2.5 stars

The Beast was once a man but after being cursed by the Fairy he is now monstrous.
Having lived alone for numerous years, the Beast's loneliness makes him desperate for company. Desperate enough that when a man stumbles across the Beasts's domain, he comes up with a way to meet the man's daughter, Isabeau.
Will Isabeau agree to stay with the Beast for a year?
Could Isabeau be happy living with the Beast?
Will her family cope without her?

Beauty and the Beast is my favourite fairytale, so I leaped at the chance to read The Beast's Heart. Plus, the cover is absolutely gorgeous!
The Beast's Heart is told from the Beast's point of view, which I found interesting. It is also more closely based on the original fairytale (from what I can remember) in that Isabeau is the youngest sister and asked her father to bring her back a rose from his travels.
The Beast was an interesting character and I liked Isabeau. I also liked her sisters and enjoyed reading the parts about them.
The plot wasn't particularly surprising and not that much really happened.
I struggled to get into the writing style at the beginning, and while I did ease into it somewhat, I still found it a bit off-putting at times.
I have to admit to being slightly disappointed with The Beast's Heart, and I'm left with mixed feelings.

Overall this was a mostly enjoyable read.

I struggled a lot to get into this book. Once I did I found the story to be uninteresting, slow paced and the characters boring. The premise was good but the outcome was unsuccessful.

This book was a drag.
It took so much effort for me to finish this.
The language is so heavy and descriptive and that just is not my cup of tea. It was not a modern and updated version of beauty and the beast which is what I initially thought it was
Nor is the never ending internal monologue.

The Beast's Heart by Leife Shallcross

This is a charmingly told, retelling of the Beauty and the Beast.. Poignant, and sensitive, a story of love and redemption. I think Shallcross has told this story in a new way, dealing with the nature of the beast, and of how misfortune can sometimes be the making of us.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and it touched me, how love can triumph in even the worst situations. Beautiful in it's simplicity.

This was the first time I’ve read a reimagined fairytale.
It was a cute but slow read for me.
I wasn’t particularly excited or captivated, if I’m being honest.
Although I did enjoy it, I just felt it maybe wasn’t for me. Like, good as a one off.

The author has created a beautiful enchanting world that is easy to imagine and jumps off the page. I adore the backstory and the story itself is wonderfully detailed and complex and I was unable to put my copy down I read this book in two sessions (only split because I prepared tea). Soft spoilers there were a couple of scenes I almost sprung a leak a little welled up but no leak.

There is no mention of dancing or talking furniture or narcissistic noblemen demanding the damsels hand in marriage here (looking at you Mr Disney), just a lonely heartbroken creature trying to preserve his humanity in a decaying castle that’s half prison, half his former home. Before we get all judgy judgy and shame the beast let’s take a minute to imagine spending all those years roaming the forest losing your humanity whilst never knowing how the curse could be broken. I'm sure you would become downhearted and ill-tempered too.

The story starts with us seeing how the beast has been alone with nothing but his own company for far too long. It is made very clear the Beast has forgotten his former, human self. After living in the forest that surrounds his long-abandoned home and intimidates the other creatures that live there. His recurring vivid dreams torment him, often confusing his perception of what is real and what he has dreamt.

When we see Isabeau’s father stumble upon his home, we see that all he really wants is companionship after centuries of isolation. Obviously, the usual trick occurs where the Beast gets Isabeau to come to the castle, it is refreshing too have this told from the beast’s perspective and that he would never have acted on any of the threats he made. There is even genuine remorse in the way he acts at times, furthermore ensuring that we truly see that the beast has retained some of his humanity despite his doubts.

Its good read for someone looking for another insight into ‘The tale as old as time’ I enjoyed the book but I like most retellings as I usually have a soft spot for the originals.. As above mentioned about I read the book in a day and enjoyed it, in my opinion worth the read.

Description
A sumptuously magical, brand new take on a tale as old as time - read the Beast's side of the story at long last.

My review

My ARC was provided by NetGalley and this is my honest review.

