Wow, I didn't even realize that this story was a re-telling of Beauty and The Beast until I was over half way into the story. Made me feel a little slow. But in my defense, Jessa Russo did a fantastic job twisting and turning the beloved fairytale and completely flipping it on its' head. I loved her topsy turvy take on the story. Like any good fairy tale it all starts with a curse. Every 4 generations the cursed family's descendants have a daughter that will turn into a beast, and every 4th generation there is a son that can try and break the curse. Pretty cool, right?

It was such a fun ride. There are plenty of twists and turns. The insight into the characters was phenomenal. I loved the different points of views and the looks into each of the characters heads and thoughts. Holland is facing some serious inner turmoil and the author captured it perfectly. I could feel her tension jumping off the page. Holland has had a rough year at school. Her boyfriend dumped her and started dating her best friend, and that is really only the start of her problems. I enjoyed watching Holland's progression the most in the story. She is spunky and strong, but you can tell that she is scared and lonely too. She is such an interesting dichotomy for a character, and it fit the story theme perfectly.

And then there is Mick. Mick is desperate to save Holland. Oh, how I adored Mick. His loyalty and devotion to Holland, no matter how stubborn or foul tempered she was being was so nice. I was rooting for him as soon as I met him.

For the most part the book flowed along at a great brisk pace. There were a few instances where a chapter or two lagged, but my attention never waned for too long. There was plenty going on in the story at any given point to reel me back in. There is romance, magic, and lots of fun background information on the fairytale and curse. There are also bumps and twists along the way. Does Mick get to break the curse? Just who the heck is Donovan and where did he come from? What kind of beast does Holland turn into? (if any) My lips are sealed. Read Divide to find out!