A Tale of Beauty and Beast: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast (Beyond the Four Kingdoms)

A Tale of Beauty and the Beast is directly linked to its prequel, A Dance of Silver and Shadow. It is told from the perspective of Sophie, Lily's twin sister, who was introduced in the first Four Kingdoms book, The Princess Companion. As a direct result of the events from A Dance of Silver and Shadow, Sophie is forced into an unwanted engagement with a "Beast" who was once called Prince Dominic and must live in his mysteriously isolated castle. The story draws inspiration from the original fairy tale, the Disney movie, and the mythology that Melanie has developed within her series.In A Tale of Beauty and the Beast, Sophie still possesses the same ability to telepathically communicate with her twin sister as in the previous book, but it does not work within the confines of the Beast's castle. She has never been separated from her sister so completely before, which gives her reason to resent the beast, making her feel more alone than ever. That is in part why it takes so long for her to recognize her feelings for him. Sophie's connection with Lily is every bit as touching as it was in A Dance of Silver and Shadow, but it also replaces the beautiful relationship that Beauty had with her father in the original fairy tale. In fact, their parents are rarely mentioned at all in either book. The significance of the rose is also much smaller in this version. The Beast does present Sophie with beautiful multi-toned roses as a gift, but they hold no magical binding properties over his curse as in the Disney movie or her commitment stay with him in the castle as in the original fairy tale.I think the thing enjoyed the most was the way the cursed servants were handled in this story. Though it takes Sophie a while to realize it, their physical forms were moved to another plane of existence because of the curse, causing objects to appear to be floating or cleaning themselves. Sophie learns to become friends with them in spite of this and gets to know all of their fun and interesting personalities. The Beast's physical appearance is also linked to their curse. It allows him to exist between the two planes so that he can be seen in both worlds, but not in the same form as he appeared when he was Prince Dominic. Just like in the Charles Perrault version of the fairy tale, the Beast asks Sophie to marry him nightly, which she takes to with great disdain before growing closer to him as a result of being rescued from the wolves outside the castle, mirroring the animated film.While I did not find Sophie's romance with Prince Dominic as endearing as some of the other love stories in the two series, the climax of this book was still very powerful. It was clear that they belonged together by the end. It was fun reading about how Sophie gradually learned to communicate with the Beast on an intellectual and later emotional level as it blossomed into something deeper. Seeing her bravery in such an uncomfortable situation made the book more enjoyable to read than A Dance of Silver and Shadow since there were no scared little girls in over their heads. In the end, the book was just as much about the strength of Sophie's relationship with Prince Dominic as it was about her relationship with Lily. I would even argue that her connection with her sister was stronger, but I don't think there's anything wrong with that since they are identical twins who confided in each other and depended on each other for most of their lives.Overall, A Tale of Beauty and the Beast is a fresh take on the story of "Beauty and the Beast" with the perfect combination of old and new elements. Sophie's time while she is isolated in the castle never feels dull because she uncovers new mysteries it in each chapter, showing us that there is always something new to explore. It is a story of love overcoming all odds, whether that love comes from a princess seeing the prince within a beast or an unbreakable life-long bond between sisters. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the fairy tale, but it would be a good idea to read A Dance of Silver and Shadow first because it lays the groundwork for the events that take place when A Tale of Beauty and the Beast begins.

What a wonderful retelling of Beauty and the Beast! I loved the twist on how the curse was broken and what exactly happened in the happy ever after! There was a hint of things to come… I also loved how strong Beauty (Sophie) was inside, and how she grew into that strength!

Books reminded me of the comfort of home, but roses filled me with an alluring sense of hope. For surely any wonder was possible in a world that could produce such beauty?We all know the story, yet this twist on it makes so much more sense than Disney's! And this author did it in a way that, even though I know the plot, had me tense and crying and a little fearful. This beast is a real person, with motivations and hopes. The curse is caused by more than turning away an old woman, and is given as a blessing to help him learn. The beginning is full of interior monologue because there's no one for Sophie to talk to, other than Lily. The library is breathtakingly beautiful, the rose so significant. And the bad guy's so bad!Do I need to read books before this one: no, but Lily is her twin and we see Sophie's development in the first bookWould I read more of the series: yes!Cliffhanger: noPOSSIBLE TRIGGERSSex: kissesLanguage: 0 F words, 0 Lord's name in vain, 0 S wordsViolence: less gory than Disney's, but more tense

I really loved how Ms. Cellier changed the servants. I can't say more than that, but it was very creative. Having Princess Sophie be able to communicate was very intriguing. I loved how she was able to make the characters so real and not just the main characters but the supporting ones.

As a consequence for the events of A Dance of Silver and Shadow, Princess Sophia of Arcadia is forced into a betrothal with the shadowy Prince Dominic of the ominously cursed kingdom of Palinar. The number-one problem? The fact that Dominic is also known as "the Beast". Sophie is obviously not your ordinary princess. To begin with, we all know her uncanny bond with her sister Liliana existed way back when they first appeared as the troublesome but attention-starved twin princesses in The Princess Companion (which is the first book in the Four Kingdoms series preceding this one). In A Dance of Silver and Shadow, their secret godmother's gift-- a telepathic link that allowed them to project their thoughts into each other's minds-- is revealed, and put into good use. Unfortunately, Sophie is now bound to a mysterious prince who hides more than one beastly secret. None of which she wants to find out about-- or does she? As the softhearted, gentler twin, Sophie easily makes a wonderful Beauty. Melanie Cellier easily engages the reader with a breathtaking romance between the determination of Sophie and the ferocious protectiveness of Dominic, taking the audience back to the world of the four kingdoms and beyond. Reading about the slow, but undoubtedly true, love between the pair was, oddly, more delightful than I would have expected. I normally can't stand retellings of "Beauty and the Beast", as the original story itself is basically flawless as a whole-- for a fairytale, I mean seriously-- and modern reimaginings usually twist the tale unappealingy, but A Tale of Beauty and Beastly is now quite possibly my favorite in Mrs. Cellier's works, even perhaps more so than The Princess Fugitive. It doesn't make a difference though; all her books-- fairytale based or not-- are fantastic, and I've never read any authors in the genre that match this one. I eagerly anticipate all upcoming books to be released in the end of the year. That includes you, Snow White! A Tale of Beauty and Beastly is obviously another brillianmasterpiece by this author!

I love knowing the character from the first book, beautifully leading into this one. It’s a great Beauty & the Beast retelling!!

Loved it so much couldn’t put it down for more then five minutes cant wait for next books keep at it

This retelling might be one of my favorite beauty and the beasts retellings. Mostly because it captures the original tale, the disney elements we all love so much and then adds its own things to that story. All in all, I was really happy at the end of it!

Loved the plot and the slow developmentsGrown up listening to such stories so obviously all knew what’s the end but the smooth progress of story kept me engrossed

I'm a big fan of fairy tales and am always a little dubious of retellings as you never know quite where it will go and whether key or favourite parts will be lost or glossed over. However, I enjoyed Melanie's first book so much I just had to know what happened to Sophie! I wasn't disappointed. This is a lovely reworking of one of my favourite fairy tales with clever and well thought out details bringing a magic castle to life without it being too Disney. The developing relationship between Sophie and the Beast isn't too contrived either. And now I want to know what happened to Princess Adelaide!

This is an all time favorite of mine, i have to say Melanie Cellier really hit the bulls eye on this, i loved the way the anthor discribes the enchanted rose garden and the great imagination of the staff in the Beasts castle, as i suspected, another golden book from Melanie Cellier, we all thank you; from Eleaonr Eckertjust one of your fan's...