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Twice Upon a Time #3
Beauty and the Beast: The Only One Who Didn't Run Away
Wendy Mass tells the story of Beauty and the Beast, as never heard before!
When you’re stuck with the name Beauty, people expect a lot from you — like beauty and grace and courage and a sense of style. But what if you have none of these things? What if all you like to do is read books and search for odd objects that other people drop? Oh, and you have a perfect older sister who really should have had your name instead of you.
And when you’re a prince, you’re supposed to be athletic and commanding and brave and tall. But what if you are none of those things? What if all you like to do is play the bagpipes (badly), study the stars, and try to figure out how to make worms live forever? Oh, and you also have a perfect older brother who is a lot more princely than you’ll ever be.
But when Beauty’s life turns completely upside down and she is forced to head out into the world, she has to figure out just who she wants to be. And when Prince Riley suddenly grows fur, and nails as sharp as sticks, he has to learn that appearances can be deceiving. Before Beauty and Riley can save each other, they have to save themselves.
So journey back to the time when fairy tales were real, and discover the story of Beauty and the Beast like you’ve never heard it before.
When you’re stuck with the name Beauty, people expect a lot from you — like beauty and grace and courage and a sense of style. But what if you have none of these things? What if all you like to do is read books and search for odd objects that other people drop? Oh, and you have a perfect older sister who really should have had your name instead of you.
And when you’re a prince, you’re supposed to be athletic and commanding and brave and tall. But what if you are none of those things? What if all you like to do is play the bagpipes (badly), study the stars, and try to figure out how to make worms live forever? Oh, and you also have a perfect older brother who is a lot more princely than you’ll ever be.
But when Beauty’s life turns completely upside down and she is forced to head out into the world, she has to figure out just who she wants to be. And when Prince Riley suddenly grows fur, and nails as sharp as sticks, he has to learn that appearances can be deceiving. Before Beauty and Riley can save each other, they have to save themselves.
So journey back to the time when fairy tales were real, and discover the story of Beauty and the Beast like you’ve never heard it before.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
140 people are currently reading
2500 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Mass
83 books3,691 followersWendy Mass is the author of thirty novels for young people, including A Mango-Shaped Space, which was awarded the Schneider Family Book Award, Leap Day, the Twice Upon a Time fairy tale series, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall, the Willow Falls, Space Taxi and Candymakers series. Wendy wrote the storyline for an episode of the television show Monk, entitled "Mr. Monk Goes to the Theatre," which aired during the show's second season. She tells people her hobbies are hiking and photography, but really they're collecting candy bar wrappers and searching for buried treasure with her metal detector. Wendy lives with her family in New Jersey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 262 reviews
January 31, 2015
More reviews at Mrs. ReaderPants
REVIEW: Let's just say I didn't love it or hate it. On the plus-side, upper-elementary and middle school readers will probably eat this book up. Wendy Mass is ever-popular in my library, as are fairy-tale retellings. Mature content is nearly non-existent; I am comfortable recommending Beauty to readers of any age who are able to read it.
I also love the way Beauty's and Riley's families take their unfortunate circumstances in stride. Both families deal with some serious adversity, and both families immediately circle the wagons to protect their own. Riley's family remains positively chipper about their son being turned to a beast for no apparent reason while they themselves become completely invisible to everyone except Riley. While Beauty's family lost everything in a fire, Beauty and her sister Clarissa miss their formerly lavish lifestyle but quickly learn to move on. All the characters complain a little bit but quickly focus on finding solutions.
Pacing is my biggest complaint with this one. It takes FOR. EV. ER to get to the actual Beauty and the Beast story, which finally starts after 200 pages. In the meantime, Beauty gains and loses several jobs, makes two friends, and goes on a long and meaningless quest to find a missing necklace. Before he meets Beauty, Prince Riley attempts to find a cure for the curse while his family makes jokes and tries to keep Riley's spirits up. It all just really takes too long; there are just too many pieces and not enough story.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Though pacing is a problem, I believe Beauty will be popular in my library. My girls especially love Wendy Mass, and fairy tale retellings are always a huge hit. It's not the best example of its genre, but Beauty definitely has its audience.
STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: On order. They'll definitely check it out, but the real question is, will they finish it?
READALIKES: Sleeping Beauty: The One Who Took A Really Long Nap (Mass); Rapunzel: The One With All the Hair (Mass); Beastly (Flinn); Cloaked (Flinn); A Kiss In Time (Flinn)
RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 3/5
Creativity: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Engrossing: 2/5
Writing: 3/5
Appeal to tweens: 4/5
Appropriate length to tell the story: 2/5--It's not the length as much as the lack of anything really happening
CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: very mild--a few very sweet kisses
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: none
August 3, 2015
This was a very interesting version of Beauty & the Beast! Alternately told by both the Beast and the Beauty, to goes very fast because you want to know what happens next to one or the other - but you have to read two chapters to get to it.
