As Old As Time

We’re all familiar with the story of Beauty and the Beast – A prince is cursed and turned into a Beast until someone falls in love with him for his personality; Belle takes her father’s place after the Beast takes him hostage in his castle for trespassing. The Disney version that the world knows and loves takes this story and glosses over the terrifying side of things.

This twisted tale gives more insight into Belle’s side of things – you know, like how terrifying it would be to realize you’re in a castle manned by talking household objects? In addition to discussing the reactions of both Belle and the Beast as they settle into their new living arrangement, there were some very interesting and exciting twists thrown in to the story line.

The book starts out familiarizing/reminding the reader of the Disney telling, but quickly departs from the movie script once Belle starts poking around the castle. Braswell did an excellent job glossing over the commonly known Disney plotline, while providing the highlights for those who may not have seen the film and focused more heavily on incorporating twists and introducing a darker side to the story.

Oh, yeah. This book…not for kids. Maybe ages 12 and up, depending on maturity level, but there’s death, witchcraft, and more adult themes. Nothing insanely mature, but maybe not something you want young children exposed to.

The writing style was a bit choppy, but overall it was an enjoyable read with unexpected twists. Again, it was refreshing to see Belle’s honest reactions that would be fairly natural.

Unfortunately, as a retelling of a very well known story, it’s hard to write something that would be knock-your-socks-off unexpected, hence the 3.5 stars. The twists were sometimes predictable, sometimes shocking, but all-in-all a book I’d recommend for anyone who enjoys fairy tale retellings.

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