Unseen Beauty: a beauty and the beast retelling

by Amity Thompson

Claudette polishes furniture and scrubs floors. She doesn't do hearts.

When a stranger happens upon the cursed castle, parlormaid Claudette leaves her post to take a peek. After all, he won't see her. She's invisible.

Curiosity lands her as witness to Beast raging at the housekeeper over the stranger's fate. Now the monster knows Claudette's name... And the housekeeper knows her pawn.

Unable to resist magical commands, Claudette must end the curse. By any means. No matter who it hurts.

Unseen Beauty puts a unique twist on the tale as old as time. If you like feisty heroines, clean romance, and female friendships, then you’ll adore Amity Thompson’s refreshing adventure.

Genres: Fantasy, Retellings, Beauty and The Beast, Romance, Fairy Tales, Young Adult, Fiction

352 pages, ebook

Published October 15, 2019

About the author

Amity writes fantasy for young adults. While the content of her stories range from fairy tales to dragons to death, all her books feature heroines who discover truths hidden in their own hearts and who find their purpose in the world around them. When this native Kansan is not writing, she cares for and homeschools her children and searches storm clouds for a glimpse of tornadoes.

Reviews

[Isabelle Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

reread literally one of my favorite books of all time because in this one, instead of Beast falling in love with Beauty, he falls in love with the sarcastic invisible parlormaid 😭❤️

[Libby Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fantastic retelling of Beauty and the Beast. The characters are delightful, the story is captivating, and it so many lovely, clever twists. An old tale told afresh... I felt as if I was rediscovering it for the first time and having a grand time along the way. Thoroughly enjoyable, and definitely one I'd like to come back to.

If you're a fan of well-told fairytales (that are also quite clean), Unseen Beauty is a book I'd heartily recommend.

[Jaida (Fable Link in Bio) Editing Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

𖤣𖥧.𖡼⚘𖤣𖥧.𖡼⚘𖤣𖥧.𖡼⚘𖤣𖥧.𖡼⚘𖤣𖥧.𖡼⚘𖤣𖥧.𖡼⚘𖤣𖥧.𖡼⚘𖤣𖥧.𖡼⚘

Buddy read with my wonderful, beautiful friend
Mildly Mad Hatter

The cover is beautiful and the concept is really interesting. The beast falls in love with the invisible parlor maid, not with the beauty. I also really enjoyed the writing style, it's easy to read without being overly simple/Juvenile imo.
I really liked how you could tell it was a beauty and the beast retelling but it was also very unique, with it being told from the perspective of an invisible parlor maid instead of the beauty. This author really made the story of beauty and the beast her own with invisible servants and a strong focus on friendship. I quite liked all of the main characters. Reading this with Mildly Mad Hatter mad the experience even more enjoyable.

TL;DR It was wonderful and Magical, I really enjoyed this.

The characters
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Claudette ~ She was impertinent, but I did really like her. She was snarky, sassy, funny, and caring.

Beast ~ his character development was amazing, he was great I quite liked him.

Marie ~ she had her faults but in the end I really did like her.

Seline ~ she was such a sweet and caring character, and I really liked her because of it.

What to expect
🌹 Enemies to friends to lovers
🌹 Retelling of beauty and the beast
🌹 Strong Friendships
🌹 Slow burn
🌹 Snarky banter
🌹 Grumpy x sunshine
🌹 She falls first he falls harder

Quotes
~~~~~~~
🥰 "Seline had barley reached her chair when he entered the room. I drew in a breath. He looked... Handsome. For a beast."

❤️ "Love cannot be fulfilled without risk. Vulnerability was what made love so precious, sweet, and true."

😮‍💨 "She misses him," Bertram said. There was surprise in his voice. To think someone actually missed our prince. "That's why I asked." I sighed, and felt a prickle deep down. I missed him, too, in an exasperated way."

Content
~~~~~~~
❤️‍🔥Romance| only one kiss
🤬Language|  -ss, hogsh!t, D-mned, D-mn, wh-re, hell
🗡️Violence| whipping mentioned, fighting (biting, hair pulling, hitting, shoving) stabbing
🏳️‍🌈LGBTQ| None!
⚠️Other| Attempted suicide recalled (stabbing in the head) blood, near death, Drugging, illness