What I liked most was that we get to know Beauty & Beast before they know each other. In fact, most of the book is leading up to the story that we know.
This before time is especially interesting in the case of the Beast.
The Beast is named Riley and lives with his older brother Alex and his parents, the King and Queen. We get to know what he is like before the witch puts the spell on him. We learn why he must resort to tricks to get a girl to talk to him and we are even given a reason why the "magic" in the castle is not at all what it seems. This part was very clever and I enjoyed it very much.
Beauty's story prior to meeting the Beast is basically what we know but there are some unique differences. Beauty does have to move away from town after her family's house burns down. She has some trouble finding a job to support her family but is eventually apprenticed to the town's apothecary. This gives her something in common with the Beast when she meets him because he also enjoys working with herbs in the castle's laboratory.
Beauty not only hates her name because she feels she does not live up to it, but she actually befriends a boy in her village named Handsome. At first she thinks he is laughing at her when he tells her his name. But then she realizes he means it! This part was very cute. I thought Handsome would have more to do with the story - it seems like he should somehow - even though I don't know exactly what. He's not exactly the Gaston character because Beauty actually does like him. But once Handsome aids Beauty on her quest he then fades out of the story and that was a bit disappointing for me. But the main point here, I think, is that Beauty is strong and does not run from the Beast because she has already been on a challenging quest to help a little girl from her village.
This author writes well and is quite creative with a good dose of humor. I would like to read other books of hers, as this was my first. The book is light and entertaining and, if you like B&B stories, I would highly recommend it!
What I liked most was that we get to know Beauty & Beast before they know each other. In fact, most of the book is leading up to the story that we know.
This before time is especially interesting in the case of the Beast.
The Beast is named Riley and lives with his older brother Alex and his parents, the King and Queen. We get to know what he is like before the witch puts the spell on him. We learn why he must resort to tricks to get a girl to talk to him and we are even given a reason why the "magic" in the castle is not at all what it seems. This part was very clever and I enjoyed it very much.
Beauty's story prior to meeting the Beast is basically what we know but there are some unique differences. Beauty does have to move away from town after her family's house burns down. She has some trouble finding a job to support her family but is eventually apprenticed to the town's apothecary. This gives her something in common with the Beast when she meets him because he also enjoys working with herbs in the castle's laboratory.
Beauty not only hates her name because she feels she does not live up to it, but she actually befriends a boy in her village named Handsome. At first she thinks he is laughing at her when he tells her his name. But then she realizes he means it! This part was very cute. I thought Handsome would have more to do with the story - it seems like he should somehow - even though I don't know exactly what. He's not exactly the Gaston character because Beauty actually does like him. But once Handsome aids Beauty on her quest he then fades out of the story and that was a bit disappointing for me. But the main point here, I think, is that Beauty is strong and does not run from the Beast because she has already been on a challenging quest to help a little girl from her village.
This author writes well and is quite creative with a good dose of humor. I would like to read other books of hers, as this was my first. The book is light and entertaining and, if you like B&B stories, I would highly recommend it!
September 16, 2017
Not much I could say about this book one way or the other, as it didn't stir a favourable reaction exactly.
March 27, 2013
Very cute. Very refreshing. I haven't read many fairytale retellings recently, but I very much enjoyed this one. It was fresh and original. It had adventure and wonderful characters. It was sweet and romantic, but not overkill. I stayed up slightly later just to finish this one. Cute cover too. The colors are pretty. I'm very glad with the direction Wendy Mass took the story in. Everything tied in nicely in the end. Nothing left undone really, which is how I like my happily ever afters. Would definitely recommend this to fans of fairytale retellings. ^_^
August 20, 2021
I really enjoyed it!!! I think it might be my favorite of the 3! Can't wait to read Robin Hood!
***Second review ***
I started reading this book to my sister in May last year and we read a lot of it and then stopped for some reason (I can't remember why) a few days ago we both remembered and we read the last 100 pages or so in 5 days (which is very good for us!) We both loved it! It stands as my favorite in the series and I think its her's too!
***Second review ***
I started reading this book to my sister in May last year and we read a lot of it and then stopped for some reason (I can't remember why) a few days ago we both remembered and we read the last 100 pages or so in 5 days (which is very good for us!) We both loved it! It stands as my favorite in the series and I think its her's too!
February 19, 2020
I located this book using my public library’s online catalog. Traditional tales are tagged in the catalog, and I found this book by searching “Beauty and the Beast.” It is the third book in the Twice Upon a Time series by Wendy Mass.
