I've seen the animated one about a billion times and I smile every time one of the many Beast library memes pops up in my feed.
I've also read several Beauty & the Beast retellings, and I thought I'd share some of them with you, in case you are also dying for the movie to come out.
Beauty by Robin McKinley
This is a lovely little book which I greatly enjoyed as a kid. I think partly because I hoped that I too would come out of my awkard/gangly teenage phase as a beauty. (Alas, ha!) We read it last year in the YA Book Club, and you can find my full review of it here.
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
I had a hard time getting into this one actually, but I know so many people who have raved about it. I did find the world really interesting - parchment sky and all; but I found the heroine, Nyx, to be less likeable than the "Beast".
Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley
Yes, Robin McKinley has written two different retellings of the same fairy tale! Since I love Beauty and Spindle's End (her retelling of Sleeping Beauty), I'm not quite sure why I haven't read this one yet. Several people have told me that they think it's better than Beauty.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Research for this post led me to A Court of Thorns and Roses, and I'm now on hold for it at the library! I'm super intrigued by the way Maas combines faerie lore and the Beauty & the Beast story -- as young Feyre is imprisoned by a former faerie, turned beast, named Tamlin. It gets really great reviews on Goodreads, so I'm excited to read it!
Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier
I've been meaning to read this one for a long time. Actually, I've been meaning to read any Marillier book! I hear such good things, and I even bought a copy of Shadowfell, but I just always seem to run out of time. This one is about a young scribe, Caitrin, who comes to Whistling Tor, and discovers surprising truths about the dreaded chieftain Anluan. I think the medieval setting to this one is particularly appealing, since it's more historical, and less fantasy, which is a fun twist.
What's YOUR favorite Disney movie?
You might also enjoy reading my reviews of:
The Fairest of Them All by Carolyn Turgeon (A Rapunzel-Snow White mashup)
Cinder (a Cinderella retelling)
