Beasts and Beauty
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- Create Date：2021-10-14 09:51:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Soman Chainani
- ISBN：0063159392
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Summary
You think you know these stories， don’t you？
You are wrong。
You don’t know them at all。
Twelve tales， twelve dangerous tales of mystery， magic， and rebellious hearts。 Each twists like a spindle to reveal truths full of warning and triumph， truths that free hearts long kept tame， truths that explore life 。 。 。 and death。
A prince has a surprising awakening 。 。 。
A beauty fights like a beast 。 。 。
A boy refuses to become prey 。 。 。
A path to happiness is lost。 。 。 。 then found again。
New York Times bestselling author Soman Chainani respins old stories into fresh fairy tales for a new era and creates a world like no other。 These stories know you。 They understand you。 They reflect you。 They are tales for our times。 So read on， if you dare。
You are wrong。
You don’t know them at all。
Twelve tales， twelve dangerous tales of mystery， magic， and rebellious hearts。 Each twists like a spindle to reveal truths full of warning and triumph， truths that free hearts long kept tame， truths that explore life 。 。 。 and death。
A prince has a surprising awakening 。 。 。
A beauty fights like a beast 。 。 。
A boy refuses to become prey 。 。 。
A path to happiness is lost。 。 。 。 then found again。
New York Times bestselling author Soman Chainani respins old stories into fresh fairy tales for a new era and creates a world like no other。 These stories know you。 They understand you。 They reflect you。 They are tales for our times。 So read on， if you dare。
Reviews
Nareese
，
Love this book。 I love the new story and the new point of view for all of the fairies tales。 My favorite was Red Riding Hood。
Brigitte
，
3 1/2。 Fun fairy tale retellings。 Like Angela Carter for teens。 But I’m steeped in fairy tale retellings so these didn’t really knock me out like others have。
Meaghan
，
Most of the stories are familiar and follow the same paths as the originals with a few twists。 I enjoyed the Little Mermaid and Peter Pan better than the others though
Surly
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I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review。 Ha just kidding！ None of my reviews are even remotely impartial。I received my copy by accident: it was in a promo pack addressed to fellow Goodreads member "Jessie bowtiesandbooks。" I tried letting them know， but they don't take messages （sadz）。 So in the interests of biased literary criticism， I took the package for myself。 In addition to the promotional copy， I also received a red scarflet （nowhere near big enough to be f I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review。 Ha just kidding！ None of my reviews are even remotely impartial。I received my copy by accident: it was in a promo pack addressed to fellow Goodreads member "Jessie bowtiesandbooks。" I tried letting them know， but they don't take messages （sadz）。 So in the interests of biased literary criticism， I took the package for myself。 In addition to the promotional copy， I also received a red scarflet （nowhere near big enough to be functional in any way）; a funky-looking tiara; an incredibly stale and presumably inedible fairy-tale-shaped cookie; and for packing material， a fair pile of dried moss。 These gifts， of course， badly influenced the following review。 For more details， please see my unboxing video on YouTube。Beasts and Beauty is a mixed collection of revisionist fairy tales。 There are some superb ones: the Little Mermaid was sly and subversive; the closing story Peter Pan was heartbreaking。 There are some interesting ones: the racial inversion of Snow White， the cultural reexamination of Hansel and Gretel。 But some felt a bit too earnestly meta or glibly tossed off。 The opener， Little Red Riding Hood， may have been the worst offender; Beauty and the Beast was a close second。 A couple tales were unabashedly meta， with Cinderella executing that idea more effectively than Sleeping Beauty。The overall mix had enough surprises and entertainment value to be worth unboxing but， even with the lavish illustrations， not good enough for a hardcover buy。 Recommended mostly for fans of reinvented or revisionist fairy tales; otherwise with reservations。 。。。more
Melissa Somoza
，
I really enjoyed some of these and others not so much！ This is an anthology of fairy tales with a different， more mature spin filled with important lessons and morals。 Overall， this was just okay。 I had higher hopes。 Favorite was Peter Pan and stand outs are Red Riding Hood， Snow White， Hansel & Gretel， and Beauty & the Beast。
Nikki Johnson
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I’m not sure whether this is high school or middle school。 There were some rather mature and creepy scenarios。 I did enjoy the spin on classic fairy tales。 Maybe 8th grade and up！
