Beauty Reborn by Elizabeth Lowham

As children of a rich merchant, Beauty’s family socializes at the top of their class. Beauty catches the eye of the lord baron’s charming nephew, Stephan. But Beauty rejects Stephan’s marriage proposals. Enraged, Stephan forces himself upon Beauty while she is incapacitated. Meanwhile, Beauty’s father loses their fortune, and the family moves to a cabin by the enchanted forest. While hunting, Beauty’s father finds a beautiful castle owned by a horrific beast. Because he invaded Beast’s property, Beauty’s father must become Beast’s prisoner. To Beauty, who has kept silent about getting raped, this is an opportunity to escape her life. As she goes in her father’s place, she hopes the Beast will kill her, ending her shameful memories. Surprisingly, on her arrival there is no beast to eat or frighten her. Instead, she is warmly welcomed by the castle and its invisible servants. Beast slowly introduces himself to her and they begin to develop a cautious acquaintance. But as their acquaintance moves to friendship, Beauty’s defenses immediately go up. Can Beauty rise above her abusive past to let someone else into her broken heart again?

Lowham’s unique interpretation of the Beauty and Beast fairytale is heart-wrenching, raw, and surprising. As explained in her author’s note, Lowham herself is a victim of sexual abuse and pulls Beauty’s personality and pain from her own experiences. Lowham shows the façade some sexually abused victims put up to hide their shame and suffering. But Lowham also illustrates how the right people can, with love, patience, and understanding, help bring the victim’s trust and true character out again. Even though Lowham has built her retelling on the compelling cornerstone of understanding sexual abuse victims, she has neglected some essentials to a strong and enduring fairytale. This includes consistent world-building. Lowham’s setting is a place where books are incredibly rare, so how did Beauty develop a love to read? Why did magic work the way it did in this story? At times there is a cost to magic while, at other times, no cost is paid. Why is that the case? These inconsistencies, if tightened, would have created a more impactful and engrossing read. Otherwise, a unique spin on a tale as old as time.