*ARC* Rebel Rose - DNF Review

Rebel Rose (The Queen's Council #1)

By: Emma Theriault

Published: November 10, 2020 by Disney-Hyperion

352 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Re-telling

Source: Netgalley ARC

(Goodreads / Amazon)

Summary:

Happily ever after is only the beginning as Belle takes on the responsibility of becoming queen and learns to balance duty, love, and sacrifice, all while navigating dark political intrigue—and a touch of magic.

It’s 1789 and France is on the brink of revolution. Belle has finally broken the Enchantress’s curse, restoring the Beast to his human form and bringing life back to their castle in the province of Aveyon. But in Paris, the fires of change are burning, and it’s only a matter of time before the rebellion arrives on their doorstep.

Not so very long ago, Belle dreamed of leaving her provincial home for a life of adventure. But now she finds herself living in a palace, torn between her past as a commoner, and her future as royalty. While Belle grapples with her newfound position, there are those who would do anything to keep her from power.

When she stumbles across a magic mirror that holds a dire warning, Belle wants nothing more than to ignore the mysterious voice calling her to accept a crown she never desired. But violent factions of the revolution may already be lurking within her own castle, and doing nothing would endanger everything she holds dear. With the fate of her country, her love, and her life at stake, Belle must decide if she is ready to embrace her own strength--and the magic that ties her to so many female rulers before her--to become the queen she is meant to be.

Rebel Rose is the first in the Queen's Council series, an empowering fairy tale reimagining of the Disney Princesses-and the real history behind their stories-like you've never seen before.

MY REVIEW:

Beauty and the Beast is my all time favorite Disney princess story. Though I'm not usually a big fan of retellings, I decided to give this a go. The cover is gorgeous! The description had me intrigued. 

Unfortunately though, this was really hard for me to get invested in. The story takes place 10 years later after the Disney story I know and love. It felt slow and boring. It focuses heavily on political unrest and not so heavy on a love story. I know, I know....Bell already fell in love with the Beast. In order to keep my interest in a story, the romance has to be pretty near center stage. Add to the lack of romance, was the constant irritation I felt with the overuse of words and phrases from the original story such as "provincial life". There was a fair amount of French words or phrases which got on my nerves as well, and not just "mademoiselle" or "monsieur" - but words that the average reader would have no understanding or knowledge of their meaning.

Ultimately at 36% and 4 weeks later once I began reading, I realized the advice from my sister-n-law was right. It was time to DNF. 

Fans that enjoy more historical fueled stories are likely to find this story more attractive. Give it a go if you fall in that category.

Favorite Quotes:
But promises born out of fear do not carry the same weight as those born out of love.

"The curse forced you to change, but the transformation was yours alone".

"I was in that darkness for ten years before you gave me a reason to seek the light," he whispered.

Fear was as much a motivator as hate. Fear made monsters out of men.

"I'd caution you not to judge a whole group based on the actions of the violent minority".

Language Rating: (1 light)
Mature Content Rating: 1 (light)
Final Rating:  DNF