Brittany Fichter

I reviewed a free copy of this book, and I am voluntarily posting my review.

Wow! This book dragged my emotions in so many directions (in a good way). One of my pet peeves is when I can tell that an author is deliberately playing with my emotions just to get a reaction. Fichter excels at writing organic drama. It's not contrived, and I appreciate that so much. This book has everything: adventure, drama, horror, humor, romance, good vs evil, etc., And these elements are so well rendered. The show more horror scenes are frightening, but not graphic. While the romance takes place over a short period of time, it's a slow burn, and the relationship between Lucas and Jaelle is one of the most unique I've encountered. This book took twists and turns that I did not see coming, and I love it when a book surprises me like that. show less

This is an excellent high fantasy, epic adventure, seasoned with wisdom and magic, in the vein of The Hobbit, Chronicles of Narnia, and Chronicles of Prydain.

Twelve-year-old Arik's first attempt at hunting with his father, the local king of a small village, is unsuccessful at catching a deer, but Arik's father plants the seed for becoming a successful king: taking responsibility for your actions and their consequences. The adventure begins when a dragon attack the village and a wizard sends show more Arik (the long way!) to find the person who will become the High King and protect the village again.

Fun (and funny!) characters like Max, the brownie, who becomes a friend over the 7+ years of the quest, the annoying magical mirror that seems to tell everyone (except Arik!) what they need to know. I enjoyed the talking bear--punishment for having bitten a wizard. Twice.

Favorite quote:
"Important, yes," the bear said, shaking his head. "But is it the only important thing that must be done? Or might there be many needs in the world that have nothing to do with you?"

Note: Maybe because the dragon is so large, the boy on the cover looked younger than 12 years old to me and Arik grows up over the course of the adventure. Younger readers will enjoy this book too, but I think its core readers are older than the 6 to 8 year olds who might match the young hero on the cover. show less

3.5 stars.

Before Beauty is a unique take on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. It had elements of the original: the curse; the daughter going in place of the father; and of course, the romance. But I loved the twists the author employed.

At the start we get to see our "beast" as his normal self. That is, a spoiled prince haunted by regrets of his past actions. He's not entirely likeable, but we have a good idea of how much change he must have to go through. And I do love the show more anti-hero type of character.

When Ever is physically transformed into a shadow of his former self, it's hard for him to let go of his former pride. He's an interesting character, and I enjoyed seeing how his feelings for Isa changed him.

What's funny to me is how clueless they both were at the start. All Ever knows is that he needs this crippled girl to help him break the curse. Neither of them know exactly how this is to be done, and this leaves poor Isa terribly confused. I sympathized with her the most. Despite her circumstances, Isa displayed the most strength of all the characters.

I liked the small cast of characters. I think, for the size of the book, a larger cast would have been too confusing to keep up with. But I think the perfect amount of focus was put upon each of the main characters.

I do wish it was longer, though--that's not such a bad complaint! I think the story could have been more fleshed out, given more detail, with more interactions between Ever and Isa. A few parts felt rushed, the curse could have been better explained, and more detail given about Nevana, the villain of the book.

So, I had some small complaints here and there, but overall I really enjoyed the book. The romance was sweet and clean, and I was really happy with the ending. Now I think I've come to the conclusion that I need more Beauty and the Beast!

**I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review

Content: Clean!

Originally posted at The Scribbling Sprite. show less

I received an ARC of this book, and I am voluntarily posting my review. I really enjoyed this trilogy. All three books are very creative takes on the the original fairytales. The characters are dynamic and well-developed. I especially loved that the second and third books are based on fairytales that have not been been retold nearly as often as beauty and the beast. These are definitely worth the read! I'm sure I will read them again.