Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley (2008, Paperback, Reprint)

I bought this book because I am batty about Beauty and the Beast stories. It is my favorite fairy tale. I have a large collection of children's books and quite a few re-told for adults. This is defiantly an adult book although teens might like it. If you love fairy tales and Robin McKinley’s work you will be pleased to add this book to your collection. Although I prefer her first novel Beauty to this later re-telling of the Beauty and the Beast story, I enjoyed this book and have added it to my collection.

All the happenings in the usual story format come to being, but with twists on the usual occurrences. In this re-telling of an old French story Beauty’s sisters are not cruel or selfish and Beauty has a touch of magic herself in the form of vivid dreams of being lost in a castle with a monster in it from childhood. As the story unfolds, Beauty is drawn to the Beast and works to save his rose garden. There is more than the usual touch of magic about this book, including golden unicorn dung for fertilizer. In this version of the story unfolds like I have only wished others did in that the Beast … well that would be telling would it?