[Review] Of Beast and Beauty (Daughters of Eville, book 1) by Chanda Hahn

A compelling read. I went into this one expecting a recognizable “Beauty & the Beast” retelling, but this version is surprisingly unique, with only the fainest references to the original story. Still, it's a very good story in its own right.

Interesting characters with plenty of action and mystery. And one thing that this book did a particularly good job with is giving readers a strong female character and championing female power—girls are as important as boys and should not be trivialized.

Although I did really enjoy this book, there were a few things that I had issue with. First, the prince is emotionally and physically abusive. Although the physical abuse is fairly minor, the whole situation initially reeks of toxic masculinity. It always hurts my soul a little when I see the toxic boys being rewarded by getting the girl. Second, while the writing is generally solid, it felt a bit convoluted in spots, particularly when all the various machinations and family lines are being discussed in order to wrap things up at the end of the book. While most of the story was engaging, the ending did fill a bit lacking.

A good read, with a unique take on the “Beauty & the Beast” trope.

4 stars