Tuckington Belle believes it is high time to admit that he is gay when scaling the wall of a castle to steal wildflowers sounds like a better plan than talking up a girl. But, on his way down from the wall he gets jostled by a dog and falls unconscious, only to be rescued by a guy who insists that Tuck stay blindfolded in his presence. As Tuck finds himself returning to the castle night after night, he starts to fall for this mysterious stranger. But who is this stranger and why does he insist that Tuck not see him?
It took me forever to finish this book despite the fact that it isn’t all that long. This book just didn’t have me constantly begging to know what happens next.
The book feels very childish. This book is childish not in the sense that it is written for children but written in the way children see the world as one cohesive blob like a person is either good or bad with nothing in-between. I missed the nuance. I actually can’t figure out why this book was written in such a manner because the writing style really detracted from the story. I quite liked the message this book was trying to convey but it lost its impact because I just couldn’t take this book very seriously.
The characters were very black and white and one dimensional. This book is a take on Beauty and the Beast and for a re-telling of one of the most genuinely dark and convoluted fairy tales, this story failed to capitalise on all the aspects that make the original so irresistible.
I really liked the ending and how the curse was broken was truly commendable and I enjoyed the message the story wanted to convey. But, there were certain things that could have used more development. Primarily among them being Tuck and Frederick’s relationship which was accelerated throughout its course and truly these two characters knew very little about each other. Also, the juxtaposition of technology felt rather convenient, I felt like we were wilfully ignoring how difficult it would be to keep such a secret in a world run rampant with mobile technology being a thing. Also, the castle defences were woefully inadequate in comparison to the technology this world possesses or appears to possess because nothing is really clear in that regard.
This story just wasn’t for me though I loved its message I can’t ignore the fact that it took me forever to get through it.
Cover art by L. C. Chase. I liked the cover, it rather succinctly frames the story.
Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon
Book Details:
ebook, 98 pages
Expected publication: December 28th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781640809253
Edition Language English
