Reviews
1.17.24: lol there's a fat stack of library books sitting on my desk patiently waiting to be read and I chose instead to reread this. yeah so I forgot that I don't like straight romance all that much but . I mean. the ending of this books slaps, so, worth? I think so. The fact that Caitrin is YOUNGER THAN I AM... I spent so much of the book going girl you are EIGHTEEN calm down but also. Fair enough honestly there was so much going on. Fricken love the way she took hold of her life back from her abusers let's go idk the support in this book is not something I tend to expect from fantasy of this genre but it is awesome - Magnus, the host, the lawyers and their kin, all of them standing with Caitrin in the face of the impossible!! I like this book a lot tbh
I had bought this based off amazing reviews for the book and also because I've read one Juliet Marillier book and have already added her to my favourite authors list. I had to have it. I am very glad I did buy it because I was not wrong, it's amazing and Juliet Marillier is definitely a favourite author and an author who isn't talked about anywhere near enough. I knew this was typical of her books, set in Ireland during the Norman invasion of Ireland (I may have studied history but I'm uncertain of a specific time period) and it had her usual historical knowledge and excellent skill of writing. It was a standalone and a loose retelling of beauty and the beast but with a whole lot less magic. Instead of a household turned into household objects it was instead a household which had been cursed and scared away most of the inhabitants and was instead a fortress filled with quite literal ghosts. It was so intelligently written. I immediately liked the bravery and fragility of our main character Caitrin. She may have fled from her demons and troubles and need a good old push to face up to them but she was strong. It dealt with abuse at home and grief as Caitrin not only lost her father but then had relatives who abused her and made her feel so small and unable to stand for herself. She fled as far as she could until the prospect of living in a haunted castle sounded more appealing. Seeing her overcome her disbelief at the inhabitant around her grow closer to Anuluan was brilliant and seeing her come out of her shell and become who she was was great to see. I also enjoyed grumpy Anuluan who suffered an illness when he was young leaving him with a palsy that left half of his body weak. For many, he appeared monstrous but given time she discovered there was a strength and fragility to him. I was rooting for those two to get together that's for sure. Marillier crafts amazing characters who are flawed but so easy to grow close to. Her books have amazing history and depth to them but it truly is her amazing characters who keep you reading, I wanted to know what was going to happen to Anuluan and Caitrin and see if she did manage to resolve the curse on Whistling Tor. I admit, one of the major plottwists I saw coming from a mile off. I have chosen to see it as my mad deductive skills but I'd be interested to know if others who have read it saw the plot twist coming too. It just seemed so obvious to me, but it in no way affected my enjoyment of the book. I strongly recommend for folks who want a fantasy read which is light on the fantasy, heavy on the historical setting, with interesting and complex characters with an awesome backstory. I adored it.
I'm so torn. I was just expecting more after reading Wildwood Dancing, which was incredible. A Beauty and the Beast retelling?! You kidding me?! I'm all over that crap. But this book was not fabulous. Repetitive writing, SO MUCH EXPOSITORY DIALOGUE, lots of predictability... it just felt soooooo looooongg. HOWEVER. The characters were fabulous. Caitrin and Anluan are fantastic, flawed, fearful but courageous characters who, ultimately, I totally loved together. The romance isn't super sexy, it's real, and that was one of the best things about this book. The secondary characters are just as great-- the friendships that Caitrin develops are deep and true and wonderful, especially after all she's gone through before we meet her at the beginning of the book (the "Gaston" character is a real piece of freakin' work). But guys, that's really all I loved about this book and it makes me sad to say that. I just felt like I had to slog through another pep-talk about hope or having courage like every 10 pages instead of seeing the characters get to know each other better or getting to know them better myself. And what was with all Caitrin's questions?! Even Anluan hates it. Anluan regarded me, and all I could read on his uneven features was a profound desire to be somewhere else. After a long pause he said, "You like to talk." You don't just rock up to someone's house and start bombarding them with questions about their sketchy/sad past. And that was a pattern throughout the rest of the book. I would've liked to see Caitrin find answers for herself rather than throwing random pushy questions at everyone that would bring her closer to figuring out how to break the curse. Speaking of which, the answer was RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER like the whole time. Remember that Buffy episode (bear with me, this pertains) when Buffy was convinced that her college roommate was evil because she ironed her jeans and flossed really loudly and her toenail clippings grew overnight and obviously she needed to kill her roommate because that's totally evil?! And all of her friends were like, NO WAY Buffy, you're being ridiculous and you just hate her because she got ketchup on your sweater? But then it turned out that Buffy was RIGHT and her roommate WAS a demon?! That's what this felt like, except without any funny trope subversions and quirky Joss Whedon humor. My predictions were right the whole time and I was just hoping that MAYBE I was wrong because no way could it be that easy, and no way could NO ONE else think of this for like 100 years.... But unfortunately that was not the case. I think, in reality, this book isn't a bad book. But I had SUCH high hopes for Heart's Blood after Wildwood Dancing that I was just really disappointed. But I'm definitely not giving up on Marillier books, no way. Her settings and characters are so fantastic and maybe it was just my ridiculously high expectations that doomed it from the start.
4.5 stars
I loved this book. It is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, in which the Beast is deformed due to an illness, but his family has a curse upon them. And, you know, a bunch of ghosts that his great-grandfather brought to life to try and take over the country that have tied our leading man to his land. Really, this is such a good book. It's got some action in it if you are looking for that, very sweet romance, and some great mysteries.
This is one of my favorite books. I love Marillier's works, and Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite tales. Marillier's version does not disappoint. This book is beautiful and empowering.
