The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross
After a rather crazy month of May I’m pretty much dedicating the month of June to catching up with all my errant reviews.
The Beast’s Heart is a retelling of my favourite fairytale – Beauty and the Beast. It’s a rather beautifully written love story told from the perspective of the Beast.
I can say immediately that I enjoyed this book very much. The style of writing is a perfect mix of beautiful description and bewitching storytelling and it’s a tale that I already know and love. I have a couple of little issues that kept this from going from a good read to a great one but overall this was a lovely story that I devoured in a couple of sittings.
I won’t go into the plot too much. I’m fairly sure that most people know the storyline for Beauty and the Beast and for the most part The Beast’s Heart is a faithful rendition that takes the opportunity to give us the Beast’s perspective.
We start off with the Beast living wild in the forest, terrorising the other animals until he remembers his humanity and the curse that brought him so low. After he recalls his past he returns to his home, a fantastic and crumbling chateau that is also cursed. The whole place is bewitched, it has it’s own seasons, the gardens can change at will and the house has it’s own personality being able to change from a place of warmth and comfort to one that is hostile and unwelcoming depending on it’s own feelings as events unfold. Eventually, following the natural course of the fairytale Isabeau comes to stay with the Beast after an agreement is reached that she will stay for the duration of one year.
Gradually the two form a sort of friendship and fall into a daily pattern however their friendship is hampered by the secrets that they both withhold from each other and a general lack of openness.
What I particularly liked about this was the style of writing. This story lends itself so well to the gothic and the author has a lovely way with words that evokes the classics. The descriptions and attention to detail are really well executed and I also particularly enjoyed the way the story splits between the time spent at the Chateau and the glimpses of Isabeau’s family and the lives they are now living, which we are able to witness alongside the Beast using his magical mirror. Isabeau’s sister’s both have their own storylines going on that help to break things up nicely whilst at the same time increasing the tension. I particularly liked that the nature of the two sisters was slightly different here. Yes, they relied heavily on Isabeau but to an extent the fact that she looked after them so thoroughly left them without the will to try things for themselves. When Isabeau left they had to cope and in doing so their characters flourished. Much as Isabeau needed more from her life so did the two sisters need more from theirs.
This is undoubtedly a love story, which I was expecting going in to the read. It focuses strongly on emotions with the Beast’s loneliness and desperation seeping onto every page. He despairs of his current form, he can’t imagine how Isabeau can ever love him and yet every day he persists in asking her to marry him – even though he can see how unhappy it makes her.
The issues I had with this book related to two different things. Firstly, the nature of the Beast’s curse – which was changed slightly but I’m not quite sure why – and in fact it made the whole cursing seem a little unfair to me. The other thing I felt was a lack of ‘beastliness’ from the Beast. To be honest, he was just too damned nice, always charming. Always trying too hard. I realise that he doesn’t want to scare Isabeau away but I almost felt like shaking him at one point. There was one part of the book where the altercations between the two became a bit tedious because of the lack of somebody having a bit more bite or backbone about them. Of course, don’t get me wrong, I can see the motivations for the Beast’s good behaviour but I think I expected every now and again for his animal nature to get the better of him and perhaps we’d witness a teeny outburst.
Fortunately there was nothing that really spoiled the read for me, just a short spell that could have become a little stilted but for the alternate chapters spent with Isabeau’s family.
On the whole I enjoyed reading from the Beast’s pov. The writing was quite captivating and rich with a delicious gothic vibe and I would certainly read more from this author. But – if love stories aren’t your thing – be aware that that is the major gist of the story here.
I received a copy from the publisher courtesy of Netgalley. My thanks for the copy and apologies for the tardiness of this review. The above is my own opinion.
Weekly Wrap Up : 03/06/18
It’s been almost a month since my last weekly wrap up which I regret because these posts really do help me to keep track. So, hopefully, I’m going to jump back on board with these summaries. The past week I read a couple of books and started a new one which I’m almost half way through. My books last week:
- Where Loyalties Lie by Rob J Hayes
- Death March by Phil Tucker
Next Week’s Reads:
- Legendary by Stephanie Gerber
- The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse
Upcoming reviews: – I seriously need to update this list so pay it no heed!
- Starborn by Lucy Hounsom
- Envy of Angels by Matt Wallace
- School for Psychics by K C Archer
- The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross
- Devil’s Night Dawning by Damien Black
- Noir by Christopher Moore
- Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
- Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough
I’d love to know what you’re reading this week.
