The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty's Prince (Villains Book 2)

It was an interesting take in beauty and the beast and I liked it. I'm a huge Beauty and the beast fan and I've read probably 10 different versions. This one had some great back story on the Beast when he was human and how he became cursed. But once he was cursed the wonderful character development just ended. It jumped from him changing to the fight with Gaston and the end. I was hoping for his side of the story, including how he fell in love with Belle. This didn't have any of that, which was very disappointing for me.

After having read the one about the Evil Queen from Snow White, I had such high hopes for this book but was truthfully more than a little disappointed. I enjoyed the majority of the backstory given on the Beast, especially the segments regarding his former love and how his gradual transformation effected their relationship. It was interesting to see the contrast between this girl's character compared to what we know of Belle, but unfortunately, the story itself barely shows this contrast as Belle is hardly an active part of the story. The ending covered much of the events of the film but they were so rushed, and all seen from the perspective of three eavesdropping witches which were another issue I had with this story. Circe, the original enchantress, was a great character who I really enjoyed but her three meddling sisters were quite frankly just annoying. They reminded me of the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus except far less loveable. Plus, their presence pretty much took all of the meaning out of the story's character development. Instead of things happening due to the characters' own agency, these witches acted more like puppetmasters pulling the strings and making things happen which was outrageously unsatisfying. Another problem I had with this story was that part of the backstory involved the Beast and Gaston having grown up together and been best friends, only for the witches to cast a spell over everyone to forget any of that ever happened when the Beast begins to transform into the monster we know him as. This was also outrageously unsatisfying, and left me wondering what the point of that even was if it made no difference to the story? All in all, this book was decent and there were parts I did enjoy but the story in no way does justice to the original masterpiece of a film.

This book was amazing. I am normally not a fast reader because of life, but I wanted to keep reading this from start to finish. I don't really know what I was expecting. Definitely not a cookie cutter of the Disney movie, but I was not expecting this. The Beast was definitely not easy to love in the movie, but he came off as even more scary and arrogant in the book. Even though I wanted him to break the curse and live happily i also found it hard to root for him in the beginning. My one issue was time how long was the Beast a Beast? He was old enough to marry, but not yet 21 but a apparently it has been many years. He is the Prince so where are his parents they never mentioned. Those are all problems laid out on the movie so it is no wonder they are here too. Lastly did Gaston really deserve to die and wouldn't the Prince (no name give) feel remorse for his death. If Circe could bring back the Beast I wonder if she brought back Gaston? Thank you

I'm going to be honest, I literally just bought this book to sit on my dresser and look amazing! It definitely has an eye catching cover, so if your just looking for a pretty addition to your Beauty and The Beast collection, it gets the job done;) Will probably read it someday, but until then...

A rather short and quick adaptation of Disney's original award-winning film, it does seem rather rushed. About halfway through the book, it starts to delve into the original storyline, but it hurries along very quickly, skipping over Belle's arrival at the castle and hurrying to her trespass upon the West Wing to her rescue from the wolf pack that attacks her in the woods. Swiftly within a few pages you find Belle fleeing to rescue her father from illness, and before you know it the book is already over with "The End." Most of the storyline is told from the third-person perspective of three of the witches that assisted in cursing the Beast who are hellbent on driving him mad and aiding Gaston in killing him. The first half is possibly the most interesting park because it's the most original and deviates from the original story the most. The Prince's origins are the most elaborated, adding twists that weren't there in the film. I would have loved this more if it were longer, like in the book "Maleficent." It just feels far too rushed. The second half of the book would have been far more entertaining were it from the Beast's third person perspective and not the evil witches'. It does make some references to other Disney characters in the Disney universe, and the reader will find that enticing. It really is a one-time read, though I'm a huge fan of the original, but I just wanted more from it. There seems to be a lot of missed opportunity from the author to take it to further reaches. If one sits down and really dedicates their attentions to it, it can be finished within a day or two. Belle's and Beast's romance could have been explored in-depth much more, but it's hardly touched upon and breezed through. I hope someday a better adaptation is written with far-reaching details and hope-fulfilling content. The reader will just find it lacking overall, though sometimes enjoyable here and there. Don't expect a masterpiece here. I wish the publisher, author, and editor had spent more time dedicated to making it what the fans would appreciate; they really missed a big opportunity here.

Have you ever wondered why the enchantress dis such a deed to the Prince? Ok so he turned her away, but did you ever think there could be more to the story?I actually felt sorry for the Prince being turned into such a beast, but this story opened my eyes and revealed there was more to it that meets the eye.I really love the unravelling of the characters in this fantastic tale and the underlying story has me gripped and looking forward to the next tale

The beasts story- loved reading this can’t wiat to read more from the twisted tales. I’m hooked

The product itself arrived on time and was in good condition for a second hand book, however the book isn't a great read, I would recommend it for really huge fans of Disney like myself just if you are interested but I wouldn't rave about the story

Loved reading this book; finished it in a day it was so good. Really detailed and if you love beauty and the beast this book is a good twist that you dont expect. I would also suggest reading a twisted tale tale as old as time; again a brilliant book with a good twist.

Very good ty