This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no extra cost to you.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are honest and my own.
Kill the Beast Series: Beast Hunters #1 by Michele Israel Harper
Genres: Fairy Tale Retelling, Fantasy
ISBN: 978-1943788330Ro remembers the castle before. Before the gates closed. Before silence overtook the kingdom. Before the castle disappeared. Now it shimmers to life one night a year, seen by her alone.
Once a lady, now a huntress, Ro does what it takes to survive--just like the rest of the kingdom plunged into despair never before known.
But a beast has overtaken the castle. A beast that killed the prince and holds the castle and kingdom captive in his cruel power. A beast Ro has been hired to kill.
Thankful the mystery of the prince's disappearance has been solved, furious the magical creature has killed her hero, Ro eagerly accepts the job to end him.
But things are not as they seem.
Trapped in the castle, a prisoner alongside the beast, Ro wonders what she should fear most: the beast, the magic that holds them both captive, or the one who hired her to kill the beast.
Published by Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing LLC on September 25, 2018
Pages: 472
Format: eBook
Source: The Author's Publicist
Goodreads
Buy on Amazon
I like the book cover. It’s realistic. The colors match the tone of the book and it’s fairly simple. If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I love my fair share of fairy tale retellings. So, I wasn’t going to say no to this one.
I found this one to be an interesting take on Beauty and the Beast. Rosette – or Ro for short – is a huntress who is hired to kill the beast. As a retelling, it’s easy to assume what the ending will be like. However, there are a lot of twists, turns, and lore packed into this one. It was darker than most but very well done and unique.
While the story itself was good, I had a hard time clicking with the characters. I had a hard time caring about Ro’s family and her sister Cosette mostly because we don’t see them much until later. So I just had to take Ro’s word for it and I didn’t click with Ro, so I didn’t really care too much about what her goals were.
The characters were very different from one another and had their own voices, though they developed kind of fast. I had a hard time connecting with Ro because of this.
The author does a great job getting the story across the page. It’s well written, easy, and fun to read, and it’s overall just a great story. However, it’s almost 500 pages long and I didn’t feel as though the story really got started until halfway through. The description and dialogue were both great, but I felt there was a lot of filler that might not have been needed.
Overall, this was a good read. I’ll admit, it wasn’t my favorite, but it was a good retelling. The characters were interesting, it was written well, and the plot was unique. I’ll be interested in reading the sequel.
Rating: 4/5 Coffee Cups
Have You Read This Book?If so, what are your thoughts? If not, does it sound interesting to you? Let’s chat about it in the comments below.
Are you looking for book reviews? Read my Book Review Policy here.
BookSirens | Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon
Rachel Poli is an indie author, podcaster, and content writer working on her debut cozy mystery novel.
Although she favors mystery, Rachel is a multi-genre author with too many ideas and characters in her head, often experimenting with short stories and flash fiction.
When she’s not writing, she’s reading, organizing something, or playing video games. She currently resides in New England with her zoo.
