are built up and well thought out. The problem lies in the fact I got to chapter nine and the story was still being set up. For me personally that’s a bit too long of a set up. Other a than the slowness, it appears to be well written and you can see a hint of what the characters may become. If you like a slower paced book this might be the one for you.

[Chandaly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beast was a completely unexpected read for me! I was expecting a fantasy tale when I read it with a talented charismatic butler (a butler not unlike Sebastian from Black Butler for those who would understand the reference).

Instead, it was more of a historical fantasy with a great mystery set in France. I do not dare to say for fear of spoiling the story for future readers.

It was very well-written and it is a good standalone novel once you go over the initial surprise.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started off kind of slow with a lot of backstory and details to wade through before things started happening in the story. This may lose some readers with a slow development in the beginning.

It was definitely a round about way was taken and wasn't sure sometimes what was going on but it was all wrapped up and made sense in the end. It is far from the Disney version and definitely for adult readers.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Harriet · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all thank you to Netgally for allowing me to read this. This was very interesting read. The character development was cleverly written. It made you want to read more of the book to find out what’s going to happen. With the plot and storyline of the book as well made the story more interesting also. With how the book ended I didn’t expect it to happen that way. I was shocked but it was a very interesting to read and see where the author wanted to end the story.

[N Dzerins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book. A charming and suspenseful prequel to Beauty and the Beast, featuring an intriguing plot, fascinating characters and really inventive plot threads and twists. Main character La Majordome is endearingly maddening but a very novel pair of eyes to see the book through. McLeod has an endless ability to create bewitching worlds.

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

eARC from publisher for review (lost this email for a bit, whoops)

A dark and claustrophobic prequel to Beauty and the Beast. Though I'm not quite sold on the pacing of the back half, I was entranced through the whole thing. Or should I say enchanted?

[Rae Knowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of receiving an advanced copy of this book. The prose is stunning, the story is dark and enchanting, and it’s an intriguing and gritty take on the events leading up to Beauty and The Beast. Highly recommend it!