3.5 
 This YA fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast should be read in Winter, it was rough to read it in Summer because about 70% of the novel is about snow, Winter, woods, coziness, etc. This is a book that should be read when it's cold outside, Spooner does a great job (for a YA) of creating a nice atmospheric read. 
 Our main character is Yeva aka 'Beauty' and I will say that it was cringe-worthy each time they called her Beauty, I mean not even in the Disney film is that used but whatever. The story is pretty straight forward. Yeva loves the woods and hunting because it was what her father taught her. Her father gets lost in the woods and she goes after him, finds he's been killed by The Beast and then she's kidnapped by the Beast and made to live with him for a year, you all know how the story goes. From far away it's a lovely book however I (and I can't believe I'm about to say this!) I needed more romance. It's Beauty and the Beast - classic love story but... 
 There's a lot more of a fantasy-gothic element than I expected but overall it's not a bad book. But I didn't fall for the love story at all, I felt that the romantic feelings were poorly developed and she went from having hate in her heart to suddenly being attracted to a creature that walks on all 4 paws. I went in really wanting a slow-burn and a nice romantic feel but this was not that. Which is why I'm hesitant to call it a love story, it is more of a survival story and a fantasy. I had a lot of unanswered questions by the end like - what do you like about him? Does he make you laugh? Other than walking in the woods, what else do you have in common? How will you live, financially? A lot of questions. Yet it is a fairytale and the only way to resolve these conflicting feelings is to say 'well, they seem to have lived happily ever after'. The end.