![]() ![]() But maybe that's just because when it ended I immediately started missing the characters! However, if I had to give just one criticism for the book, it'd be that when I got to the last page I expected there to be at least a couple more, or maybe an epilogue of some sort, because it felt a bit abrupt. Anwen and Leon both had such fantastic character development. The way some things were resolved (like the mystery of the killings and the way Leon's curse was finally broken) weren't quite what I'd expected but that's not a criticism at all, because it was even better than I thought it'd be. The ending was both exciting and beautiful. But then if I thought that was heartbreaking, seeing him nearly give his life for her was a million times worse! ![]() He shows here that he really has changed, but in doing so he's chosen to lose everything that he's gained. At the same time it takes a lot of strength from Leon not just to finally reveal the truth but to not betray Catrin simply because he feels that Anwen needs someone she can trust. It's inevitable that the secret would have to come out, but also so, so heartbreaking to see Anwen's reaction. Every single bit of his and Anwen's relationship development was so sweet but also so painful, knowing what he was keeping from her and just knowing that even though there's probably gonna be a happily ever after, this still all has to blow up in his face at one point.Īnd oh my god, I love the moment when it does. and he grows and redeems himself in a beautiful way. He gets along with kids (and Emeline and Josselin are adorable!), he deeply fears hurting people as a bear, he loves to paint, he wrote an amazingly terrible poem for Fanny. He starts as an arrogant and selfish lord whose sole concern is breaking his curse and trying to make Anwen like him for that reason, all while keeping an incredibly important secret from her, but even from the beginning he has a soft side and seeing his inner thoughts goes a long way in showing that. Leon annoyed me a little at first, with his comments about Anwen's scars especially, but given the type of story this is I just knew he'd shape up to be the kind of character I always love, and I wasn't wrong at all. I love the choice of making her an enchanter, as a spin on Beauty and the Beast originally featuring an enchantress who curses the Beast, and I love how she's a beauty with a physical disability and a scarred face. She's never made to feel like a prisoner and Leon knows he can't control her-in fact, he feels far more trapped than she does. ![]() Anwen is fiercely determined, compassionate, and strong and staying with Leon to figure out how to break his curse is fully her choice. unhealthy, in my opinion, and I can't root for them to fall in love. Too many BATB retellings are written in ways where the dynamic between the main characters is just. I heard they didn't need to be read in order, so seeing that this one was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, one of my favorite fairytales and Disney movies, it's the one I chose.Īnd I'm so glad I did. This is the first of Kendra Merritt's novels that I've read-I'd never heard of them before, but picked this one up when someone recommended her as an author who writes fairytale retellings (something I love) with disability rep (something else I love!). With his heart, soul, and humanity in the balance, Léon has more to hide and everything to lose if Anwen ever learns the truth about the monster inside him. He knows he must hide his part in Anwen’s past if he wants to keep her, but when bodies show up mauled by a large animal, even she begins to doubt his ability to be redeemed. ![]() But when Léon comes across Anwen, an enchanter scarred from an accident she doesn’t remember, she promises to free him, because she believes no one deserves this sort of punishment, no matter their crime.Īs the graceful enchanter tries to free him, Léon begins to realize Anwen is much more than just a passing enchanter. Every day he loses a little more of himself to the bear and his stupid fuzzy tail. The only one who can free him is the girl he’s hurt the most.Ĭursed for a youthful accident which maimed a young woman, Léon Beauregard roams his mountain as a bear, clinging to the scraps of his humanity. ![]()
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