Reviewed by Silvara on
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I do love fairytale retellings. Especially when they have more unique twists to them. I haven't seen a werewolf used as the Beast before. I also liked that it was a more medieval tale, back in the times of kings, queens and knights.
I was afraid at first that the queen would end up being one of the bad guys, but was pleasantly surprised to find that she was actually Kathryn's friend. I liked the glimpses of the way the king and queen interacted, both together as a couple, as well as with the members of their court.
I loved the way Gabriel acted during his curse. It was believable as well as almost heartbreaking at times. His actions as a wolf worked for me (even if they were rather more dog-like most of the time), and getting to see his inner musings was both entertaining and sad. Kathryn was a strong female character, even if she was more learned and strong-willed than women were 'supposed' to be back then. Something she pointed out to herself as well as Gabriel. I also really liked the court wiseman/magician.
The bad characters were suitably bad, and got what they deserved. You know how the story will end, since it IS a retelling after all. But the way the characters get there was totally engrossing. I read this in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you like fairytale retellings, you need to read this one!
This review was originally posted on Fantasy of the Silver Dragon
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 17 January, 2016: Finished reading
- 17 January, 2016: Reviewed