Beastly Beauty

By: Jennifer Donnelly

Narrated by: Steve West

What makes a girl "beastly?" Is it having too much ambition? Being too proud? Taking up too much space? Or is it just wanting something, anything, too badly?

That's the problem Arabella faces when she makes her debut in society. Her parents want her to be sweet and compliant so she can marry well, but try as she might, Arabella can't extinguish the fire burning inside her—the source of her deepest wishes, her wildest dreams.

When an attempt to suppress her emotions tragically backfires, a mysterious figure punishes Arabella with a curse, dooming her and everyone she cares about, trapping them in the castle. As the years pass, Arabella abandons hope. The curse is her fault—after all, there's nothing more "beastly" than a girl who expresses her anger—and the only way to break it is to find a boy who loves her for her true self: a cruel task for a girl who's been told she's impossible to love.

When a handsome thief named Beau makes his way into the castle, the captive servants are thrilled, convinced he is the one to break the curse. But Beau—spooked by the castle's strange and forbidding ladies-in-waiting, and by the malevolent presence that stalks its corridors at night—only wants to escape. He learned long ago that love is only an illusion. If Beau and Arabella have any hope of breaking the curse, they must learn to trust their wounded hearts, and realize that the cruelest prisons of all are the ones we build for ourselves.

©2024 Jennifer Donnelly (P)2024 Scholastic Inc.

Creative retelling

A splendidly creative retelling with a beautiful depth to it. And Steve’s narration was delicious as always.

A glorious retelling of Beauty and the Beast

I highly recommend Beastly Beauty; without giving it away, I will say it is a well-done twist to a beloved story, beautifully written and explained with no loose ends. You can lie to the world but not to the mirror. Every character was well placed, literally, symbolically, and metaphorically; some characters are not who you would expect them to be. Beastly Beauty is an adventure through deep shadow work/self-reflection and understanding true freedom.

you have to look inside yourself, to be strong!

I enjoyed the book and how it ended, Made me think of myself, Sometimes I do need to look around, and not take my needs and wants, as I tend to ffeel like I am burdening others. I need to love me and my wants, because I am just as important! I am going to start looking at things, and mybe lift my heart, to do what Ihave wanted to do!! Nice touch in showing us our beast!!!!!

My heart!

I put off reading this for so long and I think it was just the right time for me to read it. The message hit me in my feels … THANK YOU

Creative

Surprisingly fun! I was expecting the same old, retold fairytale. This has a rich cast of characters that are working to protect the secrets of the castle.