Minor spoilers ahead

The Beast's Heart is a story about Beauty and the Beast told from the Beast's view point. It has a similar plot to the original story but there are a few differences in the story that unfolds.

What I loved about this book was the lush story telling and beautiful prose. We see the world through the Beast's eyes and we get to see the experience the beauty of his surroundings from his castle to the wonderfully enchanting grounds! We also get to feel his anguish and torment as he lives out his days as the Beast. We learn about Isabeau's family and the dynamics of her relationship with them makes for good storytelling and adds something extra to this tale. There's magic, there's romance, laughter and more and the cover is also stunning! There's also darker elements to this story that I found problematic and I think these issues that will always arise from this particular fairytale.

By luck, when Beauty's father stumbles upon the Beast's castle, he sets off a series of events which lead to Isabeau coming to the castle and agreeing to stay for a set term. I found myself torn between the Beast's behaviour which is out of desperation and partly because of his love (or is it an obsession) for Isabeau. Towards the beginning of the book I felt his behaviour was totally manipulating, but really putting myself in his shoes gave me an understanding of what lead him to make the decisions he did to blackmail Isabeau's father to get her to stay. Who's to say what a lifetime of living a cursed life in total solitude without human presence or touch would do or how desperate it would make us. So I did have some sympathy for the Beast and his plight. On one hand he wasn't an awful monster with no chance at redemption. He could be kind, thoughtful and attentive, however there were some elements in the book that I found very problematic. The mirror watching was a new addition that pulled the elements of the story together but it also made the Beast come across as obsessive and creepy, and he was constantly watching her move about the castle (without her knowledge). Also the Beast, desperate in his plight to break the curse asks Isabeau to marry him at dinner and she turns him down. The first time he asked was a bit uncomfortable to read but he continues to ask her every night after that despite her saying no. Isabeau's obvious distress at his repeated request is hard to read and highlights the imbalance of power in the relationship between the two. Add Isabeau's father's controlling and manipulate behaviour to the mix and I began to feel sorry for Isabeau. She does get her happy ending and Leife wraps everything up nicely.

Despite the issues I had with the behaviour of some of the characters, on the whole I did enjoy reading this book and I loved Leife's story telling. I would definitely love to read more of her books (especially original content) because she writes so beautifully.

*The book also touches on issues like (attempted) suicide.

Beautifully written, a wonderful take on a much loved disney classic which is one of my favourites. This did not disappoint.

This book was such a magical read for me, when it comes to fairytales then Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favourites – I was hooked on the Disney version as a child! Leife’s take on the tale is so unique that at times it’s difficult to remember that this is a retelling of a classic.

Instead of the common take of Beauty/Belle’s point of view (in this story, her name is Isabeau), The Beast’s Heart is from the perspective of the Beast himself. The story starts with us seeing how he’s been alone for far too long, and instantly you can’t help but feel sorry for him. Even when we finally see Isabeau’s father stumble upon his home, we see that all he wants is for human company after centuries of isolation.

Of course, the usual trick occurs whereby the Beast gets Isabeau to come to the castle, but we read from his perspective and see that he wouldn’t have acted on his threats to her father. We even see that he genuinely regrets the way he acts at times, furthermore ensuring that we truly see the humanity within.

Leife also tells us about Isabeau’s sisters, Claude and Marie, and how them and her father are faring whilst she lives with the Beast. She uses the enchanted mirror in the Beast’s home to show this, and it really helped with the story’s development on the whole and also with showing how Isabeau felt without changing the point of view of the story. The sisters were also just so sweet that it was great to see how they were handling Isabeau being away.

And Isabeau! She was such a great character, I love how Leife made her strong and caring. During the times when she refused to marry the Beast I found myself wanting to shout at her to tell her to stop being stubborn. They have such a sweet relationship where she plays music for him, he reads for her and, owing to the magic of the house, they have times they’re able to just watch fireworks and beam at each other.

I think reading from the Beast’s point of view also really helps you see why Isabeau falls for him, Leife is able to really show his personal journey and make it the most intriguing part about the story. Although this doesn’t really pick up pace until the last parts of the story the rest is still written in such a lovely and lyrical way that you can’t help but love it.

