Beastkeeper

What if a fairy tale curse didn't come with the guarantee of a fairy tale love? What if falling out of love meant the curse resumed? And what if you knew that someday the same would happen to you?

Such is the premise of Cat Hellisen's Beastkeeper, a book that gathers together fairy tale themes of love and revenge, courage and grief, and in beautiful, effortlessly poetic prose, brings them into our modern realm of broken promises, fickle parents, and fleeting first loves. The result is moving and unexpectedly healing: those fairy tale themes prove powerful even, and perhaps especially, amid the cutting shards we find so often in real life.

Beastkeeper is written for middle grade and young adult readers, but like many a Robin McKinley show more retelling or Lloyd Alexander adventure or Frances Hodgson Burnett classic, there is much here for adult readers to discover. show less

For such a slim and unassuming volume, this book farexceeds expectations. Hellison's prose is light, but intricate, and perfectly captures the turning point between her protagonist's innocent youth and magic-filled future. The story starts out simply enough with a family devolving into chaos, but instead of turning the book into an expected tale of familial redemption (though there are aspects of this) or devolving into teenaged angst/darkness (though there is plenty of risky if not risqué behaviour) she manages to keep the prose simple enough that the story feels like an ageless fairytale, but complex enough that there are distinct echoes of modern faerie-masters such as Gaiman, Black, and Link. Very well done; I'm very much looking show more forward to more from Hellison. show less

With today making me feel like my life is spiraling out of control, I decided to take a break from my more serious reads and indulge myself in something a little more laid back. My go-to for a pick-me-up is generally some sort of fairy tale. I have had this beauty sitting on my shelf for a while. This was one of Mckays .50 cents finds. Quite frankly, this book was intended for middle to early high schoolers, but the price was right, the cover is gorgeous and the overview sounded stellar. I couldn't pass it up, an I'm so glad that I didn't. Cause this book was just what the doctor ordered on a day like today..

for as long as she can remember Sarah and her parents have always lived their lives on the go. Constantly moving from place to show more place, Sarah has never had any real friends or lived in one place long enough to feel at home. Although lonely, she finds comfort and fulfillment through the love of her parents. But all of that changes one winter night as Sarah's world comes crashing down, and for no apparent reason her mother abandons them. Her father, unable to cope, leaves Sarah to fend for herself. Then unexpectedly, his normal persona begins to change into something otherworldly and inhuman. Leaving him to decided that he can no longer give Sarah the care that she needs, so he whisks her away to live with grandparents that she did not even know existed.

There is something strange about Sarah's nana. For starters she lives in a castle in the woods, she keeps a beast in her shed and unexplained, magical occurrences tend to happen around her. Sarah knows something is off, and she is determined to get some answers. But the answers she gets may have been better left in the forest... Buried deep in the wild woods Sarah uncovers the secrets of her family's history and begins to discover that the mysteries of her families past will forever seal her fate in the future. The only hope lies in Sarah and her ability to end a tangled web of curses placed on her bloodline.. but with time running out will Sarah find herself caught in the crossfire...leaving her to forever be a beastkeeper or worse.... a beast..

Magic. That's the word that comes to mind when trying to describe this book. Normally I tend to go for a much darker, more adult twist on a retelling, but with Beastkeeper I was completely taken back to much more simplistic time and left with such full and nostalgic feeling. A feeling of fulfillment that I have been craving from a book for quite some time now.

I loved the unique and totally original twist that Miss Hellisen was able to bring on such a classic tale. Beauty and The Beast is without a doubt, one of my all time favorite fairy tales. And for me I don't feel that you can do much better that the original. But with this story the twist is so tastefully and originally done, that it only fuels my love for the classic tale. This book was deep rooted in fantasy, and full of creative twists.

As far as Character and story development goes, I feel that the author does a phenomenal job. Her characters were not only lovable and easy to connect with, they were also fully developed. The story line progressed quickly, but not at too fast a pace that it couldn't enjoyed. All of the descriptions were kept to minimum, yet there was enough to paint a clear picture. All in all I would give this book 10 stars and an A++ for creativity. I absolutely adored reading this book, not just because it was exactly what I was looking for, but because of the whimsical storytelling and magical experience. This is one to share with the kids or something light, with a deeper meaning to pick up on a rainy day! show less

I suspected I might be in for a treat when I read the dedication page on this book, which mentions the author's two children: "Tanith and Noa." Tanith? You named your KID after Tanith Lee? This book CANNOT be bad!

And indeed, it is quite excellent. I wouldn't say it's derivative of, or even particularly similar to Lee's writing, but the aesthetics are all what I love.

It's a contemporary fantasy, but it succeeds very well in meshing the timeless beauty of fairy tales with a modern setting.

Sarah is a young teenager whose family is collapsing around her. At first a reader might assume that her neglect is simply the sad but typical effect of divorce and depression on any family: her mother's abandoned them, and her father is incapable of show more keeping up even appearances. But once Sarah is bundled off to live with the grandmother she'd always been told was dead, in a crumbling, decrepit tower in the middle of nowhere, gradually we learn that there's more to it than this: her family is the victim of a curse - and Sarah herself may be the next one to be destroyed by a bitterness and rivalry that has come down through generations.

Beautiful writing; highly recommended for everyone who loves stories based in folklore and fairytales.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own. show less

2021 reread: This was previously a 5-star read for me, but I've dropped it to a 4. It's still an excellent dark middle-grade read though.

Much of what I said previously still stands, it just didn't have the emotional impact I was expecting this time around - and I'd forgotten all the major details. I wanted more of a gut-punch, but the ending feels just a little abrupt now. But I definitely still recommend it!

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This review and others posted over at my blog.

