Notes

• A fun retelling of Beauty and the Beast with some emotional depth. Tension between characters isn't contrived and the cast is well developed, each character having dimension and facets. A main theme of the book is how we allow our trauma to become our identity.

• It reads more like a fairytale than a traditional fantasy novel, with a simple, straightforward approach to elements like magic and world-building. It explains enough to give you a sense of the logic, but isn't trying to build elaborate systems.

• Lyssa is written as a devil-may-care monster hunter with issues. She can be funny and charming in a roguish way. Despite being driven by revenge which leaves her bent and scuffed around the edges she's not portrayed as "broken" and is able to display a range of emotions that make her relatable.

• Alderic is Lyssa's polar opposite. He's much softer than her and loves the wealth and comfort he comes from. Despite having some materialistic pleasures, he's not shallow and is able to empathize with Lyssa and other characters in the story.