Bookending Spring is an event hosted by Sam of Fictionally Sam and Clo of Cuppa Clo in which book bloggers from all over get together to discuss books using spring themes. There are lots of great prompts I’m excited to respond to.

Today’s prompt is brought to you by Megan of Ginger Mom Company and Sam of Fictionally Sam.

Let’s talk about the new and the old! Pick 2-4 fairytale retellings and discuss— did you like the original or the remake?

Like Sam, I’ve decided to discuss two retellings of “Beauty & The Beast,” which seems to be the most popular fairytale to retell. Could it be because of the “beauty comes from within” theme or are authors just a bunch or furries? Who knows and who cares?

One of these retellings is the worst BATB retelling I’ve read, while the other is the best. My answers my surprise you.

The Worst

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

I found that this book leans too heavily on the hero/villain romance trope without doing enough to build it up. Nyx is a fairly dull protagonist who fairly quickly abandons her goal of killing Ignifex, the very thing she was raised to do. I’ve seen people describe her as morally gray, but I don’t agree. I probably would’ve DNF’d this book, except that I read it during my infamous Year of No DNFs. At least the cover is pretty.

The Best

Hunted by Meagan Spooner

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Yeva is endearing in a different way than how “Beauty” is usually portrayed. She’s a hunter, not out of necessity (at least, not at first), but out of a genuine love for the sport. The way the Beast is handled is interesting and unique as well. It’s a little bit dark, but you can genuinely see Yeva slowly taming the Beast. I also love how Russian fairy tales are weaved into the story. The plot is very character-driven. It’s pretty slowly paced, but I’m okay with that as long as the quality is good, and this book’s is great.

What are some of your favorite fairytale retellings? What are some of your least favorites? Tell me about them in the comments!