[Lindsay Rankin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

I had a little bit of a hard time getting into this book at first. I don’t know if it’s because I wasn’t quite in the mood for it, or if it was the beginning of the book itself, but I wasn’t feeling it at first. But then I got a little further in, and I was completely sucked in and I started loving it! This is such a clever take on the traditional Beauty and the Beast fairytale, and I grew to really care about the characters. It’s almost midnight, but I couldn’t stop reading to go to bed, and now I’m happy and smiling and I still don’t want to go to bed until I write this out so other people will also read it and be happy. ;) If you are a fan of fairytale retellings you will love this book!

Content:
Clean romance
Several mild swear words

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this twist of Beauty & the Beast. It had uniquely interesting world building, endearing characters, sweet romance, okay-ish chemistry, and a fun yet familiar plot. Definitely breathed new life into a classic tale.
3.5 stars.

Content- clean
Read on KU



By the way…

Quote: “For years, I had dusted shelf after shelf of books. Not once had I resented the orphanages for not teaching me to read. Never had I removed a book, caressed its pages, and wondered what secrets it held. But the piano! So often I’d run my fingers over the smooth keys, pretending to play.”

I am so happy to see a heroine who doesn’t love reading books. I’m getting kind of sick of FMCs who all share the exact same hobby of book reading! Does anyone else feel like too many novels are centered on book shops or libraries, or main characters who work at those places or specifically love to read? It’s getting really old to me!

Here’s to greater hobby diversity in novels! :)

[K.E. Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover drew my attention, the blurb caught my interest, and the story made me fall in love!
I might be a little overexcited about this book, but I adore the tale of Beauty and the Beast, and I love reading all sorts of retellings of the story, so I love when retellings have original twists that help distinguish themselves from the rest.
Claudette was a great heroine. I loved the depth of her character- her personality and her spunk.
Gautier was a fantastic beast. I loved the added layers to his character and watching him grow throughout the course of the story.
I adored the relationship between Gautier and Claudette, how they started off as begrudging acquaintances, slowly became allies, then friends, then finally fell in love. They both were delightfully sarcastic, with dry senses of humor and honestly enjoyable banter that caused them to constantly be on each other’s nerves.
I appreciated their serious moments as well. At the beginning of the story, they didn’t understand each other, maybe even had less than positive feelings toward one another. However, they slowly began to communicate, learn about each other, connect with each other, understand each other, and even related to each other.
The growth and development of the characters was great. No one was perfect. They made mistakes, learned, and grew throughout as the story progressed.
The (multiple) antagonists were all perfectly awful as well (in the best way!) I hated every moment they were in the scene. But, as much as I did hate them, they were written in a way where even they were believable, with motives and actions that I could understand, no matter how little I agreed with or liked them.
I also loved the twist on “Belle.” Seline merely being a friend to the beast, and to Claudette, was a fun change and I enjoyed watching it play out.
I’m glad I found this book. It’s a fantastic retelling of my personal favorite classic fairy tale, and I plan to read it again soon!

[Mildly Mad Hatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I buddy read this with Jaida!!! She is such an amazing person and it was so much fun!
I loved this take on Beauty and the Beast! Such a great idea and it still has many of the key things in a regular B+B story. I loved seeing the characters as they grew and slowly fell in love but also as they became friends. It was sweet and cute. The Beast was the beast with a terrible temper yet seeing Claudette learn to understand him was amazing.
The reason it didn’t get 5 stars was because of some content I wasn’t a fan of. There was language, a word, type of s word, multiple d words, and w word. Suicide was mentioned several times, including someone who kept trying to do it. Hinting at someone being forced, an evil master and a maid. In the book, they were reading a book and skipped a scene that was inappropriate but it mentioned some stuff. A lady was called a witch several times. A baby was born outside of marriage and the mother was awful. There was a sister who was just plain evil and I did not like her at all. Another lady was manipulative and would do literally anything to get what she thought was right. Someone was attacked and stabbed.
I did really enjoy this book despite all of that. It was great and it was a good strong story.
Thank you to Jaida for doing my first buddy read with me!!!

