Author: Nancy Ohlin
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genre: Young Adult, Retelling
Release Date: May 7th, 2013
Source: from publisher for review
Purchase: TBD | Amazon
Looks to kill for...
Ana is nothing like her glamorous mother, Queen Veda, whose hair is black as ravens and whose lips are red as roses. Alas, Queen Veda loathes anyone whose beauty dares to rival her own—including her daughter.
And despite Ana’s attempts to be plain to earn her mother’s affection, she’s sent away to the kingdom’s exclusive boarding school.
At the Academy, Ana is devastated when her only friend abandons her for the popular girls. Isolated and alone, Ana resolves to look like a true princess to earn the acceptance she desires.
But when she uncovers the dangerous secret that makes all of the girls at the Academy so gorgeous, just how far will Ana go to fit in?
I have always been a fan of retellings (as I'm sure you have heard me say before), so when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. And let's face it, the cover is beautiful!
Beauty is a retelling of the classic Snow White. But instead of being a wicked step-mother, it's a wicked mother who becomes jealous of her daughter's beauty. And Ana will do anything for her mother's approval, even if it means she needs to become hideous. But when the Beauty Consultant informs Queen Veda that her daughter will still surpass her in beauty she decides it's time to send her daughter away to a boarding school.
The characters were great! I really liked the relationship that Ana had with Pell. They have such a strong friendship, even when times are tough and things start to strain at their friendship, they always seem to pull through.
Ana also loved her mother the Queen, very much and was always trying to please her. They had a more unconventional bond. Although Ana was alienated by her mother, she still loved her and still desperately tried to win her approval.
The story was quite good, however, very predictable. I could see where the direction of the story was going halfway through the book as soon as her friend, Pell, was accepted to a boarding school. I did wish to read more of what happened at the end of the book, instead the reader was kind of left hanging a little.
All in all, this was a great first novel for Nancy Ohlin and I cannot wait to read more. I would recommend this for anyone ages 14 and up.
0 comments:
Post a Comment