This was a surprise for me! I love any fairy tale retelling and add in a badass disney princess?! I am there! This book surpassed my expectations, I definitely did not expect the mature content that was in it and I don’t mean romantically. This is a very detailed account of Belle and Lio’s life during what would have been the French Revolution. The attention to detail was pinpointed to precision, down to the style of dress and even food. It was lavish and chock full of nobility but through it all it held a thread of revolution and tension. I read this the week of election week and let me tell you, it did not help with my anxiety.
This takes place 10 years after the curse was placed on the castle, Belle and the beast Lio, have to deal with the aftermath of the awakening. At this point, everyone is pretty much ignorant of what happened during the time and no one speaks about it. To the outside world, prince Lio was sick and became a recluse, inside they refuse to acknowledge all they went through. Belle and Lio have decided to travel the continent and what they find is the world has greatly changed while they dealt with the curse.
As Belle travels to Paris and back, she’s confronted with what she’s given up for her prince. There isn’t much of a romance story line as the relationship is established but, it is great to see how they develop it. Belle and Lio are virtually strangers that were in an intense situation and now they’re discovering the ins and outs of the other. Relationships take work, add in a revolution against the nobility, spies, assianation plots and you’re bound to have some tense moments.
I loved seeing all the characters from the story, Cogsworth, Lumiere, Mrs. Potts and even Chip. These main characters shape the world of Aveyon from the baker to the bookshop keeper, they all give us glimpses to the story we shared and loved. I really love how this author has blended disney and history and I really can’t wait to see what she does with the rest of the stories. I give this a 4.5 because I think sometimes the superficial details bogged down the plot of the story. There were many great characters to explore here and sometimes the story delved too deep into a wartime strategy.