[Jericho McKraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe I flew through this so fast! I was expecting something cute and easy, and I mean, it's both those things - but what I wasn't expecting, was a lush world filled with a riveting, character driven plot.

This was so good you guys! 🤯

I mean, I'm a total suckered for Beauty and the Beast retellings, I read a ton of them, I honestly just need to start a shelf to keep them on. 🤔 But this one is so cute and sweet and memorable. It has the absolute best friendships and some really good lessons woven in too.

It's a clean romance with no steam, it's YA but I honestly think it could be MG too, (the age of the characters was almost right.)

Ummm, what else? Oh! I'm totally making two new shelves for this. Amazing friendships and retellings.

*nods*

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, creative, and well-written Young Adult book that weaves fairy tales, folklore, fantasy, and myths to create an interesting story for young people. A teen and young adult clean and wholesome romance.

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like clean retelling of beauty and the beast then this book is for you. I loved it, would highly recommend.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this 4.5 stars - I thoroughly enjoyed this variation of Beauty and the Beast, but I think I liked her Trial of Words and worth just a little better, probably because it was a new storyline/plot (though Beauty and the Beast is probably one of my favorite fairytales).

[Book of the Universe · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

[Book Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s okay

Likes:

HEA

The Author rewards being honest over being polite.

The Hero (H) and heroine bond over shared characteristics and actually do emotionally love one another

Beauty is accurately portrayed.

The prince finally figures out Claudette is a person too and is worthy of being treated with respect.

Dislikes:

The author never illustrates how to successfully refuse to cooperate with a powerful evil using faith and self-control regardless of the consequences.

For instance, the fairy curses the prince for her own pride and is never admonished for her sin. Taking joy in the misery of others is evil because we are supposed to love others as ourselves. Also, taking someone’s free will denies the fruit of the Spirit of self control (Gal 5:22-23). If someone is verbally abusive or a verbal reviler, then we are not even to eat with the person, much less cooperate with any attempt of theirs to oppress ourselves or others (Cor 5:11). We are to admonish these sins and resist cooperating with such a sinner to the point of death, because God must be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth, and has set us free for freedom.We are commanded not to become slaves again even if there are those who would enslave us. No one resists the fairy to the point of death in order to protect the freedom Christ died to grant. The freedom to speak truth and go to heaven even if we die for showing evil people their sin so they have a chance to repent and live.

The prince learns to be afraid of speaking the truth instead of learning anger management skills that include drawing safe and consistent boundaries with successively severe consequences leading up to exile for those who demonstrate the desire to use him. Then, he could protect himself and be honest without being unnecessarily socially or physically destructive. In the end, the prince’s temper isn’t fixed, he’s just been abused so much he’s passive aggressive toward the fairy instead of being forthright and rejoicing with the truth that allows him to admonish manipulative and deceitful sin. Exchanging outward destruction for inward psychological damage because he remains chronically stressed and afraid of a fairy’s whims is not a helpful trade.


Worse, the prince never learns to judge character based on actions that show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23). Learning this would help him choose safe friends and romantic partners.

One one hand, the prince did learn to value honesty in Claudette as the H and h fall in love based on a common liking for music and the tendency to be bluntly honest even if it makes someone lose their temper. I don’t object to the blunt honesty but, on the other hand, he only ever learns to value it in Claudette. Everyone in his kingdom has the spiritual right and responsibility, gifted by God, to be honest without fear of oppression due to the socioeconomic power of people who might not like having their sins admonished and publicized if they don’t repent. Even if powerful evil people kill a whistleblower for admonishing sin, the whistleblower is still spiritually obligated to admonish sin honesty and clearly. So in the end, Claudette gets to be honest with no recriminations but what about everyone else? Not everyone in this story can marry the prince.

The story ends abruptly without closing some storylines.

The story hints that Madam is eternally punished for her selfishness, and that’s understandable because she never repents, but her fate is mostly up to the imagination of the reader.

We never find out if Seline sets safe boundaries for Estelle and refuses to continue the relationship if Estelle doesn’t repent (1 Cor 5:11).

We never find out if the prince sets up a social safety net for people who have horrible luck, like Seline’s father.

