Who’s Worse? Beauty or the Beast
You all think the Beast is a horrible abomination, and you’re right; but Beauty is no trip to Hollywood. Let me tell you that. Bad Beauty is the fourth book in Anita Valle’s series. Along with the other three books in the series—Sinful Cinderella, Sneaky Snow White, and Rotten Rapunzel—all comprise the Dark Fairy Tale Series, the precursors to this wrap-up 345-page novel.
If you think your family is dysfunctional, think again. Valle’s princesses—Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Rapunzel—these four related women rarely think through their actions, reacting to situations that would glorify or benefit themselves rather than the other members of the royal family of fairydom. For example, Beauty plans to make herself queen of the realm using the Beast as her bodyguard.
In Bad Beauty we find Cinderella asleep, cursed by some witch or faery, to sleep forever. She was married to Edgar, the king of the land who is secretly a serial killer, misogynist, and overall horrible human being. Around the time Cindy fell asleep, King Edgar disappeared.
The castle is now ruled by a horrid monster, the Beast, Cinderella’s twin daughters have been separated, and her step daughter, Snow White raised Rapunzel in a high tower while the other twin, Beauty, was raised by the queen’s fairy godmother, who is anything but sweet.
The author tells the story through the eyes of her princesses so we get a strong impression of their goals, thought processes, grudges, or infatuations they hold for another character.
If you may think you know the Disney story behind each princess, think again. Valle toys with the old fairy tales twisting and turning them into a fresh story that delivers many surprises and remarkably, a happy ending. Bad Beauty is a novel I had trouble putting down. It is well crafted, the descriptions of settings and characters are cinematic, and the plot moves like a steam roller. You think you know where it’s going, and then surprised by the unique twists and turns it takes.
About the Author
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Anita Valle loves to read literary novels when she’s not drawing or working on her next book. She is the author of the Nine Princess Series and she has developed a few coloring books most kids would enjoy. She currently lives in upstate New York with her husband and children
What strange twists on traditional fairy tales.