Top 12 Beauty and the Beast Retellings
beautiful woman. monsterous men. a classic tale retold
f you don’t know the story of Beauty and the Beast it was originally written by a French writer named Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. In her version of Beauty and the Beast, the beauty is the daughter of the king and wicked fairy, the same fairy that turned the prince into the beast. Beauty and the Beast was later adapted by the Grimm brothers, this is the version that we are all familiar with.
However, in recent years we have come to love the movie version of Beauty and the Beast by Disney. In Disney’s version Belle is a total bookworm and is known as a peculiar woman because of this. In the cartoon version of Beauty and the Beast we follow Belle on a journey to save her father who has fallen ill and is being held as a prisoner in the Beast’s castle, Belle then rushes to the castle to save her father and trades places with him. Belle is then kept at the castle, and slowly falls for the Beast. In the live action version, it stayed as close as possible to the original movie and for that I absolutely loved the live action. I believe that Emma Watson did a fantastic job as Belle, and really brought the character to life.
Like so many readers I love a good retelling of the classic romance story of Beauty and the Beast. This just happens to be one of my favorite Disney movies too. So, what better way to reach the book nerds in all of us than an article on one of our favorite stories.
the top 12 Beauty and the Beast retellings in the bookish world
Radiance by Grace Draven
Is about a human princess, Ildiko, and an alien prince, Brishen, who are arranged to be married to unite their kingdoms. The two races find each other physically repulsive, so you can say this was a match made in the fiery pits of Tartarus. While they may not be physically attracted to each other, they share a kinship that goes beyond physical appearances. If you enjoy a slow burning romance, who want nothing to do with each other than this is a story you will enjoy.
Soon after her move to New Orleans, ballet dancer Clare Campbell is fascinated by the heartbreaking legend of Windisle Plantation and the tragedy that took place behind its walls.
Determined to uncover the secrets hidden within the beautiful crumbling structure, Clara travels to the plantation and is shocked to find that it is not abandoned like she has been told.
That’s where she meets Jonah.
This retelling of Beauty and the Beast has fairytale descriptions that make it hard to put the book down
Now we have all fallen in love with Sarah J. Maas’s retelling of Beauty and the Beast so much so that we all read her series in days. We follow a human named Feyre as she gets taken to the Fae realm after killing a wolf. She finds herself living in a house with her captor who she finds herself falling for. This version of Beauty and the Beast is one of my personal favorites, Feyre must decide if she will save the beast she has fallen for or stay with her family after being returned. In this version of Beauty and the Beast we see Tamlin’s beast form once in the beginning of the book when he takes Feyre and its described as being as big as a bear but with a wolves face, but in his human form he has to wear a mask that he was cursed to wear along with his entire court so much like the fairytale not only is the prince cursed but his people.
Fern Taylor knows what it is like to be invisible and overlooked. The only person who has ever really taken the time to see her is Bailey, her best friend and cousin. However, when her friend Rita ropes her into penning love letters as her to the town’s golden boy, Fern realizes that she does want to be seen. Ambrose Young is a gorgeous star wrestler with a full scholarship to college and a bright future. What no one knows is that he’s drowning under the pressure to retain his winning streak. When the need to escape lands him and his four best friends in the military during 9/11, he suffers a devastating tragedy that leaves him mentally and physically scarred.
This is also one of my favorite retellings of beauty and the beast. I own this exact book and couldn’t put it down! It follows Harper who suffers from cerebral palsy. It gives a whole new twist to Beauty and the Beast. It follows the story of Prince Rhen who was cursed by a sorceress to repeat his 18th birthday because he denied her what she wanted. So, the prince is forced to kidnap girls to get them to fall in love with him even when they find out that he is a beast. One night Harper sees a stranger trying to kidnap a girl and so she tries to save the stranger only to be taken herself, but doesn’t go willingly, instead she fights off her attacker only to be transported into an unknown world. She slowly begins to understand what is at stake for prince Rhen and has to figure out if she can really love a monster.
Struck with misfortune, Bryony and her sister are now without a father, a home, or money, forcing them to make a living in an unfamiliar city far from home. When a blizzard leaves Bryony stranded, she finds safety in a secluded, abandoned manor. However, Bryony soon learns that the gothic structure may be home to much more than she bargained for, including a cursed beast and dark sorcery. This is a retelling of the classic story of beauty and the beast but with a dark twist.
Set in a village plagued by a deadly evil known as the Wood, Agnieszka and every other young girl grew up knowing that one of them would be swept away by the Dragon, the wizard who keeps the evil at bay. Everyone believed that it would be the beautiful and sweet Kasia that would be his tribute. However, no one is more surprised than Agnieszka when she learns that the Dragon has his sights set on someone else.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world plagued by the undead, Lan is simply trying to survive. When her mom falls prey to the zombies, Lan ventures to the walled city of Haven where Azrael, the Lord of the Beautiful Dead, resides to end his reign of death. This is said to be one of the best dark retellings of Beauty and the Beast.
To escape her abusive home and an unwanted marriage, Caitrin races off to the haunting, mist-covered lands of Whistling Tor. Desperate for money and a place to stay, she takes a summer job as a scribe to the isolated lord of Whistling Tor, Anluan. This is the classic love story of Beauty and the Beast set in the spooky setting of Whistling Tor.
The Wrath and the Dawn tells the story of an eighteen-year-old caliph, Khalid, who takes a new bride each night only to have a silk cord wrapped around their neck each morning and a commoner, Shahrzad, who is intent on ending after her best friend falls victim to Khalid. If you love to read about cunning heroines set in the enemies to lovers’ trope this is a must read.
Princess Sophia sets out to save the cursed kingdom of Palinar and its beastly prince – a prince who is slowly stealing pieces of her heart. And when it comes time to choose between love and saving the kingdom, Sophia must follow her heart. This version of the classic story is perfect for YA readers.
When billionaire CEO and diagnosed psychopath Sebastian Lindstrom meets Camille Briarlane at a business party, he decides then and there that he wants her. So, he does what any guy would do and takes her hostage at his castle-like mansion. If you are a fan of dark romance and enjoy a little bit of kidnapping and romance than this is a version of Beauty and Beast for you.
CONCLUSION
After discovering the top 12 Beauty and the Beast retellings, I now want to go and purchase all these books. What surprised me is that one of my favorite retellings is a part of this list. A Curse so Dark and Lonely is not as well-known as A Court of Thorns and Roses but I’m excited to know that I own two of the twelve best retellings of one of my favorite fairytales. Personally, Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairytales and I love to read the retellings of this specific story because it’s a tale as old as time.