Of Beast and Beauty

4. STARSMagically enchanting and wonderfully thrilling, OF BEAST AND BEAUTY was a fantastic retelling with it's own touch of originality that had me hooked from the beginning until the very end!! From it's dark setting to it's alluring plot, with heart-pounding revelations and fierce character development, and it's utterly beautiful and spellbindingly magical romance that could stand the test of time. OF BEAST AND BEAUTY is definitely not a book to be missed, and had everything I craved and some!!It's official, Stacey Jay creates the most original, thrilling worlds that I have ever read. As with her sleeping beauty retelling, it was different, and beautiful, and dark, and wonderfully enchanting, and I loved them both so much. Though I think I liked PRINCESS OF THORNS just a little bit more then this one. But nevertheless, I enjoyed them both, a lot.OF BEAST AND BEAUTY has been a highly anticipated book since first hearing about it in 2012, but for some crazy reason it always kept getting put on the back of my review pile. So when the audiobook came out I jumped on it and had it read in 2 days. I couldn't stop listening and reading this book. It was so addicting, and I had to know what was going to happen next. I needed to know how the beast and beauty were going to face all the odds stacked against them, how they were going to find a way to unite themselves and their people as one, all while healing their world that was in desperate need of mending. And then when it finally did happen, it touched my heart and made me cry harder then I've cried in a long time. But that's no surprise, because Stacey Jay's books always seem to do that to me. And I'm so glad that I finally gave this book a shot, because it was nothing short of magical...The world-building was unique and fantastically crafted, with a plot that was so different then anything I've ever read! When this book was over I was dying for the second book, but then I remembered that it was a standalone and I wanted to scream! OF BEAST AND BEAUTY was utterly beautiful and heartthrobingly painful at the same time. Life outside the domed city was harsh as people were starving, sick, and without any help from others. But for the people that lived in the domed city, life was fair and they pretty much had whatever they need to survive. Well as long as their queen sacrificed her life to feed the enchanted roses that is. If not, the city would quickly fall and become an onslaught of death and ruins. But they're were also regular people in the domed city that displayed minor Monstrous traits too. And though they weren't exiled out of the city, they were still outcasted and pushed to their own side of Yuan, but were luckily given the means to survive, unlike the Monstrous beyond the dome. It was all just so sad and painful to read, but also exciting and addicting.THE PLOTENTER A WORLD OF SECRETS AND SACRIFICE...In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret...In a time when the world was divided, one girl and one boy will have the chance to restore its beauty well beyond the limits of healing. And the opportunity to save their people from the darkness that feeds through teeth of cursed roses. And to defy all sense of normality, all in the name of love. But only if they're able to look beyond the outer shell of a beast, and see the true beauty that lies within. If not, all will be lost to them, and the darkness will forever rule, in blood...After the world divided, and the Smooth Skins locked the Monstrous from their domed cities, the Smooth Skins continued to grow and prosper, while shunning the Monstrous and refusing them any aid whatsoever. And thus fueling the burning hatred that sizzled and spread through the Monstrous hearts. The Smooth Skins are the Monstrous's betters, and prove it only with their beauty. They fear the Monstrous for their animistic traits and are unwilling to see reason. So for many years the Smooth Skins thrived in their domed cities, forcing the Monstrous to remain exiled on the outskirts in the deserted desert, starving and dying quicker then they're born. But all this time both sides were unaware of the curse cast upon them, and the evil that's fueling them...Isra, the blind Princess of the domed city of Yuan is unaware of the circumstance her city is enduring. All princess Isra has known since she was a child was darkness, with only glimpses of light that bless her through the blood she feds the enchanted roses. Hoping to see the world around her, and anything beyond the darkness that has haunted her the fateful night her mother committed suicide, and thus feeding the roses and sustaining the city for another 15 to 30 years with her sacrifice. But the time is drawling near when Isra will have to feed the roses, and sustain life, by giving her life...Isra was raised as a human sacrifice, raised knowing one day she would die to save her city. Knowing her spilled blood will give her people another 15 to 30 years of life and prosperity. But everything she once thought changes when she comes face to face with the beast she's always feared, and he reveals what true beauty really means...When the Monstrous break through the dome to steal their cities enchanted roses, Isra is attacked by a beast with scales and vicious claws. She's sure he's the monster she's been warned about, but when he speaks and allows a blind girl to see him with her hands, Isra knows he cannot be the monster her people claim. But when Isra is finally reunited with her sight, she sees the world through new eyes, and the horrifying truth is more then she can bare. Determined to enforce change, Isra sets out to save her people, Gem's people, and possibly even herself from the wicked curse that has unknowingly haunted them all for years...Overall, OF BEAST AND BEAUTY was a magical retelling of our favorite fairytale Beauty and the Beast, and breathes a breath of fresh air to this enchanted world that is sure to make you yearn for more of this breathtaking romance. If you enjoy dystopian-like worlds, with twisted fairytales, and a magical romance that is utterly beautiful, and one girl and one boy destine to change the future, then OF BEAST AND BEAUTY is an enchanting tale you won't want to slip through your fingers!!

