Beauty and the Beast was the first movie I ever saw in theaters (according to my mom, because I don't remember going), and it was the first movie I wore out the VHS for. I don't have specific memories of my feelings on it as an itty bitty kiddo since I was just shy of my fourth birthday when it released, but of course we all can appreciate a woman who ends up with a giant library and a castle full of books, after putting obnoxious men in their places.
The French Revolution has begun, and every family holding any position of wealth and power is at risk. That terror boils over and affects the most loyal servants, while giving hope to those who are tired of being used and abused. Add in a curse placed on the estate by a witch who has been wronged, and we've got all the makings for a steady descent into disaster.
Lindz's precursor to this tale as old as time (😉😉) is absolutely brilliant. She covers so many bases with this unique lead up: adding the historical French Revolution to the mix, making the butler's perspective the primary lens for a culture shift, walking us through the slow descent into horror, and the convoluted mess of emotions stirred up by the events we witness.
You'll recognize so many of the same beloved characters from the movie, but without the sugarcoating we're used to. Through them (the butler especially), Lindz uses generational traditions and how much identity used to rely on them, to show how easy it was to groom and maintain a certain mindset within each estate. The truly terrifying part is that it's easy to see how much these same principles apply to a lot of the injustices we've seen throughout history as a whole.
Find Lindz here:
Twitter: @lindzmcleod
Site: lindzmcleod.co.uk
Pre-order Link Here
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