The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty's Prince is a novel written by Serena Valentino, the writer of Fairest of All. Based on Beauty and the Beast, it serves as a prequel to the film, telling of the story of the Beast and how he became a monster, as well as the events that led up to the curse broken. It was released on July 22, 2014.
Description[]
"A cursed prince sits alone in a secluded castle. Few have seen him, but those who claim they have say his hair is wild and nails are sharp--like a beast's! But how did this prince, once jovial and beloved by the people, come to be a reclusive and bitter monster? And is it possible that he can ever find true love and break the curse that has been placed upon him?"
Synopsis[]
The book begins with the Beast recounting the life he lived before the curse: he was once a handsome Prince who spent his time hunting and living in extravagance with his friend Gaston. He is to be wed to a woman named Circe, until he learns from Gaston that she is actually a farmer, so he coldly rejects her. One night, Circe returns and asks the Prince to take her back, but once again the Prince callously refuses her. Angered by his ignorance, Circe and her witch-like sisters, Lucinda, Martha, and Ruby, place a curse on him that will slowly turn him into something inhuman, and make those around him share his burden, unless he can learn to love and be loved in return, and seal that love with a kiss. They give him a rose and a mirror as a reminder of the spell. He may look anywhere he wishes in the mirror, but must break the curse before the last petal of the rose falls, lest it be permanent.
While nothing seems to have transfigured or changed, over the next few months the Prince begins to slowly age in appearance while becoming more sinister-looking. When his paranoia starts to fester, he eventually chooses to marry the scatterbrained Princess Tulip Morningstar. However, strange episodes begin taking place in the castle, such as the staff beginning to disappear and statues appearing out of nowhere. When the Prince decides that there is a curse, and that kissing Tulip has not broken it, he becomes so exasperated that he forces Tulip out of the castle. Some time later, after nearly attacking Gaston while out on a hunt, the Prince shuts himself out from the rest of the world. As the months pass by, the Prince's transformation to the Beast completes, with memories of his former life fading from not only his, but from Gaston's and the rest of the court.
When all seems lost, Belle arrives to the castle trading in her life for her father's. Circe's sisters decide to send wolves to kill Belle and ruin the Beast's chances of breaking the spell; however, the Beast's rescue of her only encourages the inception of their romance. As the Beast begins to fall in love with her, the three sisters decide to interfere by having Belle return to her father and leading Gaston into killing the Beast to have Belle as his own. When the fight with Beast commences, Gaston is overpowered by him, so the sisters enchant the Beast to spare Gaston so Gaston can stab him, but this ends with Gaston's fall. As Belle comes to the dying Beast and admits her love, Circe witnesses the touching moment and decides to lift the curse and bring the Beast back to life so he can be with Belle. At the end of the novel, Belle and the Prince live happily ever after with Circe silently watching them through the mirror.
Characters[]
- Beast
- Belle
- Enchantress
- Lucinda, Ruby, and Martha
- Tulip Morningstar
- Gaston
- Cogsworth
- Mrs. Potts
- Lumiere
- Maestro
- Nanny
Trivia[]
- While the book is considered part of Valentino's Disney Villains series, the Beast himself is not actually the villain of his respective film. However, Valentino did accentuate the Beast's more unattractive qualities of brutality and egotism in the novel, which in turn has him fit in with the overall villainous personalities of the series main characters.
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