Absolutely a 5 star read, and I’d love to see more novels of a similar fashion from Leife in the future!

I loved seeing a book telling us of the Beasts POV. I've only seen one other take on it, and both are so different that it was great. I loved the history of the Beast - the backstory was filled out nicely and it was one of my favourite bits. I also liked the way the mirror was used in this book - to only see Isabeau's family, and only when the magic allowed it. In fact - the magic of this story was what drew me in the most - it was so intriguing!
Definitely a fun read for those interested in Beauty and the Beast, but it did take me a while to get into it.

A great retelling of Beauty and the Beast. The Beast's Heart is wonderfully written and a romance that will make you swoon.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

If you are expecting a modern, dynamic and innovative take on the classic fairy tale then look elsewhere, this is not the book for you. Shallcross has created a lush retelling of Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve's 1740 story - told entirely from the Beast's perspective. There are obviously Beauty and the Beast type stories from cultures all around the world - the Hindu 'The Tiger's Bride' and the Norwegian 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon' are two of my favourites. Ultimately like all fairytales, however, Beauty and the Beast is deeply problematic. I mean it's one of my favourites (Irish Fairy tales pip it to the post for me) but it is still a story about a young woman being imprisoned until she falls in love with her captor. No amount of desperation on the captor's part really excuses that. Ok so we all know the Beast let's the Beauty go - proving that he is no longer a beast inside the shaggy pelt - but it's all still a bit squickky. A few hundred years ago it was a parable for accepting that you may not be especially happy with your family's choice of husband for you (if you were a young woman) but that no matter what your bridegroom seemed like on the outside, he could well be a prince on the inside. You were enriching your family with his wealth. There's also a thinly veiled hint that sex is not quite the ordeal or monster you might as a blushing bride believe it to be. All this is quite distasteful to a modern audience so I was intrigued at Shallcross' decision to set it in Eighteenth century France and more or less retell the best known version of the fairy tale.

Forget the Disney film, which has given us the most enduring version of the Beauty in the zeitgeist. The author has not drawn on Disney at all for inspiration as far as I can see - ok there area few books scattered around in the story but that's it. (Really the marketing department using 'the tale as old as time' in the blurb is a bit misleading in that respect.) Instead the author has drawn heavily on Jean Cocteau's 1946 French film <i>La Belle et la Bete</i> an interesting if somewhat old fashioned aesthetic.

On the whole Shallcross does make the more unsavory aspects of the fairy tale palatable to a modern audience. The Beast is portrayed fairly sympathetically. Of course since he is a prisoner both in his castle and in his shape, there is very little action and great lengths are gone to with a magic mirror in order for him to have a voice in the parts of the story that wouldn't normally involve him. Isabeau (the beauty) has more interesting interactions with her family - two sisters and father - than she does with the beast unfortunately. You can see why Disney dispensed with invisible servants and brought in an army of singing kitchen appliances because without that, this story has two characters for most of the tale and it really stretches thing to make every walk, inner etc at all gripping. So to compensate the beast uses the magic mirror to watch Isabeau's family - unbeknownst to her - and we see what her sisters get up too. Those were some of my favourite scenes in the book actually which is a mixed blessing because the focus should be on the love story and yet I just wanted to hear more about Marie and Claude.

In the end I was left with mixed feelings about this book. On one hand the prose was gorgeous, the romantic plot was allowed plenty of space to bloom, it was interesting to see the beast's perspective and even I unromantic and unsentimental as I am found the story quite sweet. On the other hand the magic was a bit too convenient without any explanation, the reason for the beast being cursed makes no sense at all - seriously was the fairy drinking that day?!- and there is no antagonist to help drive the plot. (Disney added Gaston which turns out to be a wise decision. Even Cocteau had an under-developed love rival in his film.) You need antagonists in order to create tension and jeopardy. This had none.

