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Istoire Awakens #1
Belle & Beast: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast
A war hero. A prince with a secret. A distressed damsel intent on beating the odds. They're not the fairytale characters you're used to.
After proving himself a hero during the war, Eddie Marchand returns home to marry his childhood sweetheart, Lady Belle.
Lady Belle chafes at the life she's led in a quiet backwater, patiently waiting to restore her family's fortune.
When a beastly Prince disrupts their lives attempting to protect his secret, Belle makes a choice that plunges her into a world of magic and mystery. Will Eddie save his childhood sweetheart from a life of horror? Will the Prince resist the fate foretold to him? Can Belle crack the secrets of her new home and save them all?
The threat of war is building again. This time the entire continent may be at stake—unless long buried secrets are exposed and predjudices put aside for good.
After proving himself a hero during the war, Eddie Marchand returns home to marry his childhood sweetheart, Lady Belle.
Lady Belle chafes at the life she's led in a quiet backwater, patiently waiting to restore her family's fortune.
When a beastly Prince disrupts their lives attempting to protect his secret, Belle makes a choice that plunges her into a world of magic and mystery. Will Eddie save his childhood sweetheart from a life of horror? Will the Prince resist the fate foretold to him? Can Belle crack the secrets of her new home and save them all?
The threat of war is building again. This time the entire continent may be at stake—unless long buried secrets are exposed and predjudices put aside for good.
499 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 20, 2020
33 people are currently reading
124 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 10, 2023
Probably 1.5 stars. I really don't like leaving harsh reviews like this, but i think readers should have an idea of what they are starting. This read like a first draft to me. The idea of the story and the world the author built was interesting, but the execution was extremely flawed. I didn't like any of the characters, and there was very little actual character development. There were a lot of plot holes and random details that were never explained, but seemed like they should have been important. And there were sooo many typos! How did this ever get to press in this condition? It was really difficult to wade through that alone. I skimmed the last 25% because I was so bored with it.
August 15, 2021
Intriguing take on Beauty and The Beast
I really enjoyed this twist on the beloved tale of Beauty and the Beast. Belle wasn’t perfect and selfless. The beast wasn’t a tyrant. But they had to overcome prejudice and circumstances to find love.
The only issue I had was frequent grammatical and spelling errors that marred the otherwise well thought out plot. I suspect that a faulty manuscript made it up and am attempting to find a way to contact the author.
I really enjoyed this twist on the beloved tale of Beauty and the Beast. Belle wasn’t perfect and selfless. The beast wasn’t a tyrant. But they had to overcome prejudice and circumstances to find love.
The only issue I had was frequent grammatical and spelling errors that marred the otherwise well thought out plot. I suspect that a faulty manuscript made it up and am attempting to find a way to contact the author.
November 30, 2020
Good start to a fairytale retelling series
"Belle & Beast" is a good start to what promises to be an engaging fantasy romance series of retold fairytales. The book is divided into a prologue and three parts: it starts slowly and the characters (especially a Belle with a calculating streak and a sympathetic spurned suitor) are enough different from other protrayals that I wasn't sure if I would like it; however, it picks up and I was completely drawn in as the story progresses.
There is a mixture of fantasy religion, scientific study, and magic that feels unique. Like the story itself, it feels awkward to start, yet grows in believability.
Unfortunately, there are grammar and spelling mistakes throughout that can be distracting.
It is the beginning of a series, yet the conclusion is both satisfying as a standalone novel and provides a tempting glimpse into the next story. I look forward to reading the next installment of this series!
I received an advance reading copy in exchange for my honest review: overall, 4/5 stars; I would recommend this to others who enjoy retold fairytales.
"Belle & Beast" is a good start to what promises to be an engaging fantasy romance series of retold fairytales. The book is divided into a prologue and three parts: it starts slowly and the characters (especially a Belle with a calculating streak and a sympathetic spurned suitor) are enough different from other protrayals that I wasn't sure if I would like it; however, it picks up and I was completely drawn in as the story progresses.
There is a mixture of fantasy religion, scientific study, and magic that feels unique. Like the story itself, it feels awkward to start, yet grows in believability.
Unfortunately, there are grammar and spelling mistakes throughout that can be distracting.