We never find out if absent fathers are ever legally called to account for child support, like Estelle’s paramour.

Estelle emotionally abuses her child by treating her horribly according to family members and Estelle never has to account for it and the child is never rescued.

We never discover if Seline gets to have a real adventure by documenting new territory or taking diplomatic trips for her kingdom on behalf of the new King or if she’s just a perpetual third wheel who never becomes her own person.

There was enough that I really liked about honesty taking the primary spot over other virtues that I gave it 3 stars. There was enough lacking in the development of independence that refuses to yield the truth about the importance of personal faith values even under oppression, that I took one star. People do sin, but they are capable of being faithful too, despite evil abuse. There was a lack of sufficient development of healthy relationships and appropriate setting of safe boundaries to provide psychological safety that I took another star.

I do recommend the book. I hope the author eventually writes an epilogue for all the loose ends.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodness, I loved this. Absolutely adored it. I am who I am and I am a person who will read any Beauty and the Beast retelling presented to me, but this was new and different and lovely and swoony and I think I sighed at one point? Just, like—in enjoyment? A list of things I absolutely adored about this book, almost all of which made my stomach do that wonderful swoopy thing:
• Claudette, just in general.
• Like, I loved everything Claudette did. She was phenomenal.
• A gentleman bows in the presence of a lady.
• Gautier telling Claudette to call him by his name.
• Gautier starting to become more and more human again.
• SELINE, MY GOD WHAT AN ABSOLUTE BABE.
• Claudette invisibly leaning against Gautier while he read.
• Seline and Claudette painting and making Gautier laugh.
• The swan pond scene.
• Seline just absolutely eviscerating her sister when she came back home.
• Game night at the castle.
• Marie being the best friend.
• HE WROTE HER A NOTE.
• Seriously, the swan pond scene.
• Gautier being a tortured sad boi™ real sad about having paws.
• Claudette constantly answering Seline even though she couldn't hear her.
• Seline finally being able to hear Claudette.
• Gautier losing HIS SHIT when Claudette got hurt.
• HE GAVE HER A PIANO.
• Gautier listening to Claudette play piano.
• Marie's sister saving everyone.
• HE GAVE HER A PIANO, PART TWO FOR EMPHASIS.
• The banter.
• The teasing.
• The flirting.
• The end.

This was so good. I am so happy this was so good. Everyone should read this very good book. Brb, going to read everything else Amity Thompson has written.

[Book Addict · Rating 5 out of 5]

Content:
Language- a few swear words, no f-bombs
Violence- none
Romance- clean

Guys.
GUYS.
Why did I not know about this book before now?? This is a book I didn't know I needed in my life, but I absolutely did. It is brilliant. Every star in the five star review is owed. Thompson is a writer to watch!

I am a little (okay, a lot) crazy about fairy tales, and I have read dozens upon dozens of Beauty and the Beast retellings (if you comment one below, I've probably read it), but THIS one takes the cake. "Unseen Beauty" is a creative, witty take on Beauty and the Beast from the point of view of one of the cursed invisible servants, Claudette. Hilarious and heartwarming, this book exhibits beautiful friendships and sweet romance. It makes the reader consider freewill and freedom. Such a unique idea! I've always wondered about the invisible servants in the world of Beauty and the Beast. A book to read again and again! [For those wondering, "But how good IS this book?", I had to get up at 5:30 a.m. the next morning, but I was up until 4:00 a.m. reading this book because I just couldn't put it down].

Recommended for fans of K.M Shea, A Curse So Dark and Lonely, and anyone craving a good read

[Puck · Rating 1 out of 5]

Such a good concept butchered. Characterizations all over the place. Mary Sue. Tell writing. Contrived plot to show how heroine is a strong independent servant who don't need no job, apparently. h has a limp that gets conveniently forgotten most of the time. Blegh. Good side characters, though

[Nettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was more like 3.5, but since I so rarely enjoy a book all the way through, these days, I give it 4.

The characters were well rounded, but I have to say, I didn't always like the way the main lead acted. She wasn't just pertinent, sometimes she were rude, disrespectful, unaware and had very little compassion or empathy except for those she CHOSE to have it for. That's not how empathy works.

