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Of Beast and Beauty
Author:
Jay, Stacey
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Class:
Fiction
Age: 14-19
Language: English
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LC: PZ7
Grade: 9-12
Print Run: 15000
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ISBN-13: 9780385743204
LCCN: 2012034854
Imprint: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publisher: Delacorte Press
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Pub Date: 07/23/2013
Availability: Out of Stock Indefinitely
List: $17.99
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Hardcover
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Physical Description:
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391 p. ; 22 cm.
H 8.49",
W 6.1",
D 1.31",
1.1 lbs.
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LC Series:
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Brodart Sources:
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Brodart's Insight Catalog: Teen
Brodart's TOP Young Adult Titles
Brodart's YA Reads for Adults
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Bibliographies:
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Awards:
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Horn Book Guide Titles, Rated 1 - 4
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Starred Reviews:
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TIPS Subjects:
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Fantasy
Romance
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BISAC Subjects: |
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Romance / General
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Fairy Tales & Folklore / General
YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Fantasy / General
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LC Subjects:
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Fantasy
Kings, queens, rulers, etc., Fiction
Monsters, Fiction
Mutation (Biology), Fiction
Toleration, Fiction
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SEARS Subjects: |
Fantasy fiction
Kings and rulers, Fiction
Monsters, Fiction
Toleration, Fiction
Variation (Biology), Fiction
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Reading Programs: |
Accelerated Reader Level:
5.4
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Points: 15.0
Lexile Level:
830
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| Annotations |
| Brodart's TOP Young Adult Titles | 08/01/2013 |
| A blind princess's eyes are opened when mutation prevention herbs reveal Princess Isra's Monstrous boy prisoner as more human than she ever dared to dream. The domed city of Yuan keeps humans safe from the Banquished people with Monstrous traits who roam the world beyond. As a mutant boy named Gem tries to keep his people from starving, blind Isra receives her sight just as dark secrets come to light. 400pp. |
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| Journal Reviews |
| Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books | 07/01/2013 |
| R. Gr. 8-12. Secluded in her palace rooms and blind from early childhood, Isra knows little of her domed city, Yuan, only that its survival depends on a blood sacrifice from the queen that will require her to give her life when the city rulers see fit. Outside the dome, the tribes of mutant beasts that roam the desert grow restless, and Gem, a Monstrous warrior, infiltrates the city on a recon mission only to be captured by Isra's guards. During the course of his imprisonment, Gem strikes up a friendship with Isra that eventually blossoms into love--but the powers that be in Yuan, especially the dark magic that has the city and its rulers in its hold, aren't about to let the sacrifice go unmet. The bones of the classic "Beauty and the Beast" story are all here, imaginatively fleshed out with tropes from science fiction, fantasy, and even political drama. Despite his mutated features, it's not Gem who is the Beast but Isra, and Jay plays a delicate game, portraying Isra's ignorance and selfishness first as character flaws and then as vulnerabilities, transforming her from an unlikable brat to a sympathetic heroine. Narration alternates mostly between Isra and Gem (with a few jarring interruptions from Bo, Isra's suitor), revealing the various secrets they are both keeping from each other and reminding readers that there is far more at stake here than a simple romance, a fact that becomes clear when Isra's reluctance to act at a certain point indirectly leads to the death of Gem's infant son. That they are able to find a happy ending even after that lends a weight of sincerity to their undeniable chemistry and will please readers who like to believe that fairy tales can come true, even under dire circumstances. KQG. 400p. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIV. OF ILLINOIS, c2013. |
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| Horn Book Guide | 05/01/2014 |
| 4. Both physically blind and blind to the inequities faced by her people, Isra has been raised in the domed city of Yuan. Gem, a mutant from outside the dome, is driven by revenge for the harsh treatment under which his people suffer. Jay pens a predictable star-crossed romance but sets it in a world that ably blends science fiction, fantasy, and dystopian politics. mli. 392pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2014. |
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| Kirkus Reviews | 05/15/2013 |