It is the beginning of a series, yet the conclusion is both satisfying as a standalone novel and provides a tempting glimpse into the next story. I look forward to reading the next installment of this series!
I received an advance reading copy in exchange for my honest review: overall, 4/5 stars; I would recommend this to others who enjoy retold fairytales.
January 17, 2024
3.5 stars!
I went into this book completely blind. I was new to the author and the series, but received it during a Black Friday sale and was intrigued by the premise. I'm always interested to see how other authors tackle retellings, especially of such widely-known fairytales.
Setting: The author clearly put a lot of time and thought into her worldbuilding - so much so that I was honestly pretty lost for the majority of the book. Just when I thought I was settling into the place that she was describing, her characters went to a new part of her world, and the pattern seemed to repeat every time I was close to gaining an understanding. That said, I'm notoriously bad at mental maps, so it could just be me. In addition, I had no idea that series is apparently merging the worlds and characters of a lot of different fairytales so had I realized that sooner, I probably wouldn't have been so thrown off by appearances of Sherwood, etc.
Pros were that although I had a hard time keeping track of specific names, layouts, and countries, the author captured the general feel of each place well. Especially her descriptions of the castle and other nobility residences felt very rich and authentic. She handled the large amounts of details that would go into the royal days well, and I could absolutely picture myself in the midst of the extravagance and bustle.
Characters: Being a very character-focused reader, this is where I struggled the most. I have very mixed feelings about the protagonist, Belle. On one hand, I greatly admire her courage, drive, perseverance, attention to detail, and ability to get what she wants in order to keep herself and her family happy. But there were also times where I had trouble rooting for her because she could come across as cold, haughty, and/or uncaring. In general, she was a strong protagonist, and I did enjoy the softening and growth she experienced by the end.
The prince also started off very seemingly uncaring and cold, but I guess I expected that (he is the Beast after all), so it didn't really bother me. He grew on me quickly, and I respected his hard work for his kingdom, his attempts to keep Belle and his mother happy, and the way he cared for his kingdom. His temper was often too hot for my liking, but he also grew by the end. (yay character arcs!)
If anything, I think that Hazel, Belle's father, and the prince's mother were my favorite characters. They were all kind, resourceful, easy to like, and seemed to be living their own lives but also willing to help the protagonists with theirs. The "Gaston" character threw me for a loop. I liked him (honestly more than Belle) for a good chunk of the book, but wasn't impressed by his rashness and inability to stop and think at the end.
Plot: The plot was very fun. Having recently read up on a lot of the original fairy tales for Beauty and the Beast (like original, original), I enjoyed seeing how much of them the author drew inspiration from. I'd say it was about 50/50 inspired by the original fairy tales vs the Disney version. Much to my surprise, some of the character names were the exact same as the Disney characters, but even if they weren't, you could easily still pick them out. I like the spin that the author put on the original tales - adding a lot more political intrigue and backstory into the history and wars. There was a lot more emphasis on the magic system later on than I expected, but it all mostly made sense. And I anticipate that the author will be explaining more of that in later books.
In terms of flow, the plot moved along pretty well. There were sections that I skimmed, where it was a lot of day to day descriptions or summary, and especially at the beginning, I struggled to stay interested. But by about the 25% mark I'd say, I was interested to see how everything turned out. The farther into the book, the harder it was to put down.
I feel like I really haven't given a good reason for the three star rating, and to be honest, I didn't NOT like this book. I enjoyed the read, and am glad I read it. The take on the original tales were very fun, as were the alludes to the Disney version. I rooted for some characters, disliked others, and wanted them all to have their rightful endings. And I think I'll be reading it again in the future!
My main hesitation is simply that it still felt like an early draft. Some of the story questions that were brought up and not answered, some loose threads, some inconsistent actions by the characters, and some overall roughness to the writing style and prose made me wonder how amazing this book could be with just a little more tweaking. But I can still honestly say that it's worth a try if you enjoy clean and romantic fairy tale retellings! I'm interested to read more from this author. 3.5 stars.
Themes: Family, true love, courage, determination, learning to love, honesty, and forgiveness.