For example, she liked the one sister, but never truly saw the other. Really saw her and what shaped her, and how years and years of being rejected by a parent for a sibling can destroy someone from within. Instead of helping, or at the least empathise with her, the lead character (and author) just painted her as evil. No redemption. It felt contrived and pitiful to hate someone whose life was so hard. And what about her little one in the end? She tied a mother up, and left her there without even thinking about a child potentially being in danger because of that?! As I said. A lead character with only sympathy for those she chose to. How's that different than the nobility and royalty she hated because of it?!

The ending also came very abruptly after such a long build-up. He woke up, gave his beloved a hug and they walked away. Huh?

You fell in love with someone you couldn't see, and the first thing you do is walk towards others? I would stare at the person in fascination. Look at every detail. Commit it to memory. Touch him in reverence, fearing that he'll disappear again. It would be a wondrous moment to savor. Not jump up!

I liked the setup, the details of the background story, the interesting twists to it, the way time moved, etc. It was all fleshed out beautifully. And I absolutely loved the sister they "chose" to be the "beauty" to the beast. She was goodness personified.

And Beast was, well, the perfect Beast! A monster on the outside, but with redeemable qualities and a tender, hidden heart. A story of hope and despair. In the end, it was all about love, which is exactly what a romance should be about. I think he should've been given a bit more focus in the end. I liked him! I actually respected him, which is rare these days in the fantasy and paranormal worlds of romance.

So all in all, it was a wonderful book, well-written, clean romance (yay!!) and a story of growth for all the characters. Well-worth reading.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is a treat! I love YA fantasy, yet very few books capture my attention enough to demand a straight-through reading. Unseen Beauty is one that made it onto that shortlist. I tossed aside all obligations today, so that I could just stay and enjoy Claudette's world uninterrupted. I am acquainted with the author and her family in real-life, which made it extra special (and this is how I discovered her books), but I am here now as a true fan!

Biggest Pros (so hard to not write spoilers!):
1. An inventive re-telling from a new P.O.V.
2. Intriguing extra elements to the magical curse--way better rose and the GARDEN-mmm...beautiful!
3. Character-driven writing--she's invisible, but so visible to us as readers!
4. Supportive female friendships.
5. She includes much more believable variety when characterizing how the servants reacted to being cursed/wanting to end the curse and dealing with the beast.
6. There's a much more involved "Why" behind the curse happening in the first place.



Biggest "Cons":
1. Like many other reviewers, I desired an extended finale--but to me, this is simply a testament to Ms. Thompson's fabulous storytelling. I wasn't ready to leave the magical world she's created.

2. Confusion about "Time"--I had to do some page flipping to understand what was happening with "time" after Claudette first returned to the castle with her prisoner. As a reader, I had to do some deducing to figure out what was happening--at first I thought there were mistakes with ages and days passed, etc. That's on me...eventually, I figured it out.

3. Loose-ends. There are a few things I am still curious about--all those sleeping people, Marie and her beau etc., but that goes back to my desire for MORE--there's enough left at the end, that Ms. Thompson could definitely revisit this world--I plan to bother her about this as SOON as I see her.

4. My daughter kept sitting on my shoulders trying to read it with me. My hair was getting pulled, she wasn't reading at the same speed, and she had questions about the parts she had missed, so it just wasn't working. In part, this is why I was "forced" to neglect all chores and to finish this in one day so that I could share it with her immediately :)

[Racheal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this was a solid 4.5 stars. It was a different twist to the classic beauty and the beast retelling and was an enthralling, quick and easy read. Once I started, it was hard to put the book down!

Things I loved about this book:

-Claudette. She was such a strong, clever, caring and witty character. I loved how she brought out the best in people and was always thinking of others. I also loved how she wasn't made to be the main heroine of this book and yet, she kind of is. It was a neat twist on the author's part!
-I loved how Claudette and Gautier's relationship blossomed over time. It went from hating each other to mutual understanding, then to friendship and eventually, they came to love each other. It was authentic how she evolved in her feelings and though Gautier was a hard to read character, there were hints and some scenes where you got to see just how he might feel about Claudette.
-I loved the side characters for the most part and hated Madame. I was half expecting her to be the evil fairy for most of the book.
-The aspect of magic in this book was very creative and I loved how Claudette was able to find ways to outsmart the commands.


