Beauty and the Beast mixed with historical events and exploring the question of what happens after “happily ever after?” The story follows Belle and her Beast as they are now happily married and curse free, and must integrate into political court. The story takes place during the french revolution where the people are fighting back against the rich and even has, you guessed it, Marie Antionette. The story is mainly focuses on Belle refusing to be a “princess” or a “queen” and essentially going on about how she refuses to change herself or take on the role and responsibilities.... even though she literally married into it and constantly goes on and on about how she wants to represent the people and fight for equality. See, I was struggling to get through this book because I was just so frustrated with Belle. She doesn’t act like the Belle you think she would be, she ignores a lot of red flags, and is so stubborn and set... I just did not enjoy it. The story drags for a bit and doesn’t really pick up till the last quarter of the book. I just couldn’t fathom Belle’s reasoning and the way she was acting, she was constantly saying how much she loved her husband and how she wouldn’t change a thing but then she wouldn’t really do anything to support him as he was dealing with political decisions, she wouldn’t talk to him about important conversations, and the thing that kept being brought up that truly got on my nerves was the “we never talk about the curse or how you kept me prisoner for a while” ... that is not a healthy relationship at all. They avoided difficult things, they didn’t really compromise in their relationship, and just... I really wished I had liked this book. It had so much potential, and the cover is gorgeous. I was all on board for an empowering reimagining of Beauty and the Beast mixed in with 1798 French politics.

*Thank you Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*