Can an accursed prince and a broken beauty move beyond their hatred for one another, not only to break the curse and save their kingdom but to find love as well?Prince Everard’s father spent the boy’s youth forging the prince into a warrior. Upon the king’s death, however, Everard realizes he’s lost himself somewhere along the way, and in his pain, makes a decision that brings a dark curse upon … that brings a dark curse upon both him and the great Fortress that has so long guarded the people of Destin.
The prince’s sin doesn’t simply affect those of his citadel, however. Isa, the daughter of a local merchant, has suffered the prince’s hasty temper before, and it changed her life forever. When Everard’s final outburst cuts off his people’s source of protection with the curse, he demands that she, a crippled commoner, comes to help him break it. All the while, Destin’s northern enemy crouches at the foot of the Fortress’s mountain, waiting for the right moment to capture the stronghold that has stood for a thousand years.
Can Ever and Isa move past their brokenness to save Destin together, or will they and their beloved kingdom remain under darkness forever?
Buy Before Beauty today to escape into the world of The Becoming Beauty Trilogy, as well as the Classical Kingdoms Collection, a series of fairy tale retellings for grownups who still believe in sacrifice, true love, and the magic of happily-ever-afters. Even though Before Beauty is an introduction to both series, it can be read as a stand-alone as well.
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Wow, this was such a good book! Before Beauty is the first book in Brittany Fichter’s Classical Kingdoms series. I had a hard time getting into it, but once I started I was hooked. Before Beauty is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, I really adored this retelling. This was different from other retellings I had read before, and yet it stayed true to the fairy tale.
Isabella was such a different kind of Belle and yet she was perfect at the same time. She was different, because she was more broken than other Belles I had read about. Isa has felt different and alone for most of her life. Ever since her accident, people have treated her differently and she no longer feels like she fits in. But then she leaves her town and goes to the Fortress, to save her family. There she will find that things are much more complicated than they seem. And that she has a hidden strength.
It was so fun to watch Isa grow. She learned to believe in herself and how to trust Everiste. She was strong in so many ways and yet she didn’t have confidence in herself. Her accident had damaged more than just her wrist and ankle. But it took a trying time to help her gain back her confidence and to see that she was worthy of love. She hid behind a wall, but inside she was just like you and me, someone who wanted to fit in.
Ever was so much more complicated than you could have imagined. My heart went out to him from the beginning of the book, and even though he was a beast he was still fragile. He had a harder upbringing then Isa, but it was harder because he had to learn to close off himself in order to be the person he thought he should be.
I loved Ever, he learned how to be weak and how to trust someone else to care for him. It was harder than he thought it would be to finally give it all to the Maker and to trust the Fortress.
Garin was amazing. He was the father that Ever wished he had and he truly cared for Garin. He was so caring not only for Ever, but also for Isa. He was there stronghold when life was uncertain, even when Isa couldn’t see him
This was a great book, it had hidden depth to it. I really enjoyed it and I can’t wait to see what happens to Isa and Ever. This book was such a good reminder of learning to trust others, because you can’t do everything on your own.
Nice clean well written story of Beauty and the Beast. I enjoyed the plot; it was an unusual and interesting take on the story and the character’s struggles and how they overcame it. The characters were well developed. Look forward to read the other books I got from the author. Looks like these character’s story will be continued in the next book, however it’s a continuation in their life not the ending to this book. Gland to finally see a story that is complete that I don’t have to buy book 2 to see how it ends.