Review: Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Collaborative feature with Alexa. We read ARCs together and post our reviews on the same date.

Hunted by Meagan Spooner
pub 3/14/17 by HarperTeen
Young Adult - Fantasy
Received e-ARC via Edelweiss

Plot • When Yeva, often called Beauty, and her family are forced to move back to their old forest lodge after their father loses their fortune, she doesn't quite know how to feel. On one hand, there's relief she doesn't have to socialize with baronesses or worry about marriage. There's also a feeling of coming home as she returns to the forest and the hunt her father raised her in. But there's also dread as her father's mind seems to deteriorate into madness every time he goes out in the forest and she is left to care for her two older sisters. When he doesn't return one night, Beauty ventures out to find him and ends up finding exactly what her father has been obsessively tracking ‐ the Beast. But who is he truly? Someone to be feared or someone to be trusted?

Characters • I loved all the characters. Beauty is more huntress than bookworm and that suited me just fine! Her fierceness, protectiveness over the people she loves and determination are just a few of my favorite things about her. Beauty's relationships with her father and sisters are another important part of the story and her bond with them, particularly her sisters, warmed my heart. And of course, there's the Beast. I thought Spooner's interpretation paid homage to the original (and by that I mean Disney, haha) while making his character her own.

Writing • Coming into book, I wasn't fully aware that it was going to be a Beauty & the Beast retelling. I just knew I was hooked very early on and wanted more. The writing was super engaging and unfolded the story in a way that was both clever and gripping. Again, Spooner gave this retelling her own twist and if this book is any indication, I'd love to see her do more like this!

Overall feelings • Loved it! As soon as I finished, I texted with Alexa to tell her I'd be pre-ordering it. I highly recommend.

What's your favorite adaptation of Beauty & the Beast? • If you had asked my younger self, I would've said the Disney version immediately. As an adult, I don't know if there's an adaption I feel super strongly about. I love the hints of it in Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns & Roses and I did watch the CW show for a while (I stopped after season 2). I think the version I will end up loving is the Emma Watson one though. At least that's what I'm hoping!