It’s no secret that I am a massive fan of all things Disney, and it’s also no secret that Beauty and The Beast is my favourite Disney film. A short while ago, I discovered that there are a series of books telling Disney tales from different perspectives and it wasn’t a difficult choice to decide upon The Beast Within to be the first I would read.
The Beast Within, available from Amazon is written as part of the Disney Villains series by Serena Valentino. Published by Parragon Books, the paperback copy was released in June 2016.
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We all fell in love with Belle as she melted the Beast’s heart, but what we may have never considered is what happened to the Beast before Belle arrived in his life. The film tells us a few snippets of a curse that was laid upon the castle and everyone inside, but it focuses more upon the love story that is Belle and the Beast.
The Beast within takes us back to before the Beast was cursed. Back to when he enjoyed his days hunting with lifelong friend Gaston. The Prince was once loved by everyone and set to marry a lovely girl named Circe.
When it was discovered that Circe wasn’t of noble background the Prince was convinced to turn her away. Poor Circe was heartbroken and her three sisters set out to take revenge on the Prince that broke her heart. Promising curses and misery, the sisters sit back and watch as the Prince’s life changes slowly forever.
Despite throwing a lavish ball and meeting all the princess in the kingdom, the Prince never quite gets to meet Belle that evening, instead agreeing to marry another fair maiden. As the curse takes hold, the Prince decides that nothing will change his destiny and shuns his marriage wishing to live alone. After all his servants have begun to disappear from around him.
There are plenty of little snippets in the book referencing other Disney fairytales which made me smile whilst reading it. It was fun to know the outcome of the story, but yet to read from a completely different perspective. Whilst the book is only just over 200 pages in length, I really enjoyed this book as a Disney fan.
I don’t think by choosing to read this you will be able to be disappointed in how the story ends, as we all know how it will end, however it was interesting to learn a little more of the Beast’s personality instead of focusing all on Belle.
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