| A hybrid fantasy/science-fiction retelling of "Beauty and the Beast." Seventeen-year old Princess Isra of the Smooth Skin people and 19-year-old Desert Man ("Monstrous" to Isra) Gem have nothing in common save a hatred of each other's people. So when a botched attempt to steal enchanted roses leaves the king of Yuan--Isra's father--dead and Gem captured, the last thing the pair expects is to become friends. As their friendship grows, Isra and Gem takes turns narrating their attempt to puzzle together a history whose pieces don't quite fit. While readers learn that the enchanted roses--watered by the blood of queens--that fuel the domed city of Yuan are powered by the Dark Heart, it's never clear how and why this great evil split from its counterpart, the Pure Heart. What is clear, however, is that it is sucking the life from the outside world, leaving the Monstrous to inhabit an inhospitable desert. Isra, blind and insecure, doesn't believe she has the strength to change things, but the love that blossoms between her and Gem will give her the courage to change the course of history for both of their peoples. Uneven worldbuilding, a sometimes rocky plot and an unbelievably fantastical ending take away from this engrossing tale. Romance fans may forgive its shortcomings for the sake of the intense love story. (Fantasy/science fiction. 14 & up). 400pg. KIRKUS MEDIA LLC, c2013. |
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| Publishers Weekly | 05/20/2013 |
| Ages 14-up. In Juliet Immortal and Romeo Redeemed, Jay gave an apocalyptic twist to Romeo and Juliet, and now she does so with the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast." On a far-flung planet, the descendants of humanity have evolved into two camps: Smooth Skins live in domed cities, while the Monstrous--deformed by the influence of a goddess--scrape by outside, hated and feared. Does it make sense to draw an analogy to "Beauty and the Beast" when nearly every character is a mutant, rather than just one cursed individual? In any case, Jay's characters are well-realized, and Isra, a blind princess destined to be sacrificed for her city, and Gem, a reluctant Monstrous warrior, have much more than superficial appearances to negotiate. There is a personal, romantic side to their struggle, but it's the ideological, cultural, and cosmic perils that threaten to overwhelm them. Even if the story has only a tenuous relationship to the claimed source material, Jay's setup is intriguing and her writing assured. Agent: Ginger Clark, Curtis Brown. (July). 400p. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, c2013. |
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| School Library Journal | 08/01/2013 |
| Gr 8 Up. Hundreds of years after humans landed on a distant planet, Smooth Skins live in protective domes that keep out the scaly skinned Desert People, whom they call Monstrous. Blind since childhood, 17-year-old Princess Isra makes clandestine nighttime visits to the dome's rose garden. Someday, as queen, she will have to shed her blood to water the roses and keep the city secure. To save their people from starvation, a Monstrous raiding party attempts to steal the roses and their magic. Isra demands that 19-year-old Gem be spared. She hopes that he can help her raise plants to stop the scaling skin that could doom her to banishment. Slowly Isra comes to see both literally and figuratively the deformities and mistreatment of the Banished inside the city and the injustices done to the Desert People outside. Gem realizes that Isra, too, is a prisoner, destined to marry Bo, whose powerful father manipulates events to make sure his son will rule the kingdom. Eventually Isra learns that the queens' bloodletting actually feeds an evil Dark Heart beneath the flowers. Only love between a Smooth Skin and a Monstrous can break an ancient curse. Isra, Gem, and Bo narrate chapters of this reimagining of the familiar tale. Isra and Gem reluctantly acknowledge their growing attraction that deepens into love. Bo, who might have emerged as a villain, instead questions the need for sacrifice and resists his father's demands. Explanations of complex history and legend slow the pace at times, but revelations and plot twists keep the action flowing and romance growing. Variations of conventions such as having a Monstrous attempt to steal roses and bring the dying princess to life are overshadowed by the final transformation of Isra, Gem, and their people into something entirely new, both Beast and Beauty. A satisfying read for fans of romantic fantasy. Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato. 400p. SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, c2013. |
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| ~VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates Magazine - Retired Journal) | 08/01/2013 |
| 4Q 4P S. Princess Isra has grown up knowing that her life will be sacrificed for the benefit of her people, the Smooth Skins. Though she is blind, she sees the needs of her subjects, and even wants to further help the Banished ones that are hated and condemned to a miserable existence at edges of their domed city. These humans are treated as animals because they display the traits of the Monstrous, a distorted race that lives in the desert outside the domes. When Gem, one of these mutants, is captured trying to steal the city's magic roses to save his people from starving, Isra's life changes. As more and more secrets of Isra's world come to light, Isra must choose between the destiny laid before her, or her feelings for this monster and his people's welfare, as well as her own. Author Jay does a fantastic job creating a modern-day version of the Beauty and the Beast tale with a science fiction flair and a dark twist. The characters are very well developed, and switching viewpoints between the leads allows readers to know and care deeply about them. As Isra's world changes, readers grow with her and are shocked by the revelations. While hope dwindles, readers will pull hard for their characters. Even though it is a familiar story, Jay recreates it in a fresh new way, with plenty of suspense and intrigue. There is plenty of action and just enough romance to make the story believable and engaging. It is a great update of a classic fairy tale.--Dawn Talbott. 400p. VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES, c2013. |
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9780385743204,dl.it[0].title
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