As Old as Time: A Twisted Tale

Good read . Interesting view of story. Not typical story line.

I would definitely re-read this book in the future. A great gift for any beauty and the beast fan! Spoilers ahead!!! I really enjoyed this book and felt it would suffice very well as the original movie perhaps broken into 2 parts. The backstory is what really gave this book the bones. You get to delve into belles mother and father before her being born and get an insight into the history of the town, the king and queen, the prince , the plague and the mysterious disappearances in the town. There is a lot to digest in this book. There is mystery, magic, questions and little answers. The answers you do get explain the curse and the reasonings. I think we don’t always need a “and they lived happily ever after”. Sometimes you need real life conviction and taking the ending into your own assumption. You get a back story of the main villain and understand that sometimes self hatred can be worse than hatred for others. I enjoyed the non- Disney approach. There were moments of romance and violence. Something the cartoon movies shy away from. The ending was good for me- my favorite ending of the books I have read so far being “Unbirthday”. This book is my second favorite. I enjoyed the magic and mystery this book had and would recommended it to any beauty and the beast fan.

A retelling of a timeless tale that has the potential of becoming its own epic, As Old As Time brought a touch of realism that complimented well with the old fairytale we all loved. The blurb... What if Belle's mother cursed the Beast? Belle is a lot of things: smart, resourceful, restless. She longs to escape her poor provincial town for good. She wants to explore the world, despite her father's reluctance to leave their little cottage in case Belle's mother returns -- a mother she barely remembers. Belle also happens to be the captive of a terrifying, angry beast. And that is her primary concern. But Belle touches the Beast's enchanted rose, intriguing images flood her mind -- images of the mother she believed she would never see again. Stranger still, she sees that her mother is none other than the beautiful Enchantress who cursed the Beast, his castle, and all its inhabitants. Shocked and confused, Belle and the Beast must work together to unravel a dark mystery about their families that is twenty-one years in the making. This book is the first retelling of Beauty and the Beast that I've read, and it had definitely set a high standard for the next retellings I'll come across. The old Disney film that introduced this story to me all those years ago was easily enticing to a child with its fairytale atmosphere - the music, the singing, the quirky magical characters. Above all, it was because Belle was a bookworm that made her such a relatable character to me. But now, I'm an adult. Life has removed my innocence and the fairytale atmosphere is not enough to entertain or amuse me. Yet, this retelling did just that. The story was realistic and the characters were written well. I liked that Belle's curiosity and eagerness for knowledge and adventure were not lost but instead amplified. Other characters that seemed only secondary on the film were given more substance here. They became more human, more real. And it added to the charm of the story. The POV used in telling the first chapters of the story though was quite confusing that it hindered me from settling into the story's world. The reveal of the antagonist, if I should call her/him that, also somehow felt flat. Maybe because it was obvious, right from the beginning, where the story is going. Though it was brilliantly written, I couldn't really call it superb and that's why I'm only giving this a 4-star rating. Still, it was a great read. As I kept mentioning, it was realistic yet its fantastical charm isn't lost. Though I won't be recommending this book as a bedtime story for a five-year-old, I believe this book is for both young and young at heart. If you love this fairytale as a child and afraid this retelling will ruin it for you, I assure you, it won't. It actually gives it justice and so much more.

*Original review on Goodreads & My Blog* I just read the most wonderful story =) ♥ At first I was a little confused and then my light bulb went off! This starts a story of Rosalind and Maurice. Rosalind had magical powers as did many in the village. But the evil King and Queen didn't like this and starting taking all of the magical people away. They were attacked on the streets, etc. Most of these les charmantes were very nice people - ish. Most of the ones that were left, moved to right outside the village to a new village of their own. Maurice and Rosalind had little Belle =) ♥ Cut to awhile down the road and Belle is older, she trades the beast of a hidden castle to take her prisoner instead of her father. < -- yeah that sounds all crazy to those that don't really know the story but you will just have to read it to find out the whole beginning stuff =) No spoilers today! Belle finds that she's in an enchanted castle, or is she . . . Almost everything was fluttering and shuffling: the china was indeed waking from whatever slumber it enjoyed; dishes were carefully shuddering themselves to life; teacups were bouncing and trying to get out of their glass cabinet prison. The stove, which seemed so cheerful and warm and fiery at the end of the room, now began to yawn and stretch its great black iron arms and exhaust pipe. Bell drew into herself a little, alarmed. Stories of witches with their fires and stoves and terrible, terrible endings played through her head. Baba Yaga, Hansel and Gretel. . . Belle finds out about the curse on the place and wants to help the Beast and servants out. They also find out a revelation about the curse. What?! It was all just super fun to me and I enjoyed the twist on the tale. I also didn't have to listen to singing. I don't really like musicals! =( And the ending was pretty happy indeed. Happy Reading! Mel ♥

It's a quick read and very engaging. I love this book and the others in the series.

If you loved the movie as a kid, enjoy the story as an adult. I couldn't put it down once I was past the initial intro of the basic story.

PARA UN REGALO

This book is the absolute best. I was so indulged in it that I read the entire thing in 5 hours..Continuously!

I absolutely can not wait to get all the hardcovers of the twisted tales series, the hard covers are absolutely gorgeous and stunning

Me han gustado mucho estas historias, te dan otra perspectiva de historias que ya conoces. Me gustó que le dieran una mamá a Bella. Me sigue gustando más el de la sirenita pero este es muy bueno!

alles gut, gerne wieder.