Bryony and her sisters have come down in the world. Their merchant father died trying to reclaim his fortune and left them to eke out a living in a village far from their home in the city.
But when Bryony is caught in a snowstorm and takes refuge in an abandoned manor, she stumbles into a house full of dark enchantments. Is the Beast that lives there her captor, or a fellow prisoner? Is the house her enemy or her ally? And why are roses blooming out of season in the courtyard?
This recommendation from Tracy was a really fun and sweet Beauty and the Beast retelling.
It took me a while to get into the story, for two reasons:
- I have no idea why I even started reading it since I’m very tired of fantasy and of romance
- I didn’t know it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling and was very confused for a while (although not knowing didn’t make it less enjoyable, just more confusing)
But somehow the first point didn’t bother me and the second got revealed after I read a couple of reviews for the book on The Storygraph, allowing me to enjoy my read and be absolutely obsessed with Bryony the story.
Lovely characters, a plot has a few holes but is cute enough to be forgiven, wonderful spirit, funny jokes − sounds good to me, and if it sounds good to you too, it’s a quick and lighthearted read.