Like many readers, I love a good version of Beauty and the Beast, and Beauty Reborn by Elizabeth Lowham is one of my new favorites. With an angry, traumatized Beauty and a gentle, careful Beast, it’s an aching mixture of darkness and whimsy that struck all the right notes for me.
When Beauty takes her father’s place as the Beast’s prisoner, she hopes to find a fearsome beast who will devour her. Instead, she find a shy and sensitive young man under a spell who is just as much a prisoner as she, forced to remain a beast until someone agrees to marry him. From him, she learns the value of silence, and in his home, she finds freedom from past demons. But how can she break his enchantment and grant him the same freedom when her heart is full of doubt?
First, I loved Beauty and her growth from sardonic girl who talks without listening and revels in her own cleverness to a compassionate young woman who listens for the truth between words. From the first (and even earlier — from the book description), it’s clear that Beauty is a survivor of sexual assault, and flashbacks throughout the book reveal how she was courted and then betrayed by the charismatic but cruel Stephan. The assault itself is not described, thankfully, but it’s effect on Beauty, her shame and self-blame, her fury and her fear of letting another man close only to find he’s not who she thought he was, is central to the story, as is her journey to healing.
The Beast is just as skittish as Beauty at first, though for different reasons, and their tentative friendship and romance unfolds through long afternoons in the library (is a Beauty and the Beast retelling complete without one?) as she teaches him to read and they share ever larger pieces of themselves. Whether they’re discussing philosophy or playing pirates, their interactions are utterly charming, and the growing care they take for each other’s hearts is equally so. Through her, he learns to be playful, and through him, she learns patience. In Beauty’s own words, “If I am Whimsy, you are Fortitude.” They complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses with grace and mutual respect.
I would definitely recommend this for fans of the Beauty and the Beast story (and even for fans of the Disney classic), but be aware it comes with trigger warnings for depression and discussion of past sexual assault and abuse. While I wouldn’t characterize any of it as graphic, the portrayal of Beauty’s trauma is very emotional, so take care and don’t read if you aren’t in the right space for it. If you are up for it, however, you will be rewarded with a beautiful story of healing and self-acceptance, with a sweet love story and whimsical humor to lighten the darkness.
My thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
—b
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