Summary: "Beast Charming tells the story of Beauty, who works as a temp at an agency run by a high-tempered dragon. To avoid running into her conniving and desperately-craving-for-nobility father—conveniently named Noble—she takes on a peculiar job that will force her to converse with a violent beast named, well, Beast. The rest of the story develops into a hysterical tale of a classic fairy tale romance gone modernly awry"
And from this review by Angela Carter (...not THE Angela Carter):
"...when a vague job request comes in from the butler of a large estate, Beauty takes it without a second thought. Her task is to help James Hightower — the master of the house who was cursed a year ago by his ex-fiancée who has vanished — find a hobby. Thus ensues a battle of tempers and stubbornness, and both end up with more than they bargained for, especially as James gains more confidence to go out in society and discovers his ex-fiancée may not be as far away as they thought.
Salt Lake City author Jenniffer Wardell's novel "Beast Charming," a funny and clever retelling of the beloved "Beauty and the Beast" fairy tale, is a surprisingly modern story with just enough fairy-tale elements to keep it whimsical. With plenty of banter, romance and just enough deviations from the original tale to keep things fresh, "Beast Charming" can easily fulfill all of a reader's fairy-tale escape needs while sharing some lovely themes as well.
There are a few slightly violent scenes (Beauty must chase off the simpering girls who wander on to James' property in hopes of breaking his curse, and James frequently breaks stone sculptures), but the book is free of profanity, sexual innuendo and violence overall.
Wardell is the author of "Fairy Godmothers, Inc.," a Cinderella story that takes place in the same world as "Beast Charming." "
The book only has a few reviews so far, but so far they're very positive!
Also, the above review had a link to an article about the Cinderella movie called Are Modern Princess Tales Ditching the Damsel in Distress?. I have yet to see the film myself, but if you're up for another review, it had some...interesting things to say. More on the whole war on Princess culture that isn't exactly new. I can't really share my opinion until I've seen the movie myself though.
Also, the above review had a link to an article about the Cinderella movie called Are Modern Princess Tales Ditching the Damsel in Distress?. I have yet to see the film myself, but if you're up for another review, it had some...interesting things to say. More on the whole war on Princess culture that isn't exactly new. I can't really share my opinion until I've seen the movie myself though.
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI'm Jenniffer Wardell, the author, and I'd love to send you an ARC copy of my next book (also a fairy tale - a twist on Sleeping Beauty). If you'd be interested, send me an e-mail to jennifferwardell@gmail.com.