Review Detail

Rose Mannering has written a terrific retelling of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST that kept me flipping pages until I came to the end of the story in a breathless rush. As with most retellings, the story arc isn’t a surprise, so it’s up to the author to find a way to keep an old story fresh … something that is particularly difficult when recounting a story that has already been done by Disney and is beloved by many.

Rose Mannering was definitely up to the task.

In ROSES, the first in The Tales Trilogy, we meet Beauty. But before she was Beauty, she didn’t have a name, and once named, she was only called “Beauty” with derision because of her odd appearance that leaves people startled at best and more typically terrified. Beauty is magical, although in ways that aren’t immediately evident. As is the way with many fairy tales, Beauty has a miserable childhood away from her real parents, and she is befriended by animals--horses in this case--and an older mentor who eventually takes her in as his own. Manning revives the old storyline and makes it her own with her fantastic world building. Beauty is born in Sago, the capital of Pervorocco, and residents of the city are distrustful of anything that hints of magic. As fear of magic and magical creatures begins to create unrest in Sago, Beauty is spirited away by Owaine, a Hillander who had fled to the city for reasons of his own, and is now anxious to return home.

Beauty’s adventures in Hillander and beyond propel the second part of the book. While the first half lagged just a bit while the stage was set, by the middle of the book I was unable to put ROSES down for very long. Although there are many parts of Beauty’s story that are still wrapped in mystery at the end of the tale, that’s to be expected from the first book in a trilogy. Rather than being annoyed by all that is left unexplained, I’m pleased to see that the second book in The Tales Trilogy comes out this month (July 2016).

Fairy tale retellings are being written by many authors, and I’ve read quite a few of them over the years. So far Rose Mannering’s book is one of the best that I’ve found.

My thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for my unbiased review.