As Old as Time

Today's post is on As Old as Time by Liz Braswell. It is the third in her Twisted Tales series. It is 496 pages long and is published by Disney Press, you do not have to have read the first two book in the series. It intended reader is someone who likes fairy tale and very different retelling of them. There is very mild foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this book. The story is told from third person close of the characters moving as the story did. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- What if Belle’s mother cursed the Beast?
Belle is a lot of things: smart, resourceful, restless. She longs to escape her poor provincial town for good. She wants to explore the world, despite her father’s reluctance to leave their little cottage in case Belle’s mother returns—a mother she barely remembers. Belle also happens to be the captive of a terrifying, angry beast. And that is her primary concern.
But Belle touches the Beast’s enchanted rose, intriguing images flood her mind—images of the mother she believed she would never see again. Stranger still, she sees that her mother is none other than the beautiful Enchantress who cursed the Beast, his castle, and all its inhabitants. Shocked and confused, Belle and the Beast must work together to unravel a dark mystery about their families that is twenty-one years in the making.

Review- An interesting twist on the classic story. This is more of a historical urban fantasy re-telling of Beauty and the Beast and that was very interesting in the reading. Add in a big twist that was a good payoff for the story and I had a nice time with this novel. There are lots of twists in this re-telling that changes this story from the Disney movie or play and that makes it engaging. Braswell does lots of little things to make this story hers, from Belle not being as perfect as she is in the in movie to the Beast having a real past with people and memories. She fills out some of the plot holes and that, of course takes the story into a new direction. I enjoyed this book and I would like to read her other Twisted Tales and see what she does with Aladdin and Sleeping Beauty. 

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.