Thorn of Rose: A Beauty and the Beast Retelling by Emily Deady (Fairy Tale Royals book 2)
I loved the first book in the series so much (Shard of Glass) that I dived straight into the next one, and I was thrilled to find it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling.
Cursed by a spell that was meant to kill his brother, Aden is doomed to live out the rest of his life as a beast.
A magic rose kept the curse from killing him, but when the last petal falls, Aden will lose the last of his humanity and will become a true beast. Knowing the inexperienced doctors can’t save him, Aiden flees to the mountains where he won’t be able to hurt his family.
The king of the five kingdoms has demanded scrolls to help fight the coming war with the majis. but Isa’s father is too ill to search for them. Accompanied by an elderly pair of servants and her sister’s handsome but egotistical tutor, Isa travels to the family’s second home in the mountains.
Aiden’s abandoned sanctuary is no longer empty. And Isa is faced with a monster in her home. When the storm washes out the only bridge to the house, the two must learn to put up with each other.
I loved watching the relationship develop between these two. They discuss books and help each other. They grow past preconceived beliefs to write their own story.
“They sat there, holding each other in sorrow, watching their dreams dissipate as the morning light finally broke over the southern mountains.”
This sums up the beautiful tragedy of the tale. Aden and Isa realize their love for each other before the last petal falls. But they haven’t yet broken the curse, and Aden is doomed to remain a beast forever.
Deady skillfully balances this sense of despair with the hope the familiar tale inspires. This is definitely one of my favorite Beauty and the Beast retellings. I love all the sneaky hints to the beloved movie version as well.
Five Roses – One of the sweetest and heartbreaking romances I’ve read
Zero swears – a couple made up words that weren’t offensive.
One Fox – a couple chaste kisses.
One Sword – no blood and no real fight scenes.