Adeline T
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I love any excuse for fairytale retellings but this was something else！ The execution of taking these classic tales and twisting them in a way like never before is something I know only Chainani would be capable of
smalltownbookmom
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Absolutely loved this snarky， feminist collection of fairy tale retellings that are perfect for fans of Angela Carter。 All the classics are included told with unique twists that often have the female heroines take control of their lives and not being passive characters that action just happens to。 One of my favorites was Rapunzel who completely rejects the prince who comes to 'rescue' her offering her marriage that she realizes is just another cage。 The little mermaid was also great， with Ursula Absolutely loved this snarky， feminist collection of fairy tale retellings that are perfect for fans of Angela Carter。 All the classics are included told with unique twists that often have the female heroines take control of their lives and not being passive characters that action just happens to。 One of my favorites was Rapunzel who completely rejects the prince who comes to 'rescue' her offering her marriage that she realizes is just another cage。 The little mermaid was also great， with Ursula trying to get the girl to open her eyes and realize she's about to give up everything for a man whose name she doesn't even know。 Highly recommend and great on audio！ 。。。more
Megan Cheang
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I bought this book because I'm a fan of Soman Chainani's SGE world。 And after reading this， I am so glad I didn't buy hardcover。 Anyway， I personally rate it 2。5， but since the ratings are whole number。。。Red Riding Hood: Not bad。 Liked how the heroine outsmarted the alpha。 The epilogue was kind of abrupt。Snow White: Plot twist for the heroine to not look the stereotype。 Personally I liked the dwarves most。 Nice story but the repetitive ending was annoying。Sleeping Beauty: This one doesn't even r I bought this book because I'm a fan of Soman Chainani's SGE world。 And after reading this， I am so glad I didn't buy hardcover。 Anyway， I personally rate it 2。5， but since the ratings are whole number。。。Red Riding Hood: Not bad。 Liked how the heroine outsmarted the alpha。 The epilogue was kind of abrupt。Snow White: Plot twist for the heroine to not look the stereotype。 Personally I liked the dwarves most。 Nice story but the repetitive ending was annoying。Sleeping Beauty: This one doesn't even resemble the story much。 I don't mind gender swaps or gay relationships， but where is the hundred year nap？ What's up with the vampire stuff？ Meh。Rapunzel: This is the first story i actually liked because of how Rapunzel was not taken in by the prince。 Personally i think that horrid prince should have stayed blind for trying to trap Rapunzel in a tower。 but at least she is free。Jack and the Beanstalk: I felt sorry for Alina at first for having a bad marriage and a lazy son。 Jack did not impress me with how he stole from the well meaning giant husband。 Then Alina herself shows her flaw: she is impractical， spending money on material things instead of saving it。 I liked the giant's husband most for his kind heart。Hansel and Gretal: The second story I really like。 Because let's face it， the witch was not the only villain in the classical tale， the parents who abandoned their children were at fault as well。Beauty and the Beast: I was so happy the heroine was Chinese， then disappointed the only Chinese character in the book had a bittersweet ending。 Seriously， her happy ending is with a ghost？Bluebeard: Basically genderswapping the wifes for sons。Cinderella: Liked the story because of the friendship formed between Cinderella and her mouse。 The latter may be manipulating Cinderella， but at least she encouraged her to grow a backbone and atoned for her misdeed。The Little Mermaid: Interesting pov from the witch， but this story just feels more like a lecture。Rumpelstiltskin: Nice。 King and father were also horrible in the original story， but i like how the queen learns the name from her baby rather than coincidentally stumbling across the dancing villain saying it aloud。Peter Pan: Wow。 Considering this is the history of Hort's parents， it is no wonder he got into SGE， when it is practically a school of legacies。 Being the famous Wendy's son。。。of course he was chosen。 Reading the story， I can't help feeling happy Hort and Sophie are together， even though I preferred Sophie being with the School Master for power level matching。 And when you read about how horrible Peter and Tink are， it really is a wonder how they are the good guys when they are murderers。 Peter had better visited the grave with Hort！It's a wonder actually。 Both Hort and Dot have something in common。 Their mothers are the main good heroines， who had good reason to not like their chosen partner。 Robin was unfaithful， sort of， but he redeemed himself in the end。 Peter was not in love at all！ 。。。more