Sarah is thirteen when her mother walks out of her life. Her father becomes distant and wild and soon leaves her in the care of her grandparents, whom Sarah didn’t know she had. Abandoned, living in a crumbling castle tower, Sarah discovers the curse that has tormented her family show more for generations and drove her mother to leave. Sarah is the only one willing to break the curse on her family, but it proves to be more difficult than she ever imagined.

This book. I can’t even. Sorry in advance for what’s going to be a mostly gushy review. But as soon as I finished this book, I wanted to read it all over again. It became an instant favorite of mine and is definitely on my top all time list for middle grade (yeah…that’s a thing?) fiction. I was already recommending it to people the moment I’d finished. It was just perfect for me. I hope it will be for you too, if you decide to give it a shot.

I was chatting about dark middle grade with Lindsay Smith because I needed more of it (all of it!) in my life and she was the one who recommended Beastkeeper to me. I love fairytale retellings so I dropped it in my Amazon cart, and when it arrived the other day, I actually picked it up right away, which is not something I always do. I’m so glad I didn’t let this sit on my shelf for ages!

Hellisen wove a grim tale with beautiful, but simple imagery. I was completely living in this book, even when I had to put it down. This curse was all up in my head and I was eager to unravel it with Sarah. Sarah is a wonderful main character – she’s strong, determined and curious. As a character who was open to magic and actively dreaming about finding it, she still delivered a believable amount of apprehension and skepticism when confronted with it. (Personally it just bugs me when characters are faced with an amazing magical thing and they’re just like “ok.”)

This book is everything I want in a dark middle grade. I need more books like this in my life, stat. Hellisen delivered me the darkness I’ve been craving lately, but also maintained a tone that is appropriate for younger readers. Yet, she also doesn’t talk down to her audience, which I think makes it easier for older readers to enjoy this tale as well.

I fully, 100%, loudly recommend this book for any and all fairytale lovers looking for a grim edge to their retellings. show less

I got a copy of this book through NetGalley to review. This was an absolutely wonderful retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I loved the writing style, there was wonderful description here and wonderful characters.

Sarah has a mother who hates the cold and constantly has their family chasing summer from one location to the next. When Sarah’s mother finally walks out on her and her father, the family is thrown into discord. Sarah’s father becomes more and more unkempt and reclusive and eventually decides that Sarah should go and live with her grandmother in an old abandoned castle. There Sarah finds that her family is twisted with curses upon curses.

This was such a creative way to retell this fairy tale and is the best retelling of The show more Beauty and the Beast that I have read. This book is set in modern day but has a distinctly gothic and fairy tale feel to it. The story is moody and dark, very atmospheric. The writing style just fits a dark fairy tale like this so well.

Sarah has been through trial after trial and her sadness taints the whole story. Yet coupled with her sadness and loneliness is a determination to make things right. When she meets a mysterious boy who is strangely old , she finds help in unraveling the sad history of her family.

Sarah has to unravel curse upon curse to untwist the sadness that has damaged her family so severely. On her journey she meets talking animals, evil sorceresses, enchanted castles, and a forest filled with magic.

This is a melancholy story filled with beautifully lyrical writing. There is beauty and hope hidden underneath all the sadness and loneliness. I really loved the atmosphere of the story and the clever way that curses and fairy tale elements were woven together to write a story with many twists and turns,

This was a quick stand alone read that was a joy to read and absolutely stunning.

Overall I adored this creative and beautifully written retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I loved the writing style and beautiful description throughout. I loved the determined and sad heroine who fought to make things right. I loved the magic and curses and the fairy tale feel the whole story had to it. Highly recommended especially to those who love lyrical writing and fairy tale retellings. show less

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Lately, I’ve been less and less interested in middle grade fiction. It’s been with sadness that I’ve watched a number of YA authors switch to writing middle grades. In fact, I initially thought Beastkeeper was going to be young adult, but alas no. Even so, it was by Cat Hellisen, so fuck yeah I was going to read it anyway. One does not simply skip a Hellisen novel.

Reading Beastkeeper was one hundred percent the correct decision. Cat Hellisen’s writing is absurdly gorgeous. I wish I could roll around in it, but I’d have to dismantle the book which I am unwilling to do. The volume may be slim and look every bit a book for children, but there’s no reason show more that adults should not appreciate this macabre fairy tale every bit as much as their kids do.

If you’ve not read Hellisen, you probably don’t know, but Hellisen does dark well. Just beautifully. Beastkeeper surprised me with how dark it got for a children’s story. When trying to decide if it’s for you, think of original fairy tales and not their fluffy Disney counterparts. Beastkeeper is in some part a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but it hearkens to a number of classic fairy tales.

I’d thought that Beastkeeper was a straight up retelling, but it’s part retelling and part continuation. Sarah is, in fact, the grandchild of the beauty and the beast, her family suffering under their curse yet. Hellisen has put her own spin on the original tale of the beauty and the beast, one that I love, and also played with what happens after true love. Beastkeeper is all about love and humanity. It’s not a love conquers all story.

The titular beastkeeper is Sarah’s sort of love interest. This is not, however, really a romance. I’m glad of that since I don’t ship it. I mean, maybe eventually, but in the confines of this novel, no. Alan’s an interesting figure, but I also don’t really know what to make of him. I’d have liked more about his background. He seems to exist mostly to move plot along, rather than as a strong character.

Additionally, I wanted more of Sarah’s parents. The resolution happens pretty abruptly and I would have liked to find out more about what was going to change after that point. It just ended and I was left wanting more.

Beastkeeper is enchanting and at under 200 pages, there’s really no reason for you not to read it, unless for some strange reason you hate fairy tales. show less