The last one in my possession has finally arrived! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the last of the Twisted Tale which stays in my library, I named: Beauty and the Beast. In fact, the real title of the book is: « As Old as Time, What If Belle’s Mother Cursed The Beast? ». But we understand each other, don’t we? I also want to add before continuing that this is not really the last in the series. Indeed, there are other Disney’s that have been « Twisted » however, I have neither read nor bought them or even had the honor to lay eyes other than on their cover. But who knows? Maybe someday … when I’m rich …
Book’s Card
- Title: As Old As Time
- Author: Liz Braswell
- Serie: Twisted Tale
- Publisher: Disney
- Published: 2019
- Number of pages: 421 pages
Back to our little animals. For those who did not have Disney to accompany them, a little reminder on the story of this work presented by this dear Walt.
Belle is a young girl who lives with her inventor father in a small village, withdrawing from everything. Passionate and educated, she has toured this small world and dreams of adventure which makes her seem marginal in the eyes of the villagers. Nevertheless, she is spotted by Gaston, a great narcissistic hunter, and never ceases to avoid him. One day, his father goes to the fair in the big city to sell his inventions. Lost in the forest, he ends up finding refuge in a chilling castle. He has the misfortune of displeasing the owner of the premises who is none other than a beast. The latter is a prince who has been bewitched for refusing charity to an old woman. His sentence is to find love despite his appearance before the last petal of a magic rose falls. Belle, worried about her father, finds him and takes his place. Returning coldness for coldness, heat for heat, the two roommates end up getting to know each other and befriending each other. Officially still a prisoner, Belle does not take full advantage of what her new friend offers her. The latter gives her back her freedom so that she can return to her father. However, Gaston did not give up his desire to marry Belle, trying to force her by taking her father hostage. Realizing that he will not succeed, he changes target and heads towards the castle to kill the Beast. Belle and her father rush to her aid. Final fights, last-minute confessions, the evil is annihilated and the spell is lifted. The castle becomes welcoming and the Beast returns to its original human appearance.
For those who would have read my old articles, it is rare that I describe as much and especially almost the whole of a story. Although I stayed in the main lines, I said more than usual. The reason for this concerns the book I am going to talk about today. Indeed, the version presented in Twiste Tale is too complex to share only a little of the Disney story.
The summary on the back of the book is this:
Belle is a lively young woman: intelligent, resourceful, impatient. Curious, she only aspires to escape her little village for good. She wants to explore the world, despite her father’s reluctance to leave the cottage, in case Belle’s mother returns – a mother she barely remembers. But Belle is above all the prisoner of a frightening and angry beast – this is her main concern. Yet when Belle touches the Beast’s enchanted rose, strange images overwhelm her, images of a mother she never thought to see again. Stranger still, she realizes that her mother is none other than the beautiful enchantress who once cursed the beast, its castle and all its inhabitants. In shock, Beauty and the Beast must unite to unlock the dark secret around their families – a twenty-one year old secret.
My opinion? What question! Of course I liked this book. We are not going to lie to each other, it could not come off as a loser by offering me one of my favorite heroines. Although I am no more drawn to the fantastic than that, or at least not when it is too present, I enjoyed this story from start to finish. Liz Braswell was able to perfectly make sense of the Curse of the Beast while leading a fantastic investigation for Belle and her family. The story is dark without being too dark. She is full of magic without it being overdosed. I think I’ll even reread it after this article.
What are you waiting for? So read it! Fresh out of the oven magic mystery flavor cookie! You will enjoy!
Chapeau Rouge et Livres en bottes 