Beast

Donna Jo Napoli

Feb 2015 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

Meet the Beast -- before there was Beauty

Orasmyn is the prince of Persia and heir to the throne. His religion fills his heart and his mind, and he strives for the knowledge and leadership his father demonstrates. But on the day of the Feast of Sacrifices, Orasmyn makes a foolish choice that results in a fairy's wretched punishment: he is turned into a beast, a curse to be undone only by the love of a woman.

Thus begins Orasmyn's journey through the exotic Middle East and sensuous France as he struggles to learn the way of the beast, while also preserving the mind of the man. This is the story of his search, not only for a woman courageous enough to love him, but also for his own redemption.

Ratings and reviews

The first time I encountered this book, I was in high school. I skimmed through it all because I have a love for lions, but I didn't get any of the story at all. Fast forward 6 to 8 years later, I found this book again in Google Play and decided to read it thoroughly. I took my time reading this book and understood what was happening in the story. I got to experience the story of Beauty and the Beast from the Beast's point of view, and I was not disappointed. This book still holds up as one of favorites. 😁

An interesting take on the old tale of Beauty and the Beast. A must read if you like interesting retellings. The ending wasn't too much to my liking, but others may have a different opinion. I would still recommend this book to others.

One of my many favorites, I can't seem to stop hunting it down.

About the author

Donna Jo Napoli is the acclaimed and award-winning author of many novels, both fantasies and contemporary stories. She won the Golden Kite Award for Stones in Water in 1997. Her novel Zel was named an American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, a Publishers Weekly Best Book, a Bulletin Blue Ribbon, and a School Library Journal Best Book, and a number of her novels have been selected as ALA Best Books. She is a professor of linguistics at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband. Visit her at DonnaJoNapoli.com.