And there were a few things that really made me raise an eyebrow. Isabeau spending most of the book in tears or having fits of vapours. We have hundreds of years of fairy tales and books written by men telling us this is what women do, we so don't need any more of them imo. The beast spending so much of the book just not using his brain at all. And also crying. Considering there was no antagonist and no obstacle to them being together other than stubbornness and a flimsy situation with Isabeau's father, there is a lot of needless heartbreak going on here which I grew impatient of tout de suite. And the mirror. The mirror really was an issue for me because it wasn't like turning on the tv to catch the tail end of the news. No, the beast was glued to it whenever he couldn't be with Isabeau. That and the way he watched her when she was walking in the garden having said she wanted to be alone was epically creepy. Towards the end of the book he even watches her changing clothes. I thought it was an editing blip and he'd turned away but no it's brought up later and taken as a sign devotion. Maybe if it hadn't been on top of all the other micromanaging and spying it would have been of but as it was... Bleurgh. I know a traditional component of the fairy tale is the beast asking the beauty to marry him every night after dinner but to have it replay exactly that way here was troubling. It smacked too much of not taking no as an answer if you're a man who wants a woman. It's not as if the beast even asks why she keeps saying no, he just keeps asking even though it distresses her. All in all there was just too much manipulative male BS in this book - the father's gambit to keep Isabeau home was despicable for instance. And just so you don't think I've got it in for the beast, aside from the mirror and the proposals, he acted well towards Isabeau throughout the book and she did not treat him especially well. Which probably all sounds pretty damning. It's not meant to because I actually quite liked this book. Despite no action, no antagonist, no tension and an old fashioned take on a fairy tale I know inside out, I was still enthralled. If you like quiet, clean fantasy and chaste romance this could well be for you. If you prefer more dynamic and modern retellings then I'd give this one a miss.

This book was truly magical in all sense of the word. The story follows the beast’s side of the story, about how he was transformed because of his love for Isabeau, the belle in this story. However, in the beginning when the beast is warming up to Isabeau, there is abusive behaviour, on the beasts’ side of things. This book was on my radar at YALC 2017 because that arc cover was gorgeous and I was so sad that they didn’t keep the colour scheme of it. The purple and silver looked so gorgeous. So all in all, this book is a retelling of the classic fairytale, and so much like the Disney version as well at the same time.

4 out of 5 stars.

Plot: This is a simple one – it’s a retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast fairytale from the Beast’s perspective. When Isabeau’s father stumbles upon the castle, Beast sees Isabeau in his dreams and knows he needs to meet her to save him from the desperation of such long loneliness. He tricks her father into bringing her back to the castle, and even against her father’s wishes, Isabeau comes.

My thoughts: I have to admit that at the beginning, I was convinced I wouldn’t like this – you can’t mess with my favourite fairytale and Disney film! I wasn’t taken with the writing in the first few pages that seemed simplistic, but I quickly fell in love.
The twists on the much-told tale gave it a fresh perspective and I was completely enamoured with the characters – the way that Isabeau stood up for herself; the way Beast is misunderstood, and misunderstands himself. It was different enough that I didn’t feel it was regurgitating material from the original, but similar enough to hold the same charm. The magic that wraps itself around the castle wrapped itself around me too.
Some reviews have said that descriptions are too melodramatic or that the pace was too slow, but I have to say, it won me over. The world building was vivid to me and I found myself daydreaming about the castle as it came to life in the novel. If you like rich descriptions and retold fairytales, this is one for you.

The Beast's Heart by Leife Shallcross is a book that I came across on the wonderful world of Twitter, and knew that I wanted to read it.



The Beast's Heart is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast from the side of the Beast.

The Beast is not a man, but he isn't a Beast either. He has been cursed for a century so far with the body of a Beast and the mind of a man, he has also been alone. Until one day the magic surrounds his home lets in an old man near death that has got lost in the forest in winter. He sees a vision of the old man youngest daughter and hope she will cure his loneliness, but to get her to his Chateau he resorts to desperate measures.

But once she is at the Chateau The Beast and her family will never be the same again.



At the moment am loving retelling of fairytale, and this story did not disappoint.

