Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Becky's View: Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay


Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay
♦publisher: Delacorte Press
♦release date: July 16th, 2013
♦hardcover, 400 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone
♦from publisher for honest review
In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret...

In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds.

Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.

As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love.
 

Review: If I was going to review this book in one word, that word would be...

BREATHTAKING.

Stacey Jay's latest book completely blew me away.  With it's gorgeous flow of words and undeniably creative restructuring of this classic tale, Of Beast and Beauty is truly one of the best fairytale retellings I have ever read.  These comfortably familiar characters inhabit a futuristic world of myth and dark magic, where one group of people have adapted to survive the world, and one group hides away and fears it.

The story is told in three alternating POVs, and I honestly have never seen this done quite so well.  The characters are so rich and complex that the lines between who is beastly and who is beautiful is continually blurred and crossed.  Main characters, Isra and Gem, both grow so much, not only because they are forced to grow by the situations they face, but because their new and cautious feelings for each other make them want to grow. They face so many challenges, both together and apart, and it was a thrill to be along for the ride.  Even the supporting characters are so well written.  Almost every person's part in the story constantly shifts as ugly truths are revealed.  One of my favorite characters was Needle---so kind and loyal and dignified right to the very end.  And the roses,...OH the roses.  They are a character all their own; I doubt you've ever seen the rose in Beauty and the Beast portrayed quite like this...and you may never look at a rose garden the same way again.

The story twists and weaves and tumbles, leaving the reader breathless.  Each long-held secret is uncovered in a flurry of devastation and awe.  The story shows how fear of the unknown can easily manifest into cruelty and prejudice.  While each fighting to save their own people, Gem and Isra make each other stronger. They desperately search for a way to stop the evil that has a hold on Isra's city, without sacrificing their lives in the process.  The ending is incredibly exciting, so much danger and triumph! And I won't spoil anything, but the way Stacey Jay interprets the "tranformation of the beast" scene was the perfect way to bring Isra and Gem's story to a close.

Of Beast and Beauty easily wins a spot on my favorite books of 2013; don't let yourself miss out on this outstanding and beautifully told story!

Find Stacey Jay online: Website  •  Twitter  •  Facebook

Purchase Of Beast and Beauty:  Amazon  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound

20 comments :

  1. Sounds like a book that I would enjoy reading. :)

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  2. I am loving Of Beast and Beauty so far. My sister got to read it early and told me I should buy it, so I did. Glad you loved it too. Really hope more people find it since I haven't heard too many bloggers talking about it. I'll be sure to share my thoughts when I'm finished :)

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    1. Carrie gave you some good advice! :D Glad to hear you're loving it, Shannon---I'll keep an eye out for your review!

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  3. This review makes me very happy. This book arrived in the mail today and I seriously can't wait. From the moment I saw the cover and read the blurb, I knew I had to read this book <3 I've heard nothing but good about this so far and it's great when a high anticipated book delivers! Thanks for the review :D

    Mel@thedailyprophecy.

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    1. Oh you had a good mail day then! I don't think I've seen any bad reviews of this one yet either!

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  4. Yay! I'm so glad you loved this one. I have it on my shelf and I definitely plan on picking it up soon. I love fairytales set in the future (like Cinder) so I've been dying to read this one for a while. Great review!

    Katie @ Katie’s Book Blog

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    1. Cinder is another of my favorites and this one was definitely right up there with it! I hope you enjoy it, Katie!

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  5. I really love fairy tale retellings, so very happy to hear that you loved this one! I love books with a lot of twists and I am now very intrigued by these roses! Great review, thank you.

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    1. Gah! Those roses---very creepy. :D There were definitely some jaw-dropping twists in this one. I love those twisty plots, too!

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  6. This is the second glowing review I've read of this. It makes me more convinced I need to order this as soon as my book buying ban ends (or maybe sooner) so it can take my breath away too :)

    Fantastic review!

    Bec @ Ransom Reads

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    1. This one is definitely worth breaking the ban for, Bec! I hope you love it when you get to it!

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  7. Great review! I just added this to my goodreads. It sounds just like a book I would love to read. I love reading fairytale retellings and now I'm dying to read this one :)

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    1. I'm always up for a good fairy tale retelling too! I love having the familiarity but also love seeing what new twists authors put on the old stories.

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  8. I was a little iffy about checking this one out, but your review convinced me to go to Goodreads and add it to my wishlist :) Happy Reading!

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    1. Happy to help you decide to try this one out! I loved it and I hope you do, too! :D

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  9. I've been looking forward to this one and, even though I'd probably have checked it out anyway, I have to say I'm glad to see you liked it so much.

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    1. I'd been really excited for this one, too---I would have been crushed if it had been a disappointment! But luckily it was awesome! :D

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  10. Beautiful review, Becky! I loved this book so much too. I didn't expect it to blow me away, but it did.
    I loved the way the you described the growth of the characters. Stacey Jay did a wonderful job at making her characters really shine.
    I completely agree about the ending and the transformation of the beast. I loved what she did with it.
    I'm really happy you loved this one! :)

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  11. I love retelling! I'm adding this to my to-read list. Can't wait for Great to come out next spring, looking forward to a Great Gatsby retelling.

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