If the beastiality aspects of the original Beauty and the Beast tale squick you out and if you dislike insta-love stories, but still crave a good fairytale this might be perfect for you.

Using a Russian backdrop and Russian folklore, Spooner manages to create a strong, willful Beauty while humanizing the Beast without taking away any of the magic--in fact the added magic and the totally different way of breaking the spell is marvelous. I also loved the twist on the Gaston character, so lovely and unexpected, and unlike the original fairy tale, the sisters aren't cruel.

I really enjoyed this. Narration was superb.