Of Thorns and Beauty


Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
9
Narrator
7
Release Date
August 2021
Duration
8 hours 48 minutes
Summary
You think you know the tale as old as time, but you've already got it wrong. There never was a beauty and a beast, only a girl who was both. And that girl was me.

Zaina will never be free.

She's forced into an arranged marriage to a Viking King in a castle full of secrets. But she carries secrets of her own, and the scars of her haunted past.

Handed off from one monster to another, she has no choice but to do her best to survive and protect her sisters.

Even if it costs her everything.

A Beauty and the Beast retelling you won't want to miss, where nothing is what it seems and time is running out.
Reviews
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Sivan B.

This book was meh. There were things I enjoyed about the adaptation of the original, but I was never really wowed. And then. The ending. It was anticlimactic and disappointing. Depressing. Unresolved.

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Erin McDonough

This was such a good take of the Beauty and The Beast tale in this new Twisted Pages series. When these two write a book you know you're going to enjoy it. Loved the narration for this story! Be prepared for a cliffhanger, but don't let that deter you.

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Amanda P.

I thought this was an absolutely amazing audiobook.the narrated did an amazing job bringing the characters to life

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Jaclyn

I’m absolutely obsessed with this retelling of beauty and the beast because it’s so incredibly creative and unique! I love retellings, but sometimes they can feel stale, but not this one! I adored the detail the author showed. We can see what’s happening in our minds without being “told.” I loved the beautiful setting, and the twist on the beast. The word building is incredible and the character development throughout the twists and turns was fantastic.

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Caitlin H.

I don't know where to start with this review... This book has been on my TBR for a long time, but I haven't been able to read much fantasy this past year and a half outside of audiobooks because I just can't get motivated or stay focused. (Yay anxiety and reading slumps!) Well, the audio version was recently released, and after binging The Lochlann Treaty series by the same authors last week (or the week before?), I didn't hesitate to jump into this one. And it. Was. Everything. I'm genuinely mad at myself for putting it off so long. Everyone who knows me knows that fairytale retellings are my thing. And I'm particularly obsessed with Beauty and the Beast retellings. This one did not disappoint. It exceeded expectations, which is saying something because I knew these two authors would do an amazing job. Zaina is such a fierce, strong characters, whose backstory is truly heartbreaking. Einar is this warrior, ice king, who's not as mean and cold as he appears. Both are full of secrets. Both are so well developed that I immediately loved them. The side characters are also written well. This book has those Beauty and the Beast elements you'd expect, but it is so much more than that. It's an original story within the familiar, and it's set in a beautiful world full of different cultures. I stayed up way too late, three nights in a row, just devouring this book, and then I immediately started the sequel. It's so easy to get lost in this story. I highly recommend it!

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Emily P.

Really great narrator! She has just the right tone for Zaina and her pacing was spot-on. I enjoyed the way she did the male voices, too, which can be difficult for female narrators. Listening to the story, especially after reading more books connected to this one, I caught so many more breadcrumbs for what's to come. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Initial review from when I read the book for those new to the story: I found this book to be fascinating. EM and RM have taken Beauty and the Beast and twisted with so many dark secrets and twists... The things that Zaina has lived through are heartbreaking and it honestly makes sense why she is the person she has become. Einar has such a complicated, and lengthier, past, that it's a wonder he begins to let anyone new in. Khijha is a character in her own right and I love her. Along with Gideon. I hope the next book has more Gideon!

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Stephanie L.

I loved getting the chance to experience this one in audio! Such a captivating tale, and to hear it brought to life in audio was a wonderful treat! I've been super excited about this one since it was first mentioned on Elle & Robin's page, but to actually read it...pure magic! I loved this one as much, and so much more, than I expected to, it just goes to show that this is a power team that you need to watch, as they are going places! So, slight disclaimer, I love Beauty and the Beast. I also love retellings, the more original, but with those magical iconic events or items, are always the best! This does both to perfection and I loved the feeling I got, as if I was unwrapping a gift from someone who knew me so well, I was already sure I was in for a treat! The more I read, the more I feel into this magical tale and never wanted it to end. So much intrigue, so many secrets...Another layer I loved about this book, as the reader the more you read, the more is learned, and yet both the reader and characters are missing some important information that makes the last half of the story all the more intense and beautiful! I loved that is wasn't the traditional sense of the story, instead we get a feisty warrior princess Zaina, arranged to marry the Viking King...But all is not as it first appears...

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Subtotal
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