This was unbelievably cozy, and I'm glad I read it leading up to the holidays. While a pretty straightforward retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fairytale, McKinley's sumptuous descriptions brought the atmosphere of the Beast's castle to life. But even before that, in the first half of the book, the sense of dedication built into the fabric of Beauty's family, and their willingness to work, trust one another, and build a new life together was so comforting. 

I wish I had read this as a pre-teen or teen; I think it would have been an instant favourite back then. As an adult I craved a little more internality, a little more tension. Nevertheless, it wasn't written for adults, so I can't fault the book for that, and I'm so happy to have finally encountered it.