Hunted

 Synopsis

Beauty knows the Beast's forest is in her bones- and in her blood. She knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who's ever come close to discovering them.

But Yeva's grown up far from her father's lodge, raised to be part of the city's highest caste of aristocrats. Still, she's never forgotten the feel of a bow in her hands, and she's spent a lifetime longing for the freedom of the hunt. 

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there's no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas . . . or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman..

 But Yeva's father's misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he's been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance.

Deaf to her sisters' protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory- a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva's heard about only in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin- or salvation.

Who will survive: the Beauty? or the Beast?

Loved

• The fairytale feel. This is a not an action-packed, fast-paced typical YA fantasy- which I found refreshing. This very much has a fairytale feel- with a slower pace allowing focus on the discovery of enchanting magic and gradually understanding the character of the Beast. This was a very believable fairytale- with relatable characters and descriptive details of their thoughts, emotions, and motivations. This story was a perfect blend of a realistic historical period dusted with mysterious enchantment that dazzled and entranced Yeva and the readers alike.

• Yeva. This Beauty is not our whimsical, head-stuck-in-a-book Belle who we love (although she does have a love for stories :) Yeva is a hunter- smart, fierce, and deadly. She is a force to be reckoned with in the woods, yet she has a compassion and selflessness about her that makes her lovable and real. Her reactions, emotions, and thoughts are so vividly described that we really come to understand Yeva's character and her complexity. She does a lot of growing in this story, and her understanding of herself and the Beast at the end is climatic and illuminating.

• The Beast. Obviously the Beast is a complex character, but the depth he is given in this retelling has us guessing and conjecturing about his character throughout the whole story, even though we get his perspective between each chapter. His constant battle with the wolf, his bewilderment at Beauty, and his surprising thoughtfulness give the story a compelling sense of mystery and wonder.

• The family. An unexpected and happy surprise to this retelling is the addition of Yeva's two older sisters and two dogs (who are talked about as much as the humans). Yeva's relationship with and love for her sisters give the story more layers and feeling as they support, love and hurt for one another. Having six sisters myself, I'm a huge sucker for any sister bonds, and I'm completely there for any sisterly banter, reproach, and support in a story. I also completely adored the dogs being their own characters and one of them playing a fairly significant role. It's obvious reading the descriptions of the dogs' behavior that the author is a dog owner and lover, and having such accurate depictions of a doggie was definitely one of the best parts of the story ;)

Didn't Love

• I do wish we got a little more romance to go with the slow-burn between the Beast and Beauty. I'm alllll about the slow-burn, but it took so long for Yeva to understand her heart that we barely have any time in the story in which she actually loves the Beast. But I did appreciate that this was more realistic than her falling in love with her captor so quickly, as in many retellings of this story.

Content

• Language: 
• One or two uses of "damn."

• Sexual content:  
• One sweet kiss not described at all.
• A climatic kiss, just described as him pulling her toward her and embracing.

• Violence:
• Mention of a caravan being found with everyone murdered- mention of decapitated bodies with heads gathered together.
• A character is found dead- only bits of flesh and bone are left.
• A character is imprisoned and held in a cell for days.
• A character stabs another character in the shoulder.
• A character stabs another character in the throat- blood described as squirting all over.
• Much talk of hunting and killing animals and beasts throughout the story.

Overall Thoughts

This was everything you could want in a more realistic and historically accurate retelling of the classic fairytale. This is a Beauty with complexity, depth, ferocity, and strength that is even deadlier than the formidable Beast. The Slavic influence, mysterious mythology, enchanting magic, and believable characters all combine to transport readers into a gorgeous fairytale. Don't go into this expecting a fast-paced YA fantasy, because you will be disappointed. But if you are looking to be enchanted with a lyrical, methodically unfolding fairytale, then do not miss this retelling of Beauty and the Beast.