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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

When Does a Great Idea Override a Mediocre Execution?

by Chautona Havig · 1 Comment

A Dark Beauty melds an unusual twist on the Beauty and the Beast Fairy tale with historical ficiton set in Victorian England. Intrigue and romance...? Yeah! via @chautonahavig

Fairy tale retellings are a dime a dozen.  No, really. They are. It’s not always deliberate, but a few in particular, occur frequently. Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and The Princess and the Frog are notable examples.

Because of this, sometimes even a mediocre story can come off as amazing simply because it’s a new spin on an old trope. A story that might have otherwise been a two or three-star read becomes three or four simply because the author managed to do something fresh or original in the retelling. That happened to me last night.

A Dark Beauty Review

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you

When Does a Great Idea Override a Mediocre Execution?

How about when an author makes us love the characters? Perhaps when a totally plausible plot keeps you turning page after page? Witty repartee?

Compassion?

There are so many reasons to love A Dark Beauty, but I’d say a unique character for our “beauty,” as well as our reason for the “beast,” top the list. A mechanically minded locksmith’s daughter meets Queen Victoria’s cousin and sparks fly!

An impertinent butler, a “Gaston-like” character who makes your skin crawl, and all the rumors, whispers, and trouble you could hope for–this book has them all.  It even has a housekeeper who is a decided nod to the Disney movie version’s “Mrs. Potts.”  You’ll never convince me otherwise.

So with all this, why did I say “mediocre execution?”

Well… because it was.  There are some serious flaws in A Dark Beauty–-ones I hate to mention because I really did enjoy the book.  I just also was left disappointed at the end.

For one thing, there is intrigue and a bit of a mystery that never gets solved.  We don’t know who did what or how. It’s as if once Dom and Georgianna are “together,” everything that conspired to make it happen as well as keep them apart doesn’t matter anymore.  What?  Why would you do this to me?

Add to that some strange anachronisms (more of the “unlikely” rather than impossible variety), and you have problems.

Some things I chose to overlook.  While Georgianna makes a couple of really stupid decisions, people do stupid things when they are grieving, scared, hurt, or otherwise have their minds occupied by trouble instead of using the sense God gave them.  I get that. In fact, as stupid as they were, they fit the story well.  They made her human and flawed.

I just wish I didn’t feel as if A Dark Beauty fizzled out at the end.

This is mostly due to a bit of deux ex machina for some of the elements that did “just happen” to work out.  Well, that and a genius plot involving Queen Victoria that we never find out the source and true plan of. It’s rather vague, contrived, and left unfinished.

And yet I liked the book. I’m glad I requested and received a review copy of it. It was an enjoyable read. No, I didn’t love it, but I’m not sorry  I read it, and I really do love Dom, Georgiana, Smith, and Mrs. Gill. They carried the book when the story flagged.  In my opinion, that counts for something.

I loved Clarissa Kae’s Of Ink and Sea, and she has a Cinderella retelling coming out in fall. I look forward to reading it.

About the Book

a dark beauty Book:  A Dark Beauty

Author: Clarissa Kae

Genre: Historical Fiction/ Fairy Tale Retelling

Release date: March 9, 2021

A Victorian Twist on Beauty And The Beast

Bold and brilliant, Georgiana has a gift for fixing machines—from clocks to carriages—while her father has a penchant for finding trouble. In an accidental fire, Georgiana and her father scar the once handsome face of Lord Pichon, cousin to the queen.

Rumors of Georgiana’s gift raise her family’s status. Her incomparable beauty captures the eye of many gentlemen and the wrath of Lord Pichon. Abandoned by his peers and alone in his cold castle, Lord Pichon is determined to enact revenge.

When Georgiana’s father makes a terrible mistake, she sacrifices herself to pay his debt—as a lowly maid in Lord Pichon’s castle.

Her wit and warmth begin to thaw Lord Pichon’s estate, making him question his version of the past. Will her kindness break the beastly lord, or will he hold her family hostage forever?

 

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  1. megan allen says

    April 3, 2021 at 6:15 am

    I have heard amazing things about this story!!! Beauty and the beast is one of my favorites! So excited to read this!!

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 482: A Chat with Lara d’Entremont
byChautona Havig

When Lara d’Entremont began describing her YA portal fantasy, The Painted Fairytale, I knew this would be right up my alley. Listen in and see how art becomes the portal to other worlds!

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Portal fantasy is my favorite, so I was crazy excited to learn about this one–especially the art tie-in. I can’t wait to dive in myself.

We chatted about her characters, the world, and the faith that connects them.

The Painted Fairytale by Lara d’Entremont

Seventeen-year-old Wren Devine refuses to share her art with anyone-other than her parents and her sister (who died three years prior). But when her mother submits her artwork to a mentorship program, and she gets accepted, Wren is forced to display her artwork for the eccentric Professor Hayes. Despite her fears, Wren hopes this mentorship will finally make her as worthy as her sister.

But this mentorship is about more than painting.

Wren soon learns that she has a magical ability to turn her paintings into portals to travel not only to other places but also to another world entirely. An eerie children’s book in the professor’s classroom reveals a wicked pirate with a vengeance who has her eye on Stefan Branson, a former student of Professor Hayes.

As all four of these lives intersect, it becomes apparent that everyone has a secret–some more deadly than others. The longer these secrets brew, the more deadly and heavy they become, and possibly lead to never seeing her former, earthly realm again. Wren must not only learn to release the shadow of her beloved sister but step boldly into her own world.

Learn more about Lara on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads.or on Subtack.

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Episode 482: A Chat with Lara d’Entremont
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