Content warning: Fantasy magic system (animal-like transformations/"were-wolf" esque, objects moving themselves, blood ceremony during marriage, moonlight vigils, etc.). Brief alludes to wedded intimacy (nothing shown or described, and it never happens during the story). A fantasy-world religion similar to Christianity in how it's practiced, with the exception of some elements that reminded me of Catholicism. Light kisses. Mildly-described violence (nothing graphic, but war fighting, injuries, etc.)
I'd recommend it to: Readers 13+ that enjoy fairy tale retellings - especially of Beauty and the Beast - and want to try their hand at an in-depth and politically-rich twist.
I went into this book completely blind. I was new to the author and the series, but received it during a Black Friday sale and was intrigued by the premise. I'm always interested to see how other authors tackle retellings, especially of such widely-known fairytales.
Setting: The author clearly put a lot of time and thought into her worldbuilding - so much so that I was honestly pretty lost for the majority of the book. Just when I thought I was settling into the place that she was describing, her characters went to a new part of her world, and the pattern seemed to repeat every time I was close to gaining an understanding. That said, I'm notoriously bad at mental maps, so it could just be me. In addition, I had no idea that series is apparently merging the worlds and characters of a lot of different fairytales so had I realized that sooner, I probably wouldn't have been so thrown off by appearances of Sherwood, etc.
Pros were that although I had a hard time keeping track of specific names, layouts, and countries, the author captured the general feel of each place well. Especially her descriptions of the castle and other nobility residences felt very rich and authentic. She handled the large amounts of details that would go into the royal days well, and I could absolutely picture myself in the midst of the extravagance and bustle.
Characters: Being a very character-focused reader, this is where I struggled the most. I have very mixed feelings about the protagonist, Belle. On one hand, I greatly admire her courage, drive, perseverance, attention to detail, and ability to get what she wants in order to keep herself and her family happy. But there were also times where I had trouble rooting for her because she could come across as cold, haughty, and/or uncaring. In general, she was a strong protagonist, and I did enjoy the softening and growth she experienced by the end.
The prince also started off very seemingly uncaring and cold, but I guess I expected that (he is the Beast after all), so it didn't really bother me. He grew on me quickly, and I respected his hard work for his kingdom, his attempts to keep Belle and his mother happy, and the way he cared for his kingdom. His temper was often too hot for my liking, but he also grew by the end. (yay character arcs!)
If anything, I think that Hazel, Belle's father, and the prince's mother were my favorite characters. They were all kind, resourceful, easy to like, and seemed to be living their own lives but also willing to help the protagonists with theirs. The "Gaston" character threw me for a loop. I liked him (honestly more than Belle) for a good chunk of the book, but wasn't impressed by his rashness and inability to stop and think at the end.
Plot: The plot was very fun. Having recently read up on a lot of the original fairy tales for Beauty and the Beast (like original, original), I enjoyed seeing how much of them the author drew inspiration from. I'd say it was about 50/50 inspired by the original fairy tales vs the Disney version. Much to my surprise, some of the character names were the exact same as the Disney characters, but even if they weren't, you could easily still pick them out. I like the spin that the author put on the original tales - adding a lot more political intrigue and backstory into the history and wars. There was a lot more emphasis on the magic system later on than I expected, but it all mostly made sense. And I anticipate that the author will be explaining more of that in later books.
In terms of flow, the plot moved along pretty well. There were sections that I skimmed, where it was a lot of day to day descriptions or summary, and especially at the beginning, I struggled to stay interested. But by about the 25% mark I'd say, I was interested to see how everything turned out. The farther into the book, the harder it was to put down.
I feel like I really haven't given a good reason for the three star rating, and to be honest, I didn't NOT like this book. I enjoyed the read, and am glad I read it. The take on the original tales were very fun, as were the alludes to the Disney version. I rooted for some characters, disliked others, and wanted them all to have their rightful endings. And I think I'll be reading it again in the future!
My main hesitation is simply that it still felt like an early draft. Some of the story questions that were brought up and not answered, some loose threads, some inconsistent actions by the characters, and some overall roughness to the writing style and prose made me wonder how amazing this book could be with just a little more tweaking. But I can still honestly say that it's worth a try if you enjoy clean and romantic fairy tale retellings! I'm interested to read more from this author. 3.5 stars.
Themes: Family, true love, courage, determination, learning to love, honesty, and forgiveness.