Kristy
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3。5 overallRed Riding Hood - 4Snow White - 3。5Sleeping Beauty - 3Rapunzel - 3Jack and the Beanstalk - 3Hansel and Gretel - 4Beauty and the Beast - 3。5Bluebeard - 3Cinderella - 3The Little Mermaid - 4。 Probably my favorite。Rumpelstiltskin - 3。5Peter Pan - 4
Jeana
，
Nice short stories with some good aspects and some questionable rep。 I did rather enjoy this authors good and evil series more
Katie
，
"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。"Excellent writing， just as I expected。 A great collection of stories from Soman's unique perspective。 "I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。"Excellent writing， just as I expected。 A great collection of stories from Soman's unique perspective。 。。。more
Belles Middle Grade Library
，
This is a hard 1 to review， because this is the author of my favorite series of all time。 I’ll try not to be biased though lol。 He is a genius at taking what we have been taught about fairytales-meaning Disney’s high jacked versions-& flipping them to a totally different idea。 Darker for sure。 But if you ever read the REAL tales most Disney movie classics are based on-they are DARK。 This was written in a way to where I felt I was reading a classic， from a magical narrator。 I’m sure it’s the same This is a hard 1 to review， because this is the author of my favorite series of all time。 I’ll try not to be biased though lol。 He is a genius at taking what we have been taught about fairytales-meaning Disney’s high jacked versions-& flipping them to a totally different idea。 Darker for sure。 But if you ever read the REAL tales most Disney movie classics are based on-they are DARK。 This was written in a way to where I felt I was reading a classic， from a magical narrator。 I’m sure it’s the same with everyone， because tastes vary so much， but there were many I LOVED in here， some I didn’t care for， & a couple that left me frustrated（like the ending of 1 for example）。 But overall， this was dark， gothic， dangerous， edgy， & beautiful。 Theres 1 that， in my opinion， is basically making fun of Disney’s version-& I laughed SO hard， because it’s all TRUE！ Haha ugh But I still love the Disney movies I grew up with， don’t get me wrong。 I accept them for what they are， & love the nostalgia they bring me。 There are many triggers in here， & if you are someone who needs warnings for those， I recommend looking them up before reading。 1 especially was extremely disturbing for me， & it’s not even something I’ve ever dealt with。 I even think Soman says he is afraid of it， & has still to this day not reread it。 So just know that。 One of my favorite things is where he gets rid of the idea that the girl always needs saving from a man， & that good looks are all that matter， & equate to whether someone is a good person。 Also， we are all in charge of our own stories。 Even if it may be similar to another’s story-it’s not。 We are living OUR OWN & can change the outcome & come out on the other side。 Also， as a stepmother I rolled my eyes at 1 story lol But I always do when that card is played。 Just something you do when you become one。 This is out now， & I recommend this if you are in the mood for some great writing， with dark retellings of fairytales of old。 Soman is so talented。 I can’t wait to see what actual full story novels he puts out next。 STUNNING cover by Julia Iredale， with just as beautiful illustrations throughout as well！💜 。。。more
Allison
，
Really interesting modern day re-imagining of fairytales。 I particularly enjoyed Hansel and Gretal， Cinderella and Rumpelstiltskin。
Alicia
，
The stories in this book keep getting better and better！ They are versions of these tales that I’ve never imagined and its beautifully written！ Well done！
Naomi C
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Many books are labeled as 'reimagined' fairy tales， and this book is one of the few books that measure up to that standard。 This is actually completely different。 Asides from a few shared characters， this is completely different。 These bite-sized stories can be consumed a few at a time or just all at once。 Many books are labeled as 'reimagined' fairy tales， and this book is one of the few books that measure up to that standard。 This is actually completely different。 Asides from a few shared characters， this is completely different。 These bite-sized stories can be consumed a few at a time or just all at once。 。。。more
Laurie Hnatiuk
，