The Beast's Heart is beautifully written and its very easy to lose yourself in Beast words. I really adored being able to read the story from his perspective and how he dealt with not knowing what Isabeau truly felt, regarding her situation and her feeling for the Beast.

I like the fact the house was magically and not certain furniture actually being people. It was a great twist that the house had a personality and made it self know when it wasnt happy with Beast actions (or lack of action). I would love to live in a house where I could just say out loud what I wanted and it would magically appear.

Another element I enjoyed about this book is that we get to see how Isabeau family deal with her departure to the Beasts Chateau. I wasn't sure I would like the sisters at the beginning but as the book continued I grew to like them.  I am still unsure about my feeling towards her father, I understand that he is unhappy with the situation but I dont agree with how he handle it.

I give this book 4.8 out of 5.



I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, and also got a copy via Netgalley, for a fair and honest review.

New take on an old tale.

This was a refreshingly different version of the old classic, Beauty and the Beast. It's somewhat enjoyable to read but I found there were too many parts that were unfeasible even for a fairy tale. For instance, the reader is told the Beast has been isolated for a century (possibly over) yet his 'beauty' is a young woman. They have no language or social decorum barriers, and he doesn't tell her his age. Where is the morality? Usually adaptations make a very old fairy tale less disgusting or more socially acceptable. When I read this, I was intrigued. I thought the author intended to take the book in a new direction, that the book couldn't possibly end in a marriage like the classic. My disappointment in the ending is ultimately what led to my rating.

(If there had been some explanation, possibly the curse froze him in time, this aspect may be a little less terrible.)

Aside from these little issues, the story wasn't so bad. Leife Shallcross shines the spotlight on The Beast. The book is completely his perspective, we learn he's quite neurotic and a victim of his past. His character isn't that intriguing but because Shallcross took some excellent creative liberties and fleshed out some other characters, including Isabeau's sisters, the book wasn't altogether as boring as it would have been otherwise.

Every fairy tale needs a living villain, to keep things alive. In this one, there wasn't that. Unless, I suppose you count time. Isabeau agrees to an arrangement that she will give the Beast a year of her life, so he will not be so lonely (he is a stranger to her). Their time together is quickly running out, and she still refuses his marriage proposal. She had agreed to a year out of her own selflessness, though one might say foolishness. I wished, at times, we could read her perspective because I wanted to hear her justify her decision or why she didn't make any terms in the arrangement. Why didn't she agree to stay with him on the condition that she will be permitted to write home whenever she wished? Or visit home, or host visits or just tell her family not to worry about her safety? He was a desperate beast, and hardly fearsome... I just don't understand.

More than that though, I wondered why she had so little curiosity about this strange creature's past and his family. Looking in a portrait gallery can only tell you so much. Her reserve is explained a little later, as for reasons of propriety. But this, of course, contradicts her acceptance of the arrangement: she agrees to live with a stranger but can't have a revealing conversation with him. Surely the first act is the more socially scandalous?

By the end I'd describe their relationship as more of an unhealthy obsession. She can barely eat just thinking he's miserable, and he doesn't want to live after experiencing a few days without her. Just too dramatic for an otherwise quiet story. Her love for him is founded on sympathy. His, for her, is founded on desperation. Not a good mix or match.

She's the first person he properly spends time with (his servants aren't cutlery as in the Disney version, but are invisible) so I understand that their attachment was strong but it was irrational! Their time spent together was also rather mundane but that's my opinion and so, likely up for debate. And don't get me started on his spying tendencies! So wrong and intrusive!

Clearly, I read too into this book. I'm possibly too adult for this read. If, however, you can take a book like this at face value, you should have no problems with it. It will be better suited for 14-17. It does deal with difficult issues and so, I wouldn't say it's suitable for twelve year olds.

Overall thoughts: a sweet, quiet, book for younger readers. A calm read and a little unexciting and uninspired aside from Shallcross' thoughtful additions to the classic. Regrettably, I can't recommend this one.

I received this book through NetGalley.

