Hunted
Ratings39
Average rating3.7
I'm pretty sure this is the first fairy tale retelling book that I've read. I thought it was good. It really didn't excite me too much since it was The Beauty and The Beast until near the end. I enjoyed the differences with Beauty being a hunter and talking about whether or not she was the Hunter or the Hunted. Well done there. And also, the inclusion or internal dialogue of whether or not Beauty is a victim of Stockholm syndrome.
The book earned its third star from me near the very end, when it discussed the legend of the prince and the wolf. I loved the imagery and the parallels between Beauty and the Beast and that they both endlessly wanted more, which was the real curse and problem all along. I thought it was very well done and told the story in a new a refreshing way. Additionally, I enjoyed the magic and the fact that Beauty basically killed Beast in the middle.
QUOTES:“She wept because she did not know what she wanted, and because she wanted everything.”“There's no such thing as living happily ever after — there's only living. We make the choice to do it happily.”“I would give up a thousand happy endings just to go back with you to your valley, and live as we did. I'd give up every fairy tale I've ever known just to hear you say my name again.”“We thought too much. Because while hatred is a fire only man feels, he does not hate the beast that comes in the night. Mankind fears it, fights it, drives it off, but he does not hate it. No one hates the bear, the wolf. They don't hate the wind or the snow. They don't hate the death. They hate each other.”
The best version of Beauty & the Beast retelling so far ❤️ The middle part was a bit dragged on but the last 1/3 of the book was so good I finished it in one sitting. I never thought I could feel so much for the Beast even though it was described as so rugged and “beastly”. The ending was beautiful. I even enjoyed the Author Note which I usually skip.
WOW!!! That was a FANTASTIC retelling of one of my Favorite fairy tales!!! I deeply loved Yeva and her personality!!! Also, the way the magic was written in this was BEAUTIFUL!!! This was so wonderfully written, and I want to read more of Meagan Spooner's books after this!!!
An interesting retelling of beauty and the beast. I appreciate the strength of beauty's character in this one.
Pretty much what you'd expect from a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but an enjoyable read nonetheless. 3/5
This was a fantastic book! I listened to the audiobook and it sucked me in so much, I ended up doing random things or going on longer walks in order to listen to more at a time.
To start, I think this is a great retelling of a fairy tale retold time and time again. I've read many retellings of Beauty and the Beast, yet this one still felt fresh. While many of the basics are still there: Beauty, Beast, castle, conflict over father, Beauty held prisoner, etc. there are so new elements or twisted ones, that the story took a life of its own.
Either way, this book reads and holds the reader, like a fairy tale.
I absolutely loved Yeva who is shown to be independent and self-reliant. While she has flaws, they make her seem real, because otherwise her perfection would be unattainable. I love how Beast is written and the kind of character he made. Between these two characters, things are tense, but there are also almost laughable moments. The side characters aren't as developed as Yeva and Beast, but they do not always feel like wallflowers. They may make you attached to them.
The romance.... I like how the romance between Yeva and Sommire (?) was done with it slowly building. I thought that was nice and I would have rooted for them if I did not like the Beast so much. Yeva and the Beast, the romance was done pretty well, I thought. It is subtle, it isn't the main story line, and the unhealthy aspects of their time together are even addressed. I'm not sure if they were addressed as fully as I would have liked, but talk about abusive relationships did happen. This was an awesome moment, I think.
There is a moral, a lesson to this story and I think it is a good one.
Now, the narration. At first I wasn't sure of the Beast's voice– in fact I wasn't sure if it was part of the book or like a quotation (lol), but after I figured out it was in fact the Beast I liked it. Midway through I found that I really enjoyed the narration and by the end of the book I have decided to look at what other books the narrators have worked on. True, not all the characters had different voices, but I think it worked out well. Yeva's narrator (Saskia Maarleveld) speaks so smoothly and is captivating while Beast's narrator (Will Damron), while not given a lot of speaking time, made me emotional and hooked me even in those short moments. The only thing is not much emotion was conveyed in Yeva's parts through voice alone. I still had to mentally change how things were said to match the “said, whisper, angrily, sadness” parts, because otherwise Yeva seems to calm, levelheaded, and almost emotionless all the time.
I'm being more lenient with Saskia Maarleveld because I truly did enjoy her voice. She has a great storytelling voice, which is something I'm picky about.
Dark and compelling re-telling of Beauty & the Beast. Loved the fact that Beauty is (as one memorable GR reviewer put it) a lot less intellectual than Disney's version but a lot more “stabby.” The Beast isn't just a misunderstood guy in a wolf costume either - he's truly beastly to Beauty and only regains his humanity through his relationship with her.
Well drawn secondary characters add richness to an already strong story. I read Spooner's Starbound trilogy written with Amie Kaufman and although I enjoyed it, I would not have suspected she had the potential for something this impactful. She says in the book's afterword that she has wanted to write this book for many years. I'm so glad she finally set it free.
I bought this book for the dedication, and I'm happy to say the story lived up to it's promise. This is an excellent fairy-tale retelling that beautifully fleshes out and breathes life in the old, familiar story. This is my first work by Meagan Spooner, but will not be my last.
4.5 Stars
Initial Thoughts: My only complaint with this book was that the end was a little rushed and it was much too short. I would have loved to spend more time in Yeva and the Beast's world. This was a fantastic Beauty and the Beast retelling and I love that I was able to read it at the same time as the live action film came out. It was very rewarding to experience two different takes on the classic story in such a short time period.