Interesting twists on "familiar" fairytales reflecting themes/issues in today's world。 If I was still teaching I would use these short story adaptations in grade seven and eight。 I found the first few stories would be geared more to a YA audience and then the later stories more middle grade。 The writing itself stands out following the model of the Original Grimm fairytales and is dark and foreboding depending on the stories。 It would be important to know your audience as some of the stories may Interesting twists on "familiar" fairytales reflecting themes/issues in today's world。 If I was still teaching I would use these short story adaptations in grade seven and eight。 I found the first few stories would be geared more to a YA audience and then the later stories more middle grade。 The writing itself stands out following the model of the Original Grimm fairytales and is dark and foreboding depending on the stories。 It would be important to know your audience as some of the stories may act as triggers。 。。。more
Ashley
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Twisted the tales and made them good ！！！ We all have lessons to learn， they just might not always be the ones we think we need。
Patricia
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I’ve read a lot of fairy tale retold and reimagined， but nothing - nothing！ - like this。 Chainani completely disrupts the old tales and rewrites them ferociously for all those readers who never once saw themselves in those stories。There is power here - power of women and girls， power of color， power of sex - all woven together into a dark and delicious raised fist to the traditional， exclusionary tales。Little girls with onyx skin and springy curls will see themselves here， as will beautiful boys I’ve read a lot of fairy tale retold and reimagined， but nothing - nothing！ - like this。 Chainani completely disrupts the old tales and rewrites them ferociously for all those readers who never once saw themselves in those stories。There is power here - power of women and girls， power of color， power of sex - all woven together into a dark and delicious raised fist to the traditional， exclusionary tales。Little girls with onyx skin and springy curls will see themselves here， as will beautiful boys who prefer red-haired thieves to brittle wives。There is anger here， but there’s also righteousness。 These are tales for our time。Highly Recommended。 。。。more
Bibloveplace books&things
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The final story， was so beautiful & definitely my favourite*， though I enjoyed all of them and the writing was magical！
Danielle Zimmerman
，
Many storytellers have written and rewritten and flipped and skewed and taken inspiration from fairy tales for centuries。 In fact， the versions we’re most familiar with now are retellings themselves。 Soman Chainani’s Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales is a fascinating new entry in that tradition， updating fairy tales to speak to modern issues and senses of self。The protagonists are clever and self-assured， even when dealing with the aftermath of their own bad decisions。 They never waver from who Many storytellers have written and rewritten and flipped and skewed and taken inspiration from fairy tales for centuries。 In fact， the versions we’re most familiar with now are retellings themselves。 Soman Chainani’s Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales is a fascinating new entry in that tradition， updating fairy tales to speak to modern issues and senses of self。The protagonists are clever and self-assured， even when dealing with the aftermath of their own bad decisions。 They never waver from who they are at their center but always learn something new and discover another facet to themselves。Out of all of these tales， one that really stands out to me and makes this entire book worth reading （even though the stories are all worthy in their own right） is the one about Peter Pan。 But it’s not about Peter Pan。 It’s about Wendy。 And what happened next， as well as the beautiful but heartbreaking march of time。 I wasn’t prepared for such a story but now I can’t get it out of my head。If you’re looking for a bit of an escape， or if it’s been a while since you’ve read a new take on an old classic， I suggest giving this collection a try。 。。。more
Leann
，
Beasts and Beauty was such a great read to kick off Spooky Season！ This is a collection of twelve twisted fairy tales - all drastically different from the original （and VERY different from the Disney version！）。Most， if not all， of the fairy tales were set in a different culture than the original， which added a unique twisted element to the story。I really like that this book was set up in twelve short stories， which meant I had the option to devour the whole thing in one sitting， or could choose Beasts and Beauty was such a great read to kick off Spooky Season！ This is a collection of twelve twisted fairy tales - all drastically different from the original （and VERY different from the Disney version！）。