Publishers Weekly
★ 03/04/2024
Donnelly (Molly’s Letter) submerses readers in a historical romance rich with emotional turbulence in this lushly rendered “Beauty and the Beast” reimagining. Beau is, as his name implies, beautiful. In the band of thieves with which he rides, he’s the seducer, making off with targets’ hearts alongside their jewelry and silver. As Beau and company careen through the woods of France post-heist, they come upon a castle whose banquet tables are lain with a feast. Confronted by a beast as they contemplate looting the residence, the rest flee, sacrificing Beau. As he plots his escape, he meets the household’s warm and strangely caring servants, as well as a vicious group of ladies-in-waiting who attend to the castle’s proprietor, the lovely yet cold Lady Arabella. The more Beau sees of his new home, the more he questions his primal need to flee—even in the face of the beast that roams the castle at night. Delicately limned characters brimming with tenable desires and fears provide the foundation upon which Donnelly presents life lessons about chosen family, self-empowerment, and personal truth, and levying moments balance this dreamy, sublimely written tale. Ages 12–up. (May)
From the Publisher
Praise for Beastly Beauty:
*"Delicately limned characters brimming with tenable desires and fears provide the foundation upon which Donnelly presents life lessons about chosen family, self-empowerment, and personal truth, and levying moments balance this dreamy, sublimely written tale." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
"With this gender-swapped “Beauty and the Beast,” Donnelly has crafted an absorbing fairy-tale retelling. Each of the main characters is complicated, possessing good intentions that have been buried thanks to harsh circumstances. The main pleasure of this book, aside from the witty dialogue and the delightful suspense of the slowly unfurling mystery, comes from witnessing two lost souls find each other and become better people for it." — Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Stepsister:
*"The gorgeous prose and the fairy-tale themes have obvious appeal, but the real strengths here are the depth of character across the board; the examination of the cost of beauty in a world that reveres it; and Isabelle herself, a shattered but not unreedemable girl with a warrior's heart." — Booklist, starred review
"A breathlessly exciting and utterly satisfying fairy tale." — Kirkus Reviews
"This is another needed voice exposing cultural myths that suffocate girls in the name of likability and pit them against one another in the name of beauty." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Praise for Poisoned:
"An empowering and action-packed feminist retelling that will be popular with fantasy and fairy tale-loving teens." — School Library Journal
"[Sophie's] is a journey of self-discovery and empowerment, wrapped up in a thrilling fantasy adventure." — The Guardian
"Donnelly thoughtfully and critically unwinds the fairy tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves... With adept prose, Donnelly twists the familiar story until it bursts, artfully examining the forces that motivate us... A finale hints that more variations on this theme are to come, and readers will welcome them." — Booklist
"A good accompaniment to Donnelly's own Stepsister and Haydu's Ever Cursed." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Lush prose depicts a vaguely Germanic fantasy landscape populated with intriguing legends and creepy horrors." — Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal
05/01/2024
Gr 8 Up—With this novel, Donnelly has written a familiar but unique story. Beau is a thief who relies on his good looks to get away with his crimes. While working with other thieves, he stumbles upon a castle that seems to have magically appeared. It is too tempting for the thieves to ignore, so they go in, but are almost killed by a beast. Beau lives but is trapped at the castle where he meets Arabella, the head of the house. Arabella's ladies-in-waiting carefully guard her, and they are only one of the mysteries surrounding the castle. Beau's main concern is getting out of the castle, but he also wants to learn the secrets that everyone is hiding. Arabella and Beau, different as can be, are drawn to each other. From the start, it is easy to like Beau's charming character, while Arabella is initially a harder character to discern. Via painful flashbacks, readers see how Arabella, who once had a mind of her own and spoke up for what she believed, has been reduced to a character who cannot even remember what she loves. By the end, readers will be rooting for her. Along with setting a beautiful scene, Donnelly has written a story where readers will be turning pages to see the main characters find each other. VERDICT Middle and high school librarians will want this in their collections.—Michelle Lettus