Friday Face Off : Clinging and invasive
1 June 2018
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Books by Proxy, Friday Face off, Susan Hill, The Woman in Black
Here we are again with the Friday Face Off meme created by Books by Proxy . This is a great opportunity to feature some of your favourite book covers. The rules are fairly simple each week, following a predetermined theme (list below) choose a book, compare a couple of the different covers available for that particular book and choose your favourite. Future week’s themes are listed below – the list has been updated to help out those of you who like to plan ahead – if you have a cover in mind that you’re really wanting to share then feel free to leave a comment about a future suggested theme. This week’s theme:
Clinging and invasive – a cover featuring creeping vines
Hopefully everyone found this week a little easier. I had a few in mind for this but went with Susan Hill’s Woman in Black. A very atmospheric read indeed:
Again, there were a lot of covers for my book this week. I like a couple of these but my favourite is:
Next week – a cover featuring a stormy sky
Future themes: (if you’re struggling with any of these themes then use a ‘freebie’ of one of your favourite covers)
8th June – Raining Cats and Dogs – a cover featuring a stormy sky
15th June – Live in the saddle. Die on the hog – a cover featuring riders
22nd June -‘Murder most foul, as in the best it is’ – a cover featuring a murder scene
29th June – ‘Lips as red as the rose’ – a cover that is predominantly red
6th July – ‘The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow, ‘ – a cover that is windswept
13th July –‘There’s more of gravy than of grave about you’ – a cover featuring a ghost or spectre
20th July -‘In winter with warm tears I’ll melt the snow’ – A cover featuring icicles or snow
27th July – “I saw huge buildings rise up faint and fair, and pass like dreams.” – a cover that is steampunk
3rd August – “Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars.” – a cover featuring a starry sky
10th August – ‘…Christine, who have torn off my mask and who therefore can never leave me again! – A cover with a mask
17th August – ‘Knock, knock… ‘who’s there?’ – A cover featuring a door ajar or closed
24th August – ‘To be a legend, you’ve either got to be dead, or excessively old!’ – A cover with a title featuring the word ‘legend’
31st August – ‘“Come buy our orchard fruits, Come buy, come buy’ – A cover featuring a goblin or dwarves
7th September – ‘Mirror, Mirror on the wall – A cover featuring a queen
14th September – “He had killed man, the noblest game of all, and he had killed in the face of the law of club and fang.” – A cover featuring a wolf or wolves
21st September – ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’ – a cover featuring clouds
28th September – Eyes wide shut – a cover featuring eyes
5th October – “He sounded like a man who had slept well and didn’t owe too much money.” – A cover that is ‘noir’
12th October – “The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances.” – A cover for a mystery novel
19th October -“If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear!” – A horror cover
26th October – Trick or treat – A halloween inspired cover
2nd November – ‘Remember, remember the fifth of November,’ – A cover inspired by Bonfire Night
9th November – ‘All right! They’re spiders from Mars! You happy?’ – A cover feturing a critter of the eight legged variety
16th November – There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.’ – A scary cover
23rd November – ‘The child is in love with a human. And not just any human. A prince!’ – A cover featuring a mermaid/man
30th November – “..the children of the night. What music they make!” – a cover with a vampire
7th December – ‘I am Aragorn son of Arathorn; and if by life or death I can save you, I will.’ – A cover featuring a hero
14th December -“Heavy is the head that wears the crown” – A cover featuring a crown
21st December – ‘ho, ho, ho’ – A seasonal cover
28th December – A freebie – choose one of your favourite titles and compare the covers
2019
4th January – A cover that is fresh – New beginnings for a New Year
11th January – ‘I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king’ – A cover that depicts a novel set in the Tudor period
18th January – A cover featuring an Amulet – either in the cover or title
25th January – ‘Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.’ – A cover featuring a monk/priest/person of the cloth
1st February – A comedy cover
8th February – ‘Hi little cub. Oh no, don’t be ssscared.’ – A cover with snakes
15th February – A heart – for Valentine’s day past
22nd February – “Woe, destruction, ruin, and decay; the worst is death and death will have his day.” – A cover with abandoned building/s
1st March – ‘who will buy this wonderful morning’ – A cover featuring a shop or market
8th March – ‘Two little fishes and a momma fishy too’ – A cover featuring a fish/fishes or other sea creatures
15th March – ‘Beware the moon, lads.’ – A cover with a shapeshifter
22nd March – ‘A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse’ – A cover featuring a king
29th March – “I thought unicorns were more . . . Fluffy.” – A cover featuring a unicorn
5th April – ‘nomad is an island’ – A cover featuring a desert landscape
12th April – ‘Odin, Odin, send the wind to turn the tide – A cover featuring a longboat
19th april – ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times – A cover featuring a school
May : My Month in Review
Ahh, months may come and months may go but I’m sort of relieved that the month of May has reached it’s end. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t complain, just things seem to have been a little hectic and even though I’ve managed to read eight books I’ve achieved very little else in terms of reviews. I do feel very guilty but the best laid plans, etc, etc. Anyway, I hope you’ve all had a good month. My Month in Covers is here.
Books read: this month = 8
- The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan
- The Poppy War by R F Kuang
- Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough
- The Way Into Chaos by Harry Connolly
- The Testament of Loki by Joanne M Harris
- The Crimson Queen by Alec Hutson
- Where Loyalties Lie by Rob J Hayes
- Death March by Phil Tucker
What’ve you been reading??
Backlist books
None this month
Unfinished series completed:
I’ve not completed any series but I have read all my SPFBO books and just need to review and rate them now.
Books Bought:
None this month – which is almost never heard of – but there you go, shows how wrapped up I was, no time even to scan the bookshelves. Tragedy am I.
Review Books:
- Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
- The Queen’s of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton
- The Grey Bastards by Jonathan French
- Redemption’s Blade by Adrian Tchaikovsky
I have a couple of covers to compare and one particular cover to highlight.
Which are your favourites for the above two books. I like the first book in both cases.
Finally, feast your eyes on this one:
May : My Month in Covers
May has been an odd month. I’ve read eight books but my blogging has been a disaster because, put simply, life ‘things’ have taken hold of the reins – nothing bad or disastrous but just such a lot that it’s left me exhausted and a bit lacking momentum in terms of doing any other things. I do feel very guilty because I’m behind with review books. Fortunately, June is a fairly quiet month so I’m going to catch up with all my review books and write ups. Below is a quick round up of the books I’ve read during May – all displayed in covers (I’m missing one book from my list because I don’t, at the moment have a cover to share). My month in review will follow shortly. Hope you’ve read some good books this month.
Feast your eyes upon these lovelies:
