Beauty is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty interwoven with several other fairy tales. It is deemed that the prince needs an adventure and a wife, but he needs some protection so heโ€™s sent off with the Huntsman. On their travels they find a cottage with a wolf problem and discover a city in slumber. We all know that the prince wakes Beauty up with a kiss but what happens next? Itโ€™s not all happily ever after here.

โ€œSheโ€™s asleep. You just canโ€™t go around touching girls when theyโ€™re asleep.โ€

I was actually expecting it to be a bit raunchier. It certainly is not for children, there are a few sex bits but overall it felt very much like a fairy tale with extra characters and a bit more grown up. I think Sarah Pinborough wanted to make a point about sexism but thereโ€™s a really awkwardly explained scene where the Huntsman is going on about how women shouldnโ€™t be judged if they have sex. Which is true, but seemed an out of place this in the context of this tale. He wasnโ€™t doing anything wrong, so why was he going to lengths to justify it?

โ€œIf we wake up in a hundred years with trees growing out of our arses, then Iโ€™d say we didnโ€™t make it.โ€

It was interesting to have an explanation and justification behind why Beauty was put to sleep. I liked the fact that all the fairy tale characters lived in the same world, that they knew of Rapunzel even though sheโ€™s not from their story (neither is the Huntsman).

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Also reviewed @ Uncorked Thoughts | Wondrous Reads

Book Source: World Fantasy Con freebie