If you love modern day fairy tale retellings, check out my sneak peek of The Rose Gate.
Watch the full video book review for The Rose Gate ( a modern day Beauty and the Beast).
Make sure you don’t miss the behind the scenes video of making this review (featured at Alnwick Castle!)
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/2SeTXwe
Also, check out Hanna Sandvig’s amazing Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/hannasandvig/
Transcript
The Rose Gate - Review
The History of Beauty and the Beast: La Belle et la Bête or Beauty and the Beast was written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in The Young American and Marine Tales. The lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and published by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in 1756 in (Children's Collection).From what I researched many anthropologists believe Beauty and the Beast was told orally for possibly four thousand years before it was written down. La Belle et la Bête was influenced by Ancient Greek stories such as "Cupid and Psyche", The Golden Ass, written in the 2nd century AD, and The Pig King, an Italian fairytale published around 1550.
Something that also surprised me when researching was the fact that La Belle et la Bête involved Fairy. The reader’s eventually learned Belle was a fairy princess instead of commoner. She might’ve been given that status due to class or social issues of that time period.
Through researching I learned the beast was originally described only as ugly, furry, fierce and frightful. He has been many animals including a wolf, monkey, snake, three-headed winged snake, horse, a pig, a lion, a frog, and probably more.
The design of the Beast in the 1946 film adaptation was inspired by the portrait of Petrus Gonsalvus who suffered from hypertrichosis, causing an abnormal growth of hair on his face and other parts.
Before I switch from sharing history about the original story to a review of the modern day book The Rose Gate let me tell you about a fancy place. I like to start off my book review videos showcasing the book at a unique location. I chose Alnwick Castle, because of its gorgeous metallic rose gate which tied in perfectly to not only the look on the cover, but also to how roses were incorporated throughout the book for different purposes. I also loved all the giant fairytale pieces of art found at the outskirts. Alnwick Castle is famous for many reasons, one of them being the poison garden. It is a reminder that even lovely things can be dangerous just like the fae realm Beauty visits.
Here is a short fun video I made to give you a sneak peek about what The Rose Gate features.
Now onto my review. I enjoyed all of the little mysteries. For example, it isn’t until about halfway through the book when you learn the main character’s name. I won’t spoil the surprise, so I will refer to her as Beauty. I understood Beauty’s personality and beliefs right away by how she spoke with the kids at the library reading group. Beauty read a fairytale, but made up her own ending. “And the Prince and Princess got married and lived happily ever after. After they got to know each other properly and the Princess went to university for at least four years to complete a bachelor’s.”
Setting plays a large role in this story. Beauty states, “The forest doesn’t need anything from you. It just is. And it’s content to let you be the same.” Eventually she ends up at Kilinaire, a rural manor in the fae realm. There she meets the inhabitants. They were once humans, but after the curse they are now talking animals including a fox, a raccoon and beast who is a bear in this story.
This was a great introduction to learning about fae (not to be confused with fairies who are considered the friendlier of the two. Fae are often described as mischievous or even malicious.)
Enough information was given when necessary to explain what their realm is like for people like me who haven’t read a lot about them. I thought Hannah Sandvig did a great job in her original way of showing how Kilinaire and its inhabitants were cursed.
I liked the way magic was used for keeping your hair in place. While I don’t mind and even sometimes enjoy putting on makeup, one of my least favorite things to do is my hair. I’d love a magic ribbon that worked itself into an intricate braid.
Magic also keeps paint from fading. There are spells of protection and preservation to keep books in perfect condition. I can relate to Beaty’s love of books. One description I liked was “I walked to the books and ran my fingers reverently over gilded spines of linen and leather.”
Another part of the story I enjoyed was the family dynamics. You get to experience Beauty’s enjoyment of Kilinaire because it’s quiet, while her home is a bit more noisy. However, as the relationship with Beast blossoms, Beauty’s relationship with her family also goes through a metamorphosis. I enjoyed watching that play out just as much as the romance. I also loved how Beauty’s family life and the fae realm overlapped in surprising ways.
Hannah Sandvig did a great job of weaving in big and little details involving roses. They play a prominent part in the story to help Beauty understand when it’s day or night at Kilinaire compared to her home since time moves differently in the fae realm.
It wasn’t hard to envision the beast as the warrior he was said to be. One of my favorite parts of the book was Beast training Beauty on how to use weapons and defend herself. This definitely gave the story part of its modern feel.
I enjoyed the journey of watching Beauty grow as a person and learn it's okay to fall in love. Even if it's with a beast.
Through reading the story I discovered I enjoy fairytale retellings, especially those set in our modern world. And, I also like trying to figure out how the new version is similar and different to the original version.
You might not be able to teach an old dog new tricks but you can rewrite an old tale in a new and enjoyable way.
Make sure to check out the behind the scenes video of The Rose Gate at Alnwick Castle. (It may look familiar if you are a Harry Potter fan).
And, if you like modern day fairytale retellings and ever wished you could live in Winter Wonderland, check out my book Princess Claus and the Great Escape. Here is a short book trailer.