Most， if not all， of the fairy tales were set in a different culture than the original， which added a unique twisted element to the story。I really like that this book was set up in twelve short stories， which meant I had the option to devour the whole thing in one sitting， or could choose to spread out my reading over a few days or weeks。 （However， the writing is so good， you’re definitely going to wind up devouring this one。）While some of these tales are definitely darker than others， this book would be perfect for upper-middle grade readers who are into some spookier readings， as well as adults who have a love of fairy tales and fairy tale retellings。Thank you to Turn the Page Tours， Soman Chainani， and HarperCollins for the review copy and for having me on this tour！ 。。。more
Vanessa
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Currently sobbing over the last story！ Each and every one of these 12 tales made my heart wrench in different ways， whether it be love or longing， each story taught a lesson。 My favorite retellings by far <3
Kayla
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SGE fans。。。。 just wait until you get to the last story 😭✋
Anna Hopkinson
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I loved this book。 I have always loved fairy tales which is why I am drawn to Chaniani's books anyway and I really enjoyed reading classic fairy tales with new twists。 I was also excited to find that one of the stories took place in the SGE universe and even featured my favourite character as a baby。 I loved this book。 I have always loved fairy tales which is why I am drawn to Chaniani's books anyway and I really enjoyed reading classic fairy tales with new twists。 I was also excited to find that one of the stories took place in the SGE universe and even featured my favourite character as a baby。 。。。more
Leandra
，
BLOG POSTOverall rating: 8。5/10Beasts and Beauty was an incredibly awesome set of fairytale retellings， most with some type of subversion to the original fairytales plots。 What I really liked about the stories in particular was that there was an interesting focus on beauty and being a beast （as the title already alludes to！） and what that really means。 The representation in the stories was also really phenomenal， with some of the original fairytales including a wider variety of cultures and sexu BLOG POSTOverall rating: 8。5/10Beasts and Beauty was an incredibly awesome set of fairytale retellings， most with some type of subversion to the original fairytales plots。 What I really liked about the stories in particular was that there was an interesting focus on beauty and being a beast （as the title already alludes to！） and what that really means。 The representation in the stories was also really phenomenal， with some of the original fairytales including a wider variety of cultures and sexualities。 Overall， a really excellent read and I can’t wait for Soman to bring out another set of fairytales！ Individual ratingsLittle Red Rising Hood: 8/10The ending actually really got to me in this first story and filled my heart with a lot of warmth。 I generally also just really loved the subversive elements of this fairytale （e。g。 the girls being “sacrificed” to the wolves， the wolf and grandmother’s roles in the cottage etc。）。 It was quite a short story though， and I wished it would have been a tad longer。 Snow White: 7/10 The only reason why I’m giving this only seven stars and not more is more to do with the fact that the overall plot of this book was just very similar to the original Snow White fairytale。 Don’t get me wrong， I really loved how Snow White was a woman of a color who struggle with heavy racism throughout her life and how in the end she found solace and sanctuary amongst the dwarves。 The overall plot however wasn’t that different and the ending just left me feeling a tad meh。 Still an all-around good story though， and the illustrations in this story were gorgeous。 Sleeping Beauty: 5/10This short story was just incredibly confusing to me， if I’m honest。 I don’t really understand half of what happened。 I understand that the prince had some sort of relationship with a type of monster， but because we barely got any details， it was just kind of freaky to imagine how he got the scratches。 Would have liked some more details。 And the hand thing was just a bit too much for me。 Rapunzel: 9/10I really， really liked this short story。 It was kind of strange， especially the relationship between Rapunzel and her “father”。 However， the story was still kind of badass and really subverted the idea that a girl locked up in a tower would fall head over heels for just anyone。 Rapunzel was a genuine badass。 Jack and the Beanstalk: 8/10 This was an interesting story， and was actually quite sweet at the end。 What I liked （if I understood the story correctly） was how the land of the giants mirrored Jack’s inner thoughts about his family。 