Book Review: ‘The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty’s Prince’ by Serena Valentino
We all know Disney’s version of Beauty and the Beast. The animated version provides a brief background on how the prince is transformed into the beast: an enchantress appears at his door and is affronted by his rudeness, cursing him to become the beast he acts like. But the movie itself revolves around Belle’s character and the curse being broken. In The Beast Within, author Serena Valentino looks further back in time to show us what really led to the prince’s cursed existence.
[Warning: My review of The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty’s Prince contains some spoilers!]
The Beast Within reveals a spoiled prince behind the beast
It will surprise no one to learn that the beast was a spoiled brat before he was cursed. But instead of being cursed for his rudeness to an aged crone seeking shelter, Valentino blames a jilted lover. Circe and the prince are engaged, but the prince’s best friend, Gaston (yes, that Gaston), reveals that Circe is actually a pig farmer. The prince is enraged to learn about her deception and breaks off the engagement. Circe tries to explain things to him, but he refuses to listen.
It turns out that Circe isn’t a pig farmer either. She is actually an enchantress. When the prince refuses to hear her out, she curses him, “Your ugly deeds will mar that handsome face…everyone will see you as the beast you are.” Further, she declares, “…until your twenty-first birthday. If you have not found love – true love, both given and received – by that day, and sealed a kiss, then you shall remain the horrifying creature you’ll become.”
At first, the prince doesn’t believe her. Then he tries to marry a princess in the hope that it will satisfy the curse, but that fails. As more time passes, the beast loses touch with reality, and reality loses touch with him. Just when he gives up all hope, Belle appears. Circe hopes that he will finally break the curse; she only really wanted him to grow, not to suffer forever. We all know it works, but it was a very close call, according to the version in The Beast Within.
Serena Valentino’s retelling doesn’t really add to the lore
Beauty and the Beast is a classic tale. The original is commonly attributed to Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in 1756, but was actually written in 1740 by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. In the intervening 285 years, numerous versions have been created based on the same source material. Most try to add something new to the telling; one modern version has the beast living in the sewers of New York. Disney aimed for a more faithful retelling than the sewers in New York with their Beauty and the Beast, but even they offer their own twist with Belle choosing to switch places with her father instead of her father willingly sacrificing her to save himself.
The Beast Within tells us the same story, but from the beast’s point of view. Valentino also gives the enchantress a name, Circe, and a backstory. The story reveals the prince as a selfish and arrogant young man who truly deserves what he gets. I guess I’m disappointed in The Beast Within, though, because I was promised the answer to the question “What was it that transformed the prince into the beast we are introduced to?” and I don’t feel like Valentino gives readers that. Sure, she tells us about Circe and shares the story of the prince spurning her. But she doesn’t tell us why the prince is so shallow. I was hoping for a deeper childhood trauma that took the prince from a sweet little kid to a cold, selfish adult. But there is literally no reason ever given for why the prince is the way he is, and it feels like a missed opportunity not to explore that in a book that’s supposed to answer why the beast is the way he is. What made the prince so beastly is the story we all deserve.
The Beast Within is part of a larger whole
The Beast Within may be a bit of a disappointment for its take on Beauty and the Beast, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have anything to offer. The Beast Within is part of the Villains Series that looks at classic Disney stories from the villain’s point of view. Holding all these stories together is a frame narrative about Circe and her three sisters. All four are enchantresses, or witches, whatever word makes you happier. And they’re acquainted with the witches from the other Disney stories. Their story, woven around the different Disney stories, connects them all together. The sisters are seen to influence the different stories by meddling with the characters and events, using their powers to teach lessons and cause mayhem.
In all honesty, their story is much more interesting and fun to me than the princes’ in The Beast Within. If they hadn’t been there, I probably wouldn’t have liked the book much at all. But they were there, causing mayhem and offering a little comic relief too, and for that I’m grateful.
One more for the pile
And so The Beast Within can be added to the already large pile of stories based on Beauty and the Beast. Valentino attempts to provide the prince with a fuller backstory, but it doesn’t significantly enhance his relatability. We see that he’s a jerk, but we don’t ever really learn why. Moreover, squeezing a courtship and engagement into the already short time between the prince’s cursing and Belle’s arrival makes the whole thing feel rushed and unbelievable (and not in a fairy tale way). I think that Valentino could have done a whole lot better with the beast’s early years and really given us a character with depth, but now the last rose petal has dropped, and we’ll never know.
My Rating: 6/10
The Beast Within by Serena Valentino is available for purchase! Have you read this novel before? How do you think it measures up to the original Disney film? Let us know your thoughts @BoxSeatBabes on all social media platforms!