Minor complaints I have:

-I wish that there was just a little more detail regarding the people. Though the author did a good job in painting the surroundings or the color of what clothing someone was wearing, it would have been nice to know more. Especially at the end, I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to know what certain characters looked like.
-The only other complaint I have, which is really a small one, is that there were times where certain phrases Claudette said didn't seem to fit the time frame. Everything about the book though, was well written to fit the intended time frame.

Aside from my minor complaints, this was a very creative retelling and I really enjoyed it. I definitely recommend!

[Megan » Hello Book Bird! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our prince did not have a reputation for being an idiot. Just for being a brat.

When the fairy transformed the prince into a beast, she made all his servants invisible. Claudette has spent ten years without seeing a soul, cleaning the same rooms day after day, for nothing ever changes.

Candles replenish.
Flowers ever bloom.
Escape, even through death, impossible.

Until now. For someone has found the castle. Only problem is, Beast no longer cares. It is up to Claudette to bring about the epic love story…without losing her own heart in the process.

"It won’t be that bad. You could paint a lake in front of a mountain. At nighttime. With no moon."

I finished this in a single day...staying up way past my usual bedtime of 10PM in favor of 3AM. And, might I add, the night before raid night when I'd be up late as well. Still, I don't regret it. This was an absolute pleasure because I finally get my story wherein one of the parties wants the other enough to actually grow up enough to get them. And that transformation...chef kiss! Add on that it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling that made it happen (I think I've read more B&B retellings than any other retellings, honestly)...chef kiss!

I loved Claudette. A parlormaid. Who has a gimpy leg. Who is average in appearances and a nobody...but a nobody with spunk. The exact opposite of the classic Beauty.

I loved Beast. His layers. His depths. His personal growth.

I loved Seline. Her insides matching her classic Beauty outsides. Overcoming her fears and finding friendship in an invisible maid and a beast.

Recommended for romance lovers, retelling lovers, all the lovers. All the things. Just read it, okay?

[Salwa Aj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor Estelle. Really, the father's favoritism is abhorring. No wonder she turned bitter after a childhood of that, and after the man she fell for duped her too and left her disgraced. '' she takes care of ppl so that they would love her''? As if that wasn' t why any person does good. If she's needy it's, again, because of the father's blatant favoritism. Her fault is that she turned that bitterness against her sister, instead of against the father who is to blame. Even his favorite daughter suffers from the pressure of '' being told she is perfect'' all the time. When kids grow to hate each other, it' s no accident, and it's most certainly the parent's fault. The scapegoats and blacksheeps and the likes, know this. They even made her look insane in front of her community. Considering our history with hysteria and women's assylums, that's a pretty sexist move in the fairytale. It's supposed to feel good, as it's justice served, but when we use those unjust tools it's no good. We are made to think she is simply a vain and jealous person, because she wishes for riches, as if that was not human nature. Anyway.
It's estelle's last act of pettiness that was trully ''bad/evil' ' material.

[Manuela · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely and original Beauty and the Beast retelling!

I am a huge fan of retellings in general, so much that I've probably exhausted the options listed on Goodreads.. I always try to read the new ones that appear - which are on Kindle Unlimited or Library - and usually I am able to see on the first two chapters if it is worth to continue, as retelling can be quite tricky I find. It's been a while since I've read one that I truly enjoyed, and this one is quite the gem.

It had everything I love in a retelling. The story was quite well twisted, changing enough from the original material to keep one interested without missing the magic that made it so special. I really loved the writing, the sweet slow-burn romance, and the relationships between the characters in the book. It was the type of read I love when I am looking for something more light - you read with it with a smile on your face and finish it with a good feeling in your heart.

Would definitely recommend for Retelling fans or just anyone looking for a sweet and a light read!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly what I was hoping for. I am a sucker for a good Beauty and the Beast retelling (Thank You Robin McKinley, you are a goddess).

I LOVED the spin on this one. It was a viewpoint I had not seen before, and it made the tale fresh again, in a way it hasn't been in a while. It was hard to put down, and so I read it in two sittings. (don't you love when you find a good book?)