I struggled to get into this.
The story and characters just didn't interest me. The synposis got me excited so I'm left disappointed.
The pacing didn't help. I felt it was too slow majority of the time. Making it difficult for me to want to pick back up eachday.
Towards the end I started to skim read it just to finish it.

I was excited about reading this, but unfortunately I struggled with it. The writing style is very flowery and verbose, and I found it quite distracting. This seems to have been a particular point of appeal for a lot of people, so I think it's just me! Thank you for the opportunity to read this in any instance, just not for me.

I got this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

This book is a retelling of The Beauty and The Beast.

So this book started out quote slow... I was worried I wouldn't be able to get into it, at all.

I kept at it and yes I finally really got into it. It's taken a while to read, mostly with work and plans it's been hard to get any reading time.

But i really enjoyed it. Yes it was still a little slow at times but the world building is brilliant. And The Beasts character is written really well.
The only problem i really had with the book was the ending. There were bits that were expected and those that weren't but overall I think the ending was a little rushed, and could have done with being longer and maybe a little more detailed, however I did really like the little snippets at the end though.

I would definitely read something else by this author.

TRIGGER WARNING: This book features a suicide attempt.

WARNING: This review contains minor spoilers, but as this is a retelling of The Beauty and the Beast, it only spoils the aspects of the story we already know about from the original fairy tale.

I'm such a huge fan of fairy tale retellings, that I've been desperate to read The Beast's Heart by Leife Shallcross from the moment I heard about it. However, I couldn't be more disappointed.

The Beast's Heart is the story of Beauty and the Beast from the Beast's perspective, and it seems like Shallcross has tried to stay true to the original fairy tale. However, in trying to stay true to the original - which is 22 pages long in my copy of Perrault's Fairy Tales - absolutely nothing happens. Seriously. Once Isabeau is at the castle, for chapters and chapters and chapters on end, all that happens is Isabeau plays the virginal while the Beast listens, and the Beast reads to Isabeau, and sometimes she draws while she reads. That's it. The only time this is broken up as when Isabeau falls ill, eschews the Beast's company for several weeks, seeming to not be able to stand his company. But when she's well again, they go back to doing the same old thing until she discovers her father is ill and goes home.

And this was incredibly disappointing. Yes, the original story is short, but that doesn't mean you can't stay true to that story and not develop on it, to make it worth being a full-length novel. Drown by Esther Dalseno is a perfect example of how it can be done. It's a retelling of The Little Mermaid, and it stays incredibly true to the original fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, but it takes it develops it further; it has the origin story of the sea-witch, it has mermaids who have no feelings, and a plague that is killing them off, plus a prince who has a mental illness. There is so much more going on in Drown than in the original fairy tale, and yet it is so very close to everything that happens in the original. Drown is proof that you can have a retelling of a fairy tale, stay true to it, but also have a full length novel where things happen. But with The Beast's Heart, all we have is this constant repetition of the same old things, and, well, I was bored.

On top of nothing happen, I don't feel there was really any development to the characters. I couldn't tell you very much about either of them, except the Beast is very angsty, and Isabeau has very little personality. And because of this, I couldn't believe the romance either. He only wants Isabeau with him in the first place because she's beautiful and he's lonely, but when he actually falls in love with her, I couldn't tell you. The fairy that transformed him appears at one point, and they have a conversation, and after that the Beast realises he's in love with Isabeau, but I never felt it. He's just all kind of angsty and obsessive. And I don't feel Isabeau ever really sees the Beast as more than a friend. I was not rooting for them at all.

There are a couple of good things about this story. I really enjoyed the writing style, which felt like high fantasy, but a little more formal. And I enjoyed the stories of Isabeau's sisters, Marie and Claude, which we got to see through the Beast's magic mirror. A hell of a lot more happens for those two than the Beast and Isabeau, and they were really the only interesting part of the book. They have developing romances that I could root for. But there isn't as much of them as I would have liked, and neither of these things make up for the majority of the story, where nothing happens!

I am so very disappointed with The Beast's Heart, and I really didn't enjoy it very much at all. However, other people have really loved this story, so do read some other reviews before deciding whether or not to read it.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley for the eProof.