Although I’m not much of a romance reader, Beauty and the Beast retellings always intrigue me and this was no exception. The highlight of this particular one were the characters and how cozy you feel around them. You spend a lot of time with Beauty’s family before you even meet the beast and I wouldn’t have been sad if we never got to that part. They were all so wholesome and it was just fun to read about them (or listen, in my case). Concerning the main story, both parts of the couple had to learn and grow to make the relationship work and over time, you notice that they open up to and become fonder of each other. I wouldn’t have minded even more scenes with them, but there was enough to make the ending feel genuine. Also, Beauty was a little overdramatic and almost frustrating sometimes, but it wasn’t too bad. I enjoyed that McKinley played a little with what one would expect of the beauty and the beast story even back in the 70´s and some of her ideas surely must have inspired other adaptations. It may not be entirely what readers that only know modern books and retellings might expect, but it does a lot with the original story while staying loyal to it.