Available:*
Material Type | Library | Call Number | Suggested Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book | Searching... Chapmanville Public Library | VAL | Juvenile | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Logan Area Public Library | VAL | Juvenile | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Milton Public Library | VAL | Juvenile | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... West Huntington Public Library | VAL | Young Adult | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
A cursed prince sits alone in a secluded castle.
Few have seen him, but those who claim they have say his hair is wild and nails are sharp--like a beast's! But how did this prince, once jovial and beloved by the people, come to be a reclusive and bitter monster? And is it possible that he can ever find true love and break the curse that has been placed upon him?
Enjoy Serena Valentino's entire Villain's series. Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen (Book 1) The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty's Prince (Book 2) Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch (Book 3) Mistress of All Evil: A Tale of the Dark Fairy (Book 4) Mother Knows Best: A Tale of the Old Witch (Book 5) The Odd Sisters: A Villains Novel (Book 6) Evil Thing (Book 7)
Author Notes
Serena Valentino has been weaving tales that combine mythos and guile for the past decade. She has earned critical acclaim in both the comic and horror domains, where she is known for her unique style of storytelling, bringing her readers into exquisitely frightening worlds filled with terror, beauty, and extraordinary protagonists. The books in her best-selling Villains series are best enjoyed when read in the following order: Fairest of All , The Beast Within , Poor Unfortunate Soul , Mistress of All Evil .
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Many children grow up with some familiarity with the story of Beauty and the Beast, particularly the Walt Disney version. Readers often admire the beautiful and smart Belle, a devoted daughter and booklover, who is as lovely on the inside as the outside. That she could come to love such a horrific-looking and reclusive creature is testament to her kind nature. And yet, readers know so little of this mysterious Beast and of the spell that caused him to become an outcast within his own kingdom. In this spin-off from Disney's retelling of the old tale, Valentino does her best to expand upon the Beast's side of things: What was it that transformed the handsome and charming Prince into a Beast? Gaston plays a big role in this story, as does a competing love interest of both male characters, Tulip. Belle doesn't appear until toward the end, as this book operates as a prelude to the film. Some new characters add interest, such as the Odd Sisters, a trio of witches spurred by a broken heart and a zeal for revenge. As interesting as that premise is, the book is weighted down by clunky writing, shallow character development, a lack of depth and nuance. It will likely appeal to only the most die-hard fans of the Disney film.-Meg Allison, The Moretown School, VT (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A retelling of Disneys Beauty and the Beast, told from the Beasts perspective.The story opens as the Beast contemplates whether Bellerecently made a prisoner in his castlewill ever come to love him. The timeline then moves backward to the days when the Beast was a human prince, and so begins a story that is predictablewhen it isnt entirely ridiculousand filled with characters as flat as the pages theyre written on. As a human prince, the Beast spurns the love of Circe, who turn out to be the younger sister of the odd sisters, witches whose behavior is so nonsensical its a wonder they stop cackling long enough to curse him. Though the pre-Beast Prince certainly deserves his curse, whether any actual human being could contain the degree of vanity, selfishness and conceit the Prince exhibits is questionable. One interesting curveball comes in the presentation of the Prince and Gaston (the vain sportsman romantically interested in Belle) as childhood best friends. However, the blandness of the characters negates anything interesting that might have sprung from this twist, which is not nearly enough to save the story as a whole.With clunky writing, an uninspired plot and unbelievably one-dimensional characters (including villains so absurd no one would fear them), this spinoff effort is disappointing at best. (Fantasy. 12-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
