The Rose and the Thorn

A Beauty and the Beast Retelling (The Fey Collection, Book 1)

By: Katherine Macdonald

Narrated by: Sasha Higgins

A gripping and mesmerizing retelling of a classic story, filled with romance, mystery, and intrigue.

There is a pale, penetrating loneliness etched into the walls of this forgotten place. A kind of loneliness made living...is this what it feels like to be a ghost, alone in some kind of half world?

Taking shelter from a storm, Rose accidentally strays into a deserted fairy realm and finds herself trapped there with only a mysterious talking beast for company. Although initially reluctant to befriend her strange companion, Rose quickly finds herself growing closer to him. She names him Thorn, and as the castle blossoms into a place of beauty, so too does their friendship. But something else lurks within the walls, a dark force that will stop at nothing to be free once more....

If Rose is to survive and lift the curse placed upon the castle, she will have to face her fears and conquer the nightmares that have haunted her since childhood, as well as confront the terrifying creature that stalks the shadows in the night.

©2019 Katherine Macdonald (P)2022 Tantor

Great story

I loved everything about it. The characters, the story and well ... EVERYTHING!! I can reread it a thousand times

Immerse yourself into a fairy tale!

The story itself was wonderful and flowed wonderfully, but... definitely needed a different narrator. Every sentence sounded like a question, didn't have much depth and didn't convey the correct emotions to match the story. I highly recommend READING this story instead of LISTENING to it.

So beautiful!

This is the best beauty and the beast book I’ve ever listened to or read! It kept me riveted the entire time. I am thoroughly impressed with the writers voice and version that I didn’t want it to end

A beautiful reimagining of Beauty and the Beast.

Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favorites. This retelling was amazing. Its a slow burn but well worth the read/listen.

fun and exciting twist on Beauty and the Beast

I didn't think I would like this story as much as I did, after all it says that the book is a twist on beauty and the beast so I figured I would already know where the story was gonna go. This book surprised me and I was very excited each time I got to listen to it. I definitely recommend it.

A beautiful rendition of a classic tale!

I have always been a fan of the beauty and the beast, but my gosh I truly fell in love with this retelling! It was such a tantalizingly sweet love story.

The performance I thought was wonderful. Sasha Higgins voice was delightful on the ears and really brought the story to life

If you enjoy fairytales and a wholesome lovestory don't sleep on this book.

Beauty and the beast

Wow. This was an amazing tale! A great version of Beauty and the Beast!!! By far on of my top 10!

Very Enjoyable

This story had elements of the story we all know, but had a refreshing twist.

what the live action should have been

I loved this book! though you could predict what the end was it was written so well that I didn’t even notice. the ending ties it up in a satisfying little bow.

Scratches that fairy tale itch

This Beauty and the Beast retelling treads a lot of familiar ground and you can tell that the author was influenced by/pays homage to Robin McKinley’s “Beauty” and Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” You have the comfort factor of a familiar story told in a new way without any nasty and upsetting twists that feel like a perversion of a favorite tale.

There are enough unique elements to this retelling to make it a “new” story, and the author gives a more realistic feel to how such a relationship might play out, magic notwithstanding. I was pleased to see healthy relationship modeling worked into the story.

The narrator has a pleasing voice, but an annoying habit of ending every sentence with a rising inflection (otherwise known as HRT - high rising terminal).

I enjoyed this book, but I might have enjoyed it a little more in print.