(Book Comparison): Beauty and the Beast's Retellings (A Court of Thorns and Roses; A Curse So Dark and Lonely; Hunted)

So I am a complete sucker for fairytales retellings.  My fave fairytale is Cinderella, but I am pretty much a fan of all dem Disney princesses.  I currently own like 3 retellings of 'Beauty and the Beast' and have read all of them (mostly). In case if any of you out there has been intending to buy any of the three books listed here but wants to know what you are getting yourself into, fret not guys, cause I've took one for the team!  The general formulas of the plot are pretty much the same; after all, they are based off the same fairytale.  But still, when you actually get to reading them, they each have their own distinctive feels. Books listed: 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' by Sarah J Maas, ‘A Curse So Dark and Lonely' by Brigid Kemmerer and 'Hunted' by Meagan Spooner.





1. A Court of Thorns and Roses
I read this at the end of 2018 and it was one of my first foray to the faerie realm.  I was still a green bookling then and was not smart enough to realize that it was based on Beauty and the Beast from the summary alone (lol), so it was a pleasant surprise when I got to the middle of the book.

Feyre is a huntress who has to provide for her family.  One day, she spots a giant wolf in the forest and kills it for it's meat and fur.  That wolf was a fae in disguise, and now the wolf's boss, the High Lord of the Spring Court (part-time man, part-time beast) is angry.  He kidnaps Feyre and brings her back to the Spring Court and the rest is history.

It was a pleasant reading experience, though the story feels a little rushed at some point, too many subplots too little pages etc.

Verdict: 4/5




2.   A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer 
Harper is a poor girl (borderline criminal) living in Washington DC.  She and her brother have to resort to petty thievery to keep themselves alive.  One day, she witnesses a kidnapping attempt and tries to save the victim.  It kind of backfires and she is sucked into another world instead.  Prince Rhen is cursed and desperate and Harper is his last chance to save himself and the kingdom.

It was kind of a disappointing read, I had a lot of expectation for this.  The characters are kind of childish and flat, I did not feel any attachment for them at all.  The story progresses very slowly as well, most of the time, they are only playing cards while arguing about the same thing all over again.  I was well in the middle of the novel when I DNF it cause there was hardly any development to the plot.

Verdict: 2/5 (DNFed)





3. Hunted by Meagan Spooner

 Yeva (or Beauty :D)'s family lives in a cottage near the woods.  Her father is a hunter, used to be legendary for his skills in his youth (though we would later learn that Yeva does not lose to him when it comes to hunting skills!).  One day, he goes missing.  Yeva searches for him and stumbles upon the fabled Beast instead.  He takes (more like kidnapped) her to his castle for reasons unknown and begins teaching her how to hunt.  Believing him to be the one who have killed her father, she swore revenge.

I did not expect this book to be so good. I could not find a single fault to pick on.  From the Beast's contradicting inner monologues to Yeva's iron will, I believe, this is probably one of the best BatB retelling out there.  Definitely a pleasant surprise. Oh, and Meagan Spooner that queen dedicated this book to herself!  #queen

Verdict: 5/5 (Hall of Famer)