I love the fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast. I went through a stage a couple of years ago where I read every retelling based on it that I could get my hands on. When I saw that Stacey Jay had written a book based off of the fairy tale I was very excited. One thing I will say, at this point, is that she did a fabulous job in taking the concept and storyline and really making her own original story. She uses beauty, beast, and the roses in very creative ways and this was probably one of the things that stuck out to me the most about this book. It is definitely unique.DISLIKES:I wish that Isra would have been stronger sooner. I understand how she was basically hidden away and was also blind, but when she takes over for her father I wanted her to step more fully into her role. I also thought she was definitely more trusting than she should have been. My bigger dislike was the sexual content. There isn't any actual sex in this book, but there are several references to it and one specific part where there is some making out that crossed a line for me. It isn't necessarily descriptive per se, but I didn't think it needed to be included and not something I would let my nieces or daughter read.LIKES:I really liked the setting - this new world that the smooth people came to and the way the inhabitants evolved to survive the climate. It was interesting to follow the story and how the current civilization and state of the world came to be. I liked that the author didn't make parts of the society or characters one dimensional or think all the same. Each group has at least one individual who does not blindly follow everyone else. The roses are a surprising part of the story. They are quite manipulative and vindictive, but can seem serene and sweet. That was quite an interesting twist to me.I liked the characters. Isra yearns for the wind outside the dome, for her family, to understand others, and specifically Gem after she meets him. She has been raised only to sacrifice herself for her people and that is what she believes she will do and do willingly when the time will come. She is compassionate, intelligent, and beautiful. Gem is also compassionate even though he is a warrior. He lies to Isra, but struggles with doing so. He is quite stubborn, but also fearless and smart. I also liked Bo. He is selfish, arrogant, and manipulating, but he still cares for Isra and even when he feels he has been betrayed he still seeks to protect her. He has an important role in this story and he plays it well. I think he would have eventually made a good king.Overall, this was worth the read. If there would have been just a little less sexual content, it would have been a book I would keep for my shelves and to share. Having said that, I still really enjoyed reading it.Content: Some innuendo, making out, and violence.

Hundreds of years ago, humans arrived on the planet, but their bodies was not able to cope with its atmosphere, so the planet changed some of them but before it could help them all, those unaffected where frightened calling the ones changed monstrous and hid in their domes. Now in the domed city of Yuan, the blind princess Isra has always known she will be sacrificed to help her people, but she wants to be known for more than just that. Gem has always hated the people living in Yuan, as his people are starving to death but when a mission to go into the domed city goes wrong he is taken prisoner. With Gem and Isra growing closer, they begin to question everything they have been brought up to believe, and have to choose between their duty to their people and the person they have been brought up thinking of as a beast.Of Beast and Beauty is a good book which is hard to fit into one category as it has both fantasy and sci-fi elements. It is fast paced and I was hooked right away by the story, however, while there were some elements of Beauty and The Beast, if felt more inspired by it than an interpretation of it.Isra has lived a very sheltered and protected life, and while she does stand up for herself at the end, during most of the book she is a doormat and is too passive. That being said she is kind and is open to new ideas while still being stubborn. Gem is a strong character who thinks he is weak, he will do anything to help his people while still doing what is right and is honest with his feelings. The secondary characters had a lot of depth such as Needle and I liked how we got to see what Bo was thinking as it made it easier to understand him.One problem with this book is that the ending felt rushed and I would have liked to have more time spend on it. I would recommend Of Beast and Beauty to fans of Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi and Fireblood by Trisha Wolfe.

It was so good, incredibly creative how Stacy jay can take remaining stories and Morph them into something so strange yet beautiful. Ugly and capturing in a well planned unstopable book. Shes done it with all her books they reflect how she can turn existing stories that stay with the world and are popular and add more to create a different view that shows you more possibility. And i would definitely reccomend this to anyone who enjoys creative and well worded fantasy/reality books because there is so much truth hidden beneath her story's if you dare to look deeper.

This book was the greatest thing ever!!!! I haven't been able to find a good book in a while, glad this book was the best thing to break that. I cried. I laughed. Smiled and TOTALLY loved Gem and Isra!

La verdad es que no me lo he acabado. Aún no se si es porque no me gusta, porque es muy lento o porque no estaba inspirada en el momento,la entrega fue rápida y en buen estado.