Today I am super excited to introduce you guys to a delectable Beauty and the Beast retelling! If you’ve known me for 0.7 seconds you know I live for all B&B stories, and this one has an Austria flair to it! Um YES.

This particularly gorgeous B&B novella just released to the world and I’m so honored to be part of the book tour.

I’ll be reviewing the book as my part of the tour because, um, OF COURSE I HAVE TO FLAIL. So let’s jump right in, shall we?

Synopsis

A one-armed girl. A lord hiding a curse. A dark secret with the town’s fate hanging in the balance.

A Beauty and the Beast retelling with an Austrian twist and a new type of curse.

When Rosen moves to Freudendorf—a secluded town in the Alps—she does odd jobs to earn a living. That is, until her dad suddenly vanishes and the debt collectors come to call: taking her into slave labor.

But just when all her hopes and dreams are shattered, a frail zombie-like butler purchases her: taking her to serve Lord Varick, who currently resides in the forbidden castle near the salt mines, where the Beast of the Night is said to roam…

Varick is handsome, with an attitude that’s the exact opposite. The servants aren’t human, and the castle itself is an ugly wreck. But if Rosen cannot solve the dark secret beneath Freudendorf, and the curse holding Varick’s cold heart, then both they and the town will fall prey to a waiting evil—and worse, have no memory of it.

AMAZON | GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLE

Beast of the Night is a standalone novella, set in a slightly steampunkish, gothic, Austrian sort of setting. Yes, you read that right. Yes, it’s as delicious as it sounds.

The take on Beauty and the Beast was extremely unique, and it had such a fun cast of characters! I thoroughly enjoyed myself with this quick, semi-creepy, unique read!

(And can we just talk about that cover???? *heart-eyes for days*)

THE PLOT

With no mother and a drunkard father, Rosen has learned to hold her own. It’s not ideal, but she’s made a fairly comfortable life for her and her father in the small, cozy little town at the edge of the mountains. But when the debt collectors come calling for her father and he skips out on her, she’s left to deal with the punishment. Her life is upturned when she finds herself on the slave market.

The last thing she suspects is to be purchased by a strange old man and taken to the supposedly forbidden castle. Things get even stranger when very much non-human servants greet her at the door. Then there’s Lord Varick, the rude young master of the castle who is not pleased with his butler’s choice of a one-handed servant girl.

Well, Rosen isn’t going to take that. She knows how to work hard after all, and Lord Varick’s castle could certainly use a good cleaning. Taking on her new role with force, she begins to make a life in the strange castle. But as the days pass, she discovers there are dark secrets there, secrets that could destroy the whole town. And Lord Varick may be involved.

THE CHARACTERS

Let’s jump into the true gem of this novella: The CHARACTERS. It’s a fairly small cast but *clutches heart* do they make an impact! I loved them ALL.

ROSEN – Our main character and “Beauty” is a force. She’s had to be, living with no mother and a good-for-nothing father. Working hard is just second nature to her. And the most amazing thing? She only has one hand. She was born with a stump for a left hand but does that stop her? You better believe NOT! I LOVED the disability rep here because it wasn’t even that big of a plot device. It just WAS. Rosen was born this way and that’s how it is. She’s okay with it, and she makes everyone around her okay with it too. IT WAS GREAT. You don’t see that much in fantasy, so I found it very refreshing.

What I also loved about Rosen is that she’s got such a quiet strength. She’s a force, yes, but she’s not blatant about it. She likes to read and keep to herself, but when there’s injustice she will speak up. Also, she dyed her hair lavender because why not??? Though fairly pragmatic, she’s got a touch of whimsy in her too, which was great. She was a spectacular protagonist!

VARICK – Where do I even begin with my love for Varick??? I don’t want to say too much because #SPOILERS but aaahhh, Varick! He’s so terrible. And I loved him for it. XD What can I say, I fall for the snarky ones every time. And the Beast characters in B&B retellings. I always love them. Varick is rude, shallow, a Drama King™ to the highest order. But he’s also a little broken, a little misguided, and also a mushroom nerd. Yes, the boy loves collecting mushrooms. It’s adorable.

And let’s just say down-to-earth Rosen and shallow Varick were QUITE the pair. I adored ALL their scenes together. It was so, so great!

The other characters were a delight as well. I loved the strange little castle servants, especially Licht and the zombie-like butler, the poor guy. There was also a whole little subplot involving another character who I expected to hate but ended up being totally surprised by. No names, because spoilers. But his subplot was so unexpected and fun!

All the characters really brought this novella to life. I adored the vast array of personalities and how, just when you think you know someone, they end up surprising you. I grew so fond of this little cast, and was sad to let them go.

OTHER THOUGHTS

The other charm of this novella is the whole feel of it. Not only is it set in an Austria-inspired world, which was fabulous, but, like I said, it had a semi-gothic flair. Sort of…gothic light? It wasn’t heavy or overly creepy, instead it was cozy. The autumn setting, the little village tucked away by the mountains, the dusty castle, the mystery lurking at the edges—it all immersed you in a cozy, gothic read, and I adored that. I haven’t read many books with this type of feel to it, but now I want more!

All the fantasy elements were also SPECTACULAR. From the castle servants, to the magic, to the curse—there were a lot of very, very unique fantasy things that made the world feel so rich and alive and original. This didn’t feel like your standard fantasy AT ALL. And I loved that! The originality was so refreshing!

The plot wasn’t overrun with plot twists, things were fairly straightforward, but there were definitely still some surprises along the way. I especially adored the twist on the curse. If you think you know how the curse works in Beauty and the Beast well HAHA. This takes it to a whole different level. IT WAS BRILLIANT. Definitely one of my favorite bits in the whole story.

I also like how things escalated. First it’s just about Rosen and her problems, but eventually you realize basically EVERYONE is in danger. Seeing the characters step up and be brave to do the right thing was SO SATISFYING.

And I need to stop or I’ll accidentally spoil things. But…just…YES. It was a very fun read all the way around!

CONTENT CAUTIONS

This was refreshingly clean! There are some violent bits. Mentions of blood and death and some undead creatures. Nothing too, too gory though. Standard fantasy violence.

There’s definitely magic involved as well and things get a little creepy. But, again, standard fantasy stuff. Even the romance stays very light.

I’d say this would be suitable for ages 13 and up.

CONCLUSION

From the cozy Autumn setting, to the dynamic cast, to the brilliant twist on the Beauty and the Beast curse, this novella wrapped itself around my heart. I loved the originality of it and the overall feel. It was just a good read.

If you’re looking for a quick, semi-gothic, cozy fairy tale read, this novella is perfect!

. . . 4 out of 5 Stars . . .

THE AUTHOR

E.E. Rawls is the product of a traveling family, who even lived in Italy for 6 years. She loves exploring the unknown, whether it be in a forest, inside a forgotten castle, or within the pages of a book.

She runs on coffee, cuddly cats and the beauty of nature to keep the story wheels of her mind running, as she writes tales that will both entertain and inspire others, giving them worlds they can explore and become lost within.

VISIT HER: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

LET’S TALK!

What do you think, elflings? Does this sound up your alley? Who likes cozy fantasy stories? (I DO!) And can we all just take a moment to appreciate that cover??? I seriously cannot stop staring at it.

NOTE: All the thanks to the author for sending me an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.