It had humor, snarkiness, a nice cast of characters, and a day-to-day telling that lingered long enough to be believable and interesting, but not too long that you want to pull out your eyelashes just so that you can cry. Same with the story. Slow enough to build nicely and live with the characters, but not so slow that, now that your eyelashes are gone, you gotta move on to plucking out of the other hairs on your head.

I will definitely be trying this author's other books.

[charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unseen Beauty is delightfully odd. I spent the first 10% hesitating, “what the heck am I reading?”. It’s an unconventional world with strange rules. Once you get used to it, it’s a wildly fun place to be! This story is, despite various cold moments, quite charming & sweet. I’d recommend it as a read to tuck in between particularly taxing series.

What stands out to me about these relationships is not that between the beauty & the beast (which is a perfectly acceptable enemies to lovers) but instead between the various female primary characters. Watching women support one another is always heartwarming. More than anything, I’d love to see their friendships play out over the years.

The overall execution would have benefited from an epilogue, perhaps a year or 10 years out? The resolution, otherwise, feels a little rushed and lacking.

[Gabriela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best Beauty and the Beast retellings out there. I really enjoyed this book.

You’ll get all the typical parts of the story: the curse, the beast, the need to fall in love to break it, etc. You’ll also find so much more, the servants are atypical and some other details that gives this story the feel as if it is something new you’re reading and not a tale as old as time.
(see what I did there?)

Also, you must know that this story is told by a servant, a parlor maid POV.
I spent half of the book sad because I was sure that what I wanted to happen would not happen. Then spent the other half glued to the book because I needed that HEA.

4 stars because I needed a little bit of steam. I know it is not that kind of book, but a girl can dream.

[Cheyenne Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different from typical retellings and highly enjoyable

I LOVED this retelling of Beauty and the Beast. The main difference from typical retellings is that the protagonist is not "Beauty", but a servant. It sounds weird but it works SO WELL. I loved seeing the machinations behind getting Seline (Beauty) to come to the castle. And I thought the progression from hate to love was very well done. I loved the main characters: Claudette, Beast, and Seline. It was fun to see their relationships grow. It's a captivating read and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Beauty and the Beast retellings.

[Amber Christiansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

I enjoyed reading this unique retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It follows the original much more closely than most retellings. I was especially happy to see that there was no Gaston (he was created by Disney and I always worry about authors that include him in their stories) and that "Beauty's" ( Seline) sisters were a source of conflict. Even with so much that was true to the original, this story is in a realm of its own with some of the twists involved, the first of which was that the point of view character is one of the invisible servants (Claudette). I'd love to read more from this author.

[hollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seem to be on a beauty and the beast kick recently but I bloody loved this waaaay more than I thought I would.
I think the idea that we see ‘belle’ from the point of view of a servant was so unique. I liked how Claudette’s role was to try and get a romance brewing between the beast and another girl and this honestly was great.

The writing was honestly amazing as well as the pacing and structure of the plot!
I loved the fact she was invisible because it added so much flare to the book that I can’t imagine would have been there otherwise.
The angst between the beast and claudette was honestly intense!

This is definitely a must read retelling!

[Ragna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It has more maturity than most books of its category.

I love fairytale retellings, but they are usually quite teenagey, and the characters usually spend too much time worrying about insignificant things. This book let go of that.

The characters were wonderful. I loved Claudette as a heroine, and I liked Gautier so much more than I expected despite his role as the Beast (who must never be fully likable at the beginning). Seline was great too, and I wished there was more to the story of her future.

The plot does not go like a typical Beauty and the Beast tale, but I enjoyed that and did not miss anything.

[Rocco · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love a Beauty and the Beast retelling. This book had a genuinely good take on the story and the premise was soooooo promising. Yet for me it failed to deliver. I found the whole thing completely predictable. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the read but sadly it didn't quite hit the mark for me. I really wanted to like the "beauty" in the story, she had so much potential but unfortunately I found her slightly irritating. I didn't really feel the romance either and with a story that's so well known, I think getting the chemistry right is key. But hey I'm just one person... You can't please everyone.