A read and listen book review consist of time spent both reading the physical book and listening to the audiobook. I personally think that this is the best way to read books when you're short on time!  

Read on to find out why the first installment of this YA retelling earned a three bookmark rating.  Before I get into the review, full disclosure, at the time that I'm writing this review, I've already finished book two. The hype is true, book two is so much better than the first book, so just keep that in mind.

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens /Recorded Books
Release Date: May 5, 2015
Format: Kindle, Audio MP3
Pages: 416 | Audio Length: 16 hours 7 mins
Narrator:​ Jennifer Ikeda
Source: Kindle, Audible
Genre: Fantasy, Retelling, YA, New Adult
Review Date: February 6, 2017
Rating: 3 bookmarks

Synopsis: ​When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever. 

I'd heard lots about this title and it's been on my TBR list since it was first published in 2015. It probably would have sat on my list for much longer if it wasn't for book club! This was one of my many book club reads, so of course I wanted to read it to discuss it, and boy am I happy that I did. I did some research on the future of this series and it looks like six books are planned so far, so I'm excited to see how this story transforms as the books go on.

While I didn't fall in love with the first installment of this series, I liked it well enough.  The first half of the book was pretty slow and it took a bit for things to get going. Initially it was a pretty dry and predictable retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Then suddenly around the 60% mark or so, things got very interesting and I was fully vested in finding out what was going to happen with Tamlin and Feyre.  Balancing the slow start with a good ending settled my rating at a solid three bookmarks.  

Today's book review is a retelling, a pretty old one in fact as Beauty was originally published in 1978. I like a good retelling, unfortunately this book didn't hit he mark for me. Find out why.

Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: June 30, 1993 (first published October 25, 1978)
Format: ebook (Kindle)
Pages: 256
Source: Amazon 
Genre: Fairy Tales, YA Retellings
Review Date: June 27, 2016
Rating: 2 bookmarks

Synopsis: A strange imprisonment...

Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lacks in looks, she can perhaps make up for in courage.

When her father comes home with the tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows she must go to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will. Her father protests that he will not let her go, but she answers, "Cannot a Beast be tamed?"

Robin McKinley's beloved telling illuminates the unusual love story of a most unlikely couple, Beauty and the Beast.

Beauty is a pretty basic retelling. It's everything you'd expect of Beauty and the Beast, but not much more.  Don't get me wrong, it's not bad book by any means, but there just wasn't anything special about it.  There were some magical elements that could have been really cool if they were developed more. In general, I liked Beauty's character, and I liked her sisters as well.  The Beast was a pretty flat character, but that was't entirely unexpected as the story was mostly about Beauty and her growth throughout the story.

There was a lot of traditional 1978-ish things going on, not very progressive at all. Beauty really thought she was plain and unattractive all the way up until the end. Meet the Beast, fall in love, break the spell, and ta-da, you are now gorgeous! I wish the message wasn't so old school, but it is what it is.