Midnight For A Curse by E. J. Kitchens Review

Out of all the fairy tales out there Beauty and the Beast is my all-time favorite. I have read so many retellings of this tale and have enjoyed my time reading most of them. But sometimes there comes a retelling that isn’t as good as the others. It’s not a bad book by any means but it's not a fantastic one either. Midnight For A Curse fits that description well. It’s a very lighthearted book that while at times amusing, can get tiresome after a while. There was action in the book, but it was vastly overshadowed by its goofy tone. However, Midnight For A Curse does put an interesting twist to its Gaston character. There are two of them! And one is a woman who wants the beast (or rather the prince) for herself, and both are ready to play dirty to get what they want.  

 

The book begins with the curse taking place in a similar fashion to the Disney movie. The prince although not arrogant gets annoyed at an old woman seeking shelter in his palace. He had been reading a really good book and was very irritated to be disturbed. Of course, the old women is the enchantresses Lady Violetta who curses him into a beast, turns his servants invisible, and changes that castles appearance. She also gives him a rose that when wilted he will remain cursed forever. In order to break his curse, he must have a change of heart and start taking his responsibilities as a prince more seriously. But after two years pass Lady Violetta returns to see he hasn’t changed at all. In fact, because of the curse, he is freer to do the things he want (reading books) and less inclined to do what he needs for his country. Worried that the king would not pay her for fully for the curse he had asked her to cast Lady Violetta added a new condition to it. Every day he must go into a village and ask a girl to marry him so he would know what rejection felt like. On one of his trips to a village he meets Belinda Lambton who is hiding from Gaspard a man who wants to marry her. Beast too is hiding from someone who will also stop to nothing to receive a proposal of marriage from him. Beast reluctantly allows Belinda to stay with him until her father returns from his six-week trip in order to protect her from Gaspard. There Belinda meets Lady Violetta who asks her to help beast have a change of heart before the rose wilts. Belinda agrees after Lady Violetta promises to help her father become a successful businessman once more. However changing Beast's heart is easier said than done. Add on to that the annoying dreams Belinda keeps having about him running from a strange women bent on hunting him down. Who is she and what does she want from him? Why is Beast so insistent about keeping his curse? And why can’t Belinda try to figure out his true identity without her nose suddenly itching? How will it all turn out? Well, you must read to find out. 

 

I had mixed feelings about this books characters. Belinda was clever, caring, and eccentric. You don't learn a lot about her life prior to books events and I wish she had more development. In contrast Beast was much more interesting and might just be the only prince in any of the Beauty and the Beast retellings who is so bent on keeping his curse. It was exciting to see his story unfold over time as we learn of his insecurities and his devotion to the kingdom. He and Belinda have a sweet romance that fits with the lighthearted tone of the book. They are also both running from persistent and dangerous suitors who are determined to separate the couple at all costs. Gaspard was both annoying and threatening and just like Disney's Gaston I had no pity for. Lucretzia on the other hand, I did feel a tiny bit of sympathy for her. She seems to have ensnared herself in a dangerous situation that will probably be unfolded more as the series progresses. I hope she will get her own story that will explain her actions better and possibly give her a chance of find her own happy ending. 

While Midnight for a Curse was not a favorite book, I still recommend it to anyone who wants a more lighthearted take on the classic story Beauty and the Beast.  I have decided to continue on with the series and can't wait to read Cursed for Keeps the follow up book about Robert (Beasts cousin) and his love Snow in a retelling of The Frog Prince and Snow White. Keep an eye out for future postings.