It really was more like a fairytale than anything else. To me, it was a bit too dreamlike to feel like a 'real' novel. And while it is obviously a retelling of Beauty and the Beast it is also a story all of its own. I enjoyed it a lot but it didn't leave me with that utter contentment that I usually feel with this story. I was really hoping for a little more back story about the Beast, that way it might have felt a little more real ro me.