The Beast’s Heart- A Disney Nerds’ Book Club Review

For this month’s book review, we took a step away from the official Disney tales and found a great retelling of one of our favorite fairy tales. I’m referring to “The Beast’s Heart” by Leife Shallcross.

This book tells the story of Beauty and the Beast from the Beast’s side.

We meet the Beast after he’s already been cursed. He is a recluse and lives alone. Just like the Disney version, his peace is interrupted by someone who trespasses into his home. This is Belle’s father but in this book, Belle’s name is Isabeau.

Just like the Disney version though, Isabeau is willing to take her father’s place and stay with the Beast. We follow the tale as the Beast realizes that Isabeau is the key to breaking the spell. He falls in love with her and must figure out how to make her fall in love with him. But unlike the Disney version, there are no enchanted friends to help him. He must figure this out on his own. Luckily, this version of the Beast doesn’t have a temper like our Disney one.

Another difference is Isabeau is not just book smart. She varies in her pursuits because we learn that not only did she take care of her father but her two sisters. The two sisters are new to all of us that are fans of the Disney version. Luckily, there is still an enchanted mirror so we get to glimpse into the life of the sisters which helps expand the story. At first, the sisters don’t come off well. It made me wonder if they were going to take an “evil stepsister” type of role. That’s not the case though. We learn that because Isabeau is so kind-hearted, she did everything for her sisters. With Isabeau gone, the sisters have to learn to take care of themselves.

I don’t want to give too much away but I must say that I loved this retelling.

It was probably more along the lines of the traditional tale but I think it’s a great read for any fan of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast as well. It was great to read the story from the Beast’s point of view and from a version of the Beast is not what we’re used to as Disney Nerds. So I would recommend grabbing this book for yourself and taking a look at this beloved tale from another view.