Content warning: Fantasy magic system (animal-like transformations/"were-wolf" esque, objects moving themselves, blood ceremony during marriage, moonlight vigils, etc.). Brief alludes to wedded intimacy (nothing shown or described, and it never happens during the story). A fantasy-world religion similar to Christianity in how it's practiced, with the exception of some elements that reminded me of Catholicism. Light kisses. Mildly-described violence (nothing graphic, but war fighting, injuries, etc.)
I'd recommend it to: Readers 13+ that enjoy fairy tale retellings - especially of Beauty and the Beast - and want to try their hand at an in-depth and politically-rich twist.
January 17, 2022
I thought the spin on the typical Beauty and The Beast story was very interesting and well thought out. It was fun to read and enjoyable. However, the book had many punctual and grammatical errors, otherwise I really enjoyed reading it. Age rating I would probably say 12+.
Read
August 20, 2024DNF - I am a character girl, so if I’m not loving the characters then I really struggle with a book. Belle is as beastly as the beast in the book. She is so cold, self centered, and shallow that I couldn’t bring myself to finish. I imagine there’s probably a pretty good character arc that was gonna happen, but I just wasn’t arcing soon enough for me.
I enjoyed the writing, it was clean, easy to follow, and from what I read typo free. The world building was really good too. I think I’ll check out the next one in the series, and see if the main character is a bit more relatable.
Content of what I read: clean, some mention of war
I enjoyed the writing, it was clean, easy to follow, and from what I read typo free. The world building was really good too. I think I’ll check out the next one in the series, and see if the main character is a bit more relatable.
Content of what I read: clean, some mention of war
December 7, 2022
Excellent version of a real Beauty who finds her counterpart in a semi-beast
Finally a version that has a Belle that is multi-faceted, with similar predatory instincts as the beast, just in a prettier package. Not all good, not all bad - just goes for what she wants after being forced into a corner. Proud to recommend this book.
Finally a version that has a Belle that is multi-faceted, with similar predatory instincts as the beast, just in a prettier package. Not all good, not all bad - just goes for what she wants after being forced into a corner. Proud to recommend this book.
February 11, 2023
Although Belle irked me in the beginning, there were enough other interesting points to keep me going. Before I knew it, I was completely in love with her and her loved ones, and I always appreciate a good Christian fantasy where the MCs don't spend every difficulty whining about a higher power's supposed lack of goodness. Much love to this story, and I'm looking forward to reading more!
August 27, 2021
Mystery and Fairy Tale Come Togther
Really good story and well told. However, an editor really needs to read the manuscript before published. It’s in need of some rewriting.
Really good story and well told. However, an editor really needs to read the manuscript before published. It’s in need of some rewriting.
December 3, 2022
I couldn't finish this book. The characters were unlikeable and the plot was depressing. I would return it if I knew how!
June 9, 2024
This read like a first daft. It was overwritten, boring and the characters were unlikeable with little to no character growth by the end
March 3, 2025
good…but…
Rebecca-Word has a spell checker and grammar flagged. Please go back and use it on the next edit. Otherwise, I was intrigued by this unique version.
Rebecca-Word has a spell checker and grammar flagged. Please go back and use it on the next edit. Otherwise, I was intrigued by this unique version.
February 12, 2025
Ugh, this one is complicated to review. I'll start up front with the fact that this rating would be a lot higher if not for the inclusion of blood magic use from the good guys. This isn't your standard type of blood magic, but it still cross one of my hard lines (necromancy is another one) that there are some things good guys just shouldn't mess with.
As far as story, the writing is good, and while this is a very different take from usual on Belle, I found her strangely likeable in her cold calculations about life. I would likely continue the series if not for the magic issues.
If the blood magic doesn't bother you, you won't find much to be concerned with here in the content. Just a bit of war and injury, and some broken promises.
As far as story, the writing is good, and while this is a very different take from usual on Belle, I found her strangely likeable in her cold calculations about life. I would likely continue the series if not for the magic issues.
If the blood magic doesn't bother you, you won't find much to be concerned with here in the content. Just a bit of war and injury, and some broken promises.
October 22, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this new take on Beauty and the Beast! Rebecca Fittery wove together a delightful new story that has me waiting in anticipation for her next book!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews