Story time: Beauty and The Werewolf

I am mad for Mercedes Lackey's two current fairytale-based series, and while I'll talk more about the other one some other time, I just finished one of the Five Hundred Kingdoms books, Beauty and the Werewolf. Some of these books I've loved more than others, I'll admit. But, I do like the world she creates with the Tradition and those who are in the know about it. I love Godmother Elena -- whose story, The Fairy Godmother, was just fantastic -- and her cadre of friends, assistants, and disguised allies that appear throughout the series. I also love that these stories can almost all be read out of sequence and still enjoyed for just how awesome they are. In fact, while some characters carry over into other stories, like this one, really, there is no particular order needed, although it does make finding someone you recognize from an earlier book more fun.

With Beauty and The Werewolf, we see the story of both "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Beauty and the Beast" in a completely new light. Isabella -- her friends call her Bella -- is visiting a wise woman most folks call Granny when she's attacked by wolf. She ends up being dragged into the world of Tradition and finds that the wolf was more than he seemed, as are those around him. I love the world and I love the new twist on an old story, although I think I would have loved to see more interactions between Bella and her cursed nobleman. They both seem like fantastic characters, but I really didn't see enough of what made them laugh together, as the cover talks about. And I would have liked to get to know him better. He seems like an interesting guy: cursed to be a werewolf every full moon, a wizard who works in the Godmother network, a nobleman and a recluse who desperately needs some companionship but is afraid he might hurt someone if he leaves his castle for too long. I wanted more time to fall in love with him, too. Bella is a no-nonsense type of girl who, before she knew what tradition was was doing what she could to manipulate it in her favor. She may chafe at her confinement, but she largely makes the best of it and takes over changing the lives of those who are living in the castle and her werewolf. I like that about her. I also like that she does crumble a little when the frustration gets too much. It shows just how human she is. I also love how vivid her descriptions are of the world, I can really smell, taste, and feel the world that Bella inhabits.

I will be buying the next when it comes out.

It's a little late for it, but what I've been thinking about drinking with this is -- mostly for the kitsch factor -- the Newcastle seasonal, Werewolf, a red amber ale. If beer is not your style -- and generally, it's not mine, I'd go with a nice hot spiced cider, something to cut the chill, sweet, spicy, with a little bite.

We'll see you next week, with Genn taking the lead on Monday. 

Enjoy!