Nancy Butcher

Reviewed by Karin Perry for TeensReadToo.com

Ana wants to be ugly. She has worked very hard at it, ever since she was twelve years old. Ever since the day a man complimented her on her beauty and she saw the look of hatred, jealousy, and anger in her mother's eyes. Now she doesn't bathe, doesn't trim her toenails, doesn't brush her hair, and eats nothing but pastries, bread, and moldy cheeses. Her nutrition has left her body pudgy and her face blemished. She is happy because she seems to have show more her mother's favor; however, staying ugly takes a lot of effort.

Queen Veda, Ana's mother, is a calculating ruler. Vanity is her main focus and she is never without her strange Beauty Consultant. He is a creepy little man that is always lurking around. His eyes turn red whenever he approves of the way the Queen looks. He mixes beauty potions and creates creams out of ingredients like spiders and leaves for the Queen to use to maintain her beautiful appearance. It is Queen Veda's jealousy that leads her to devise her most diabolical plan ever.

The Queen creates a new Academy for the best and brightest girls of the land. About fifty girls receive personal invitations to attend this prestigious academy and Pell, Ana's best friend, is one of them. Ana is heartbroken, thinking that she will lose her best friend forever. But on the advice of the Beauty Consultant, Queen Veda sends Ana to the Academy, too. Pell and Ana are thrilled to be attending a school that will provide rigorous academics, while at the same time being roommates. However, a sinister plot awaits all the girls that attend the Academy.

BEAUTY is a fast-paced fairy tale that pulls at your heartstrings. The reader will cheer for Ana when she finally realizes the truth about her mother. The sinister plan could have been more sinister and the ending a little more complex, but overall this is a fascinating story, definitely one for fans of queens, princesses, and fairy tales. show less

Clever take on the "who's the fairest of them all" Snow White fairytale. Queen Veda is so obsessed with being the fairest that she sends all the young women in her kingdom away to a special academy ( including her own daughter) where they are supposedly being educated and brought up to be proper ladies. But the reality is far different, and Princess Ana, who has always thought of herself as plain and ugly anyway, notices that the girls are nor "taught" anything and that their handsome tutor show more appears to be feeding the girls some sort of drug that eventually robs them of their wits and their beauty. When Ana confronts her mother, the horrible truth is revealed. show less

A very interesting take on the Snow White tale where the protagonist is more proactive in her life- and in the world. a fan of most fairy tales in their purest of forms I enjoy the darker takes on them as opposed to the fluffy, light Disney versions of things- though I admit they hold their place (and yes, I will admit that Disney's Snow White was my favorite move when I was little). This doesn’t fail to be dark though appropriately so for a young adult audience. Fast-paced and emotionally show more stimulating you learn to care about the protagonist Ana quite easily and sympathize with her when she discovers what is really going on with her family. Definitely worth a read for anyone who enjoys fairy tales that aren't all sunshine, rainbows- and cute little talking animals. show less

A short novel with fairy-tale themes. The main character, Ana, has spent many years purposely making herself ugly to retain the love of her mother, the queen and most beautiful woman in the land. Ana does not realize how far her mother will go to retain her beauty until Ana herself becomes part of one of her mother's schemes. A nice, short read, but I wish there could have been more character development.