I was overall really pleased with the ending and thought it was really sweet。Hansel and Gretel: 9。5/10I absolutely adored this story！ It was so original and I absolutely loved the desi representation。 It was so sweet to see the love between the children and their mother。 Now I really would love to try one of those sweets！ Beauty and the Beast: 8。5/10This story was incredibly heartbreaking at the end， and yet really beautiful and teaches a valuable lesson of being careful when looking but not seeing。 Although the core elements of the typical Beauty and the Beast fairytale were intact， I still felt like the story had a lot more depth to it than the story we all know。 Mei and her own dreams were actually quite fleshed out， and she was a more flawed character than Belle。 Overall a great story， with a rather tragic ending。 Bluebeard: 8/10I have to admit， I don’t actually know the original Bluebeard fairytale， so I can’t really compare that version to Soman’s。 However， I did like this story and how it really focused on the love that Pietro had for the other orphaned boys。 Cinderella: 9/10This fairytale was actually completely different from the original one。 In this， the mouse who befriends Cinderella is actually the Prince’s long-lost love， Magdalena who was cursed to be a mouse by a witch who stole the Prince。 The story is about the mouse taking Cinderella to the ball so she can tell the Prince that she is still alive。 I really loved this story， and that in the end， it was more about friendship and love than about romance （or a romance between two girls， depending on how you interpret it！）。 The Little Mermaid: 7/10This wasn’t really a story at all， but rather a conversation between the little mermaid （Arielle I guess？） and the “evil” witch。 It was quite interesting， since the witch illuminates the fact that the story could easily be read the other way around （with the little mermaid as the “witch”） and that the true love of fairytales is usually shallow and pushes the heroine to only be submissive。 An overall interesting conversation， but I wish it would have been an actual story， and not just eight pages of dialogue。 Rumpelstiltskin: 8/10I did really enjoy this short story， though the one thing that was kind of disappointing was that the story was almost exactly the same as the original fairytale。 No extra twists or some kind of plot subversion。 However， it was still really well written （as is all of Soman’s work！） and so I did really enjoy reading it。 Peter Pan: 8。5/10Wow this story was incredibly heartbreaking， oh my word！ I honestly wasn’t expecting that ending， but it was still incredibly beautiful。 It was also nice that the story began after the original Peter pan story ended， and that it wasn’t just a regular retelling， if that makes sense。 。。。more
B
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4。5 StarsWow this book was so beautifully written。 I loved the stories and hope to see another collection of tales soon。 Also， the connection between this book and SGE？？ I will not be ok for a while …。
LS Johnson
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Wonderful reimagining of fairy tales and “Disney stories”。 I far prefer all of these spins， many multicultural， on the originals。 The writing， the word choices， were fabulous！ I was drawn in to everyone of the stories and never wanted any of them to end。 But this book is not for the weak spirited， there is death and some gruesome details。 This is one of the best books I’ve read this year。
Kate
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I’m not sure how I felt about this book。 Some stories were good， some I felt were not great， a lot felt inappropriate for kids。
ทixi৳ท
，
↠ Well， what can I say:↠ It wasn’t awful， but most of the stories weren’t written for me。 ↠ Was there any one where I rolled my eyes， what the hell was that？↠ There were some where I said okay-okay 。。 it went for a one-time reading。↠ And I liked four stories， which was good overall。↠ Is it worth reading？ If you’re really bored or want to increase your reading stats， feel free to cut into it。 Otherwise， I don’t really recommend it because most stories are pretty morbid。 ↠ Well， what can I say:↠ It wasn’t awful， but most of the stories weren’t written for me。 ↠ Was there any one where I rolled my eyes， what the hell was that？↠ There were some where I said okay-okay 。。 it went for a one-time reading。↠ And I liked four stories， which was good overall。↠ Is it worth reading？ If you’re really bored or want to increase your reading stats， feel free to cut into it。 Otherwise， I don’t really recommend it because most stories are pretty morbid。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Beasts and Beauty
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Beasts and Beauty&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Beasts and Beauty&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0