Kingdom of Beauty
by Deborah Grace White
Series: The Kingdom Tales #1
Series Rating:
Published by Luminant Publications
Publication Date April 19, 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Clean Romance, Fairy Tale Retelling
Main Character Ages: 18-24
Written for: High-School/Young Adult
Pages: 384
Synopsis:
Peasant girls don’t mingle with dragons, princes, and beastly curses…or so Felicity thought
After a lifetime with a grief-stricken father and a self-absorbed brother, Felicity isn’t daunted by sacrifice. But when protecting her father means falling afoul of the curse that has swallowed the Summer Castle, and Prince Justin along with it, her own safety is not all that’s at stake. The prince’s monstrous form is the least of her concerns—the whole castle has been trapped by his pride, and his absence from the capital is driving the kingdom to ruin.
Justin was born to be a king, not a beast. Between the inhuman coldness he learned from his father, the humiliation of his cursed form, and his powerlessness against his hidden enemies back in the capital, laughter is the last thing on his mind. But even though she’s a prisoner, nothing seems to dampen the intruder’s maddening cheerfulness. Justin has to break his curse, and he needs someone like Felicity to do it. But as she begins to thaw the ice around his heart, he discovers her past is not what it seems.
With time running out, not just for the castle’s inhabitants, but for the kingdom of Albury, they will need more than the help of a dragon to break the curse and prevent disaster before it’s too late. But for all Felicity’s warmth and laughter, even she could never look at Justin and like what she sees.
Could she?
Kingdom of Beauty is the first installment in The Kingdom Tales, a series of interconnected standalone novels set on the continent of Solstice, where dragons do their own thing, enchanters run amok, and happily ever afters require some chasing. If you enjoy strong heroines, clean romance, and fantasy worlds with a dash of intrigue, discover the world of The Kingdom Tales today.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
Also in this series: Kingdom of Slumber: A Retelling of Sleeping Beauty , Kingdom of Cinders: A Retelling of Cinderella
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I was so excited to find Deborah Grace White has released a new series! Surprised that it wasn’t the one about mermaids as she had anticipated but I knew that it was going to be a treat. And Kingdom of Beauty was exactly that, a delightful treat!
I thoroughly enjoyed this version of Beauty and the Beast! I’ve read many variations over the years, some specifically a retelling and others simply borrowing the theme. I’m quite sure this is my favorite of them all. And not just because there were dragons!
Felicity is the lovely heroine who had lived with her father and older brother since her mother died. She was so kind, selfless, and generous with her time and abilities. And just a little bit sassy! Everything a fairy tale heroine should be. And yet she had major insecurities related to the neglectful way her family treated her, not to mention how they left her to the mercy of the beast and her imprisonment! A weakness Prince Justin deftly exploited.
Yeah, Justin was beastly. His even more beastly father had raised him that way. I really enjoyed seeing his internal struggles as he began to fall under the enchantment of Felicity’s gentle spirit – believing it was wrong and weak and unprincely.
The addition of the dragon to the story was the icing on the cake. If my memory serves me well, Rekavidur is newly introduced though I imagine he is from Eldreki’s new colony. I so enjoy the author’s portrayal of dragons in her stories!
While sticking fairly closely to other versions of Beauty and the Beast, Kingdom of Beauty was original and had some very interesting variations! I was quite astonished when the reason behind the enchantment was revealed! And loved the surprises along the way and the hints to the stories that are to come. I was so glad that the timeline made sense – this was not a week-long transformation, instead, the relationship between Felicity and Justin spanned months.
Young adults, older adults, lovers of fairy tales with plenty of intrigue, suspense, and, of course, dragons, will want to be sure to read Kingdom of Beauty and prepare for the rest of The Kingdom Tales series — Kingdom of Slumber will be releasing May 21, 2021!
And those of you who want to read about mermaids, don’t despair! I have it on good authority the mermaids are still on the way!
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About Deborah Grace White
I’ve been a reader since I can remember, growing up on a wide range of books, from classic literature to light-hearted romps. The love of reading has traveled with me unchanged across multiple continents, and carried me from my own childhood all the way to having children of my own.
But if reading is like looking through a window into a magical and beautiful world, beginning to write my own stories was like discovering that I could open that window and climb right out into fantasyland.
I cannot believe how privileged I am to actually be living that childhood dream and publishing my own novels. I do so from my hometown of Adelaide, Australia, where I live with my husband and our two, soon to be three, little munchkins.
I’ve never outgrown my love of young adult stories, and my first series, The Kyona Chronicles, is a young adult fantasy series of four novels and two novellas.
Thanks for this review. I’m in the process of building my daughter’s summer reading list.
Yay! I can recommend all of Deborah Grace White’s books. The previous series is complete and was a lot of fun. And did I mention – dragons?!!