Booky Ramblings of a Neurotic Mom: Review: Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly

An original addition to the beloved Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, Lost in a Book follows the lonely, bookish Belle as she finds an enchanted book in the Beast’s library called Nevermore that carries her into a glittering new world. There, Belle is befriended by a mysterious countess who offers her the life she’s always dreamed of.

But Nevermore is not what it seems, and the more time Belle spends there, the harder it is to leave. Good stories take hold of us and never let us go, and once Belle becomes lost in this book, she may never find her way out again.

This deluxe hardcover novel expands upon the beautiful story and world seen in the new Walt Disney Studios' film, Beauty and the Beast.

After seeing this book a few times in stores and on Amazon, I was very excited to read it, as was my 11-year-old daughter Bethany, who is a huge Jennifer Donnelly fan after reading her Waterfire Saga books.

Bethany's Review 4 Stars

I really enjoyed this book, as I really like books by Jennifer Donnelly and I really enjoy different takes on old stories such as Beauty and the Beast. My favourite part was when Beller first discovered Nevermore. I didn't like the part when you discovered that Henri was a marionette as I really don't like puppets so I thought that part would give me nightmares, thankfully it didn't.

Claire's Review 4.5 Stars

This is a fab take on Beauty and the Beast with a great plot twist and great writing. What is such a familiar story to me being a mum of 3 girls who have all at some point been mad on Belle, it was nice to read the story in a completely different concept. I am also a huge fan of retold fairy stories so this was a great read for me.

I loved the idea of love and death being real characters, I thought that was an interesting visual, and the fact that even though Belle was miserable stuck in the castle, that she found another way to escape. I had never read anything by the author before, so didnt know what to expect about the writing style but it flowed easily and was nice to read. My main complaint, however, would be the length of the chapters that just felt so short!

I also loved that it was a book that I could enjoy and talk to my daughter about. I rarely read books that are suitable for her age to read due to content and so this was a nice change. I will definitely be looking into Jennifer Donnellys previous books.

This book is a must read for Beauty and the Beast fans!