The story is told in the alternating perspectives of Beauty and Prince Riley, both thirteen years old. They both are unique and struggle against the expectations others have of them. Beauty is more interested in reading and running than clothes and makeup, while Prince Riley would rather practice in his laboratory than attend parties. Beauty’s family lost their home to a fire and is struggling to recover. She finds work in town where she meets Handsome, an older boy, and Veronica, a younger girl. The three go on a quest to find a special stone Veronica’s mother lost. While this allows Beauty’s character to grow, it covers a large portion of the book and falls outside the traditional tale’s expected plot. This makes the pacing feel slow and the story somewhat disjointed.
After Beauty’s quest is complete, Riley’s family meets a witch in a forest while traveling to another castle. The witch turns Riley into a beast, and the only way to break the curse is with true love’s kiss. His family devises a plan to trick Beauty into staying at the castle with hopes that she will fall in love with Riley. When she arrives at the castle, Beauty is not frightened of Riley, and the two discover how much they have in common. Together, they work to defeat the witch and break the curse.
The main characters are both likable and grow throughout the story. The symbolism from the traditional tale is present, including the rose and the beast’s form, representing love and loneliness respectively. The plot is not entirely cohesive, as events from the beginning of the book do not connect well with later events. The themes of unlikely heroes and good conquering evil are strong.
This book would be appropriate for students in grades 4-8. It would appeal to readers who like the Beauty and the Beast tale and fantasy books. Riley is passionate about science, so students interested in science might connect with his character. This book would make a good option for independent reading or literature circles. Students could compare and contrast the story with other retellings of the Beauty and the Beast, identify character traits and changes, and explore the symbolism in the story.
The story is told in the alternating perspectives of Beauty and Prince Riley, both thirteen years old. They both are unique and struggle against the expectations others have of them. Beauty is more interested in reading and running than clothes and makeup, while Prince Riley would rather practice in his laboratory than attend parties. Beauty’s family lost their home to a fire and is struggling to recover. She finds work in town where she meets Handsome, an older boy, and Veronica, a younger girl. The three go on a quest to find a special stone Veronica’s mother lost. While this allows Beauty’s character to grow, it covers a large portion of the book and falls outside the traditional tale’s expected plot. This makes the pacing feel slow and the story somewhat disjointed.
After Beauty’s quest is complete, Riley’s family meets a witch in a forest while traveling to another castle. The witch turns Riley into a beast, and the only way to break the curse is with true love’s kiss. His family devises a plan to trick Beauty into staying at the castle with hopes that she will fall in love with Riley. When she arrives at the castle, Beauty is not frightened of Riley, and the two discover how much they have in common. Together, they work to defeat the witch and break the curse.
The main characters are both likable and grow throughout the story. The symbolism from the traditional tale is present, including the rose and the beast’s form, representing love and loneliness respectively. The plot is not entirely cohesive, as events from the beginning of the book do not connect well with later events. The themes of unlikely heroes and good conquering evil are strong.
This book would be appropriate for students in grades 4-8. It would appeal to readers who like the Beauty and the Beast tale and fantasy books. Riley is passionate about science, so students interested in science might connect with his character. This book would make a good option for independent reading or literature circles. Students could compare and contrast the story with other retellings of the Beauty and the Beast, identify character traits and changes, and explore the symbolism in the story.
September 24, 2015
A unique retelling of Beauty and the Beast for middle graders. While keeping much of the original story intact, this one adds its own creative flair and backstory for both Beauty and her Beast.
Don't let the poor choice of cover design fool you into thinking this is a modern retelling. This is set in Once Upon a Time land, firmly in fantasy territory. As in the original, Beauty is a merchant's daughter whose family has fallen on hard times. She's only thirteen, but I didn't have a problem with that as I had with Cecelia in Palace of Mirrors because she doesn't act like a child, and in this fantasy universe thirteen is established as almost old enough to marry--Beauty's older sister Clarissa expected to be married before her sixteenth birthday and the Beast character's fifteen-year-old brother Alexander is to be betrothed fairly soon. The Beast himself is an awkward young prince named Riley--also thirteen--with a gift for chemistry and astronomy. When he finds himself cursed by a witch, he sets out to find the one girl who can fall in love with him and break the spell.
Several of the side characters were highlights in this version. Where most retellings focus on Beauty and the Beast alone, isolated in the Beast's castle, Mass has chosen to populate the entire story with quirky characters. I enjoyed the presence of Beauty's best friend Handsome (they're drawn together by mutual embarrassment over their respective inappropriate names) and the fact that they were just friends without a hint of romance. Handsome is engaged to someone else he likes very much and he and Beauty never entertain romantic thoughts for one another despite the misguided notions of Beauty's sister. It's so rare to find a male-female friendship in media that never aspires to be more but both characters are straight (no "gay best friend" trope here). I also enjoyed the rest of Riley's family: Alexander and their parents, the king and queen. The conspicuous absence of the Beast's family in the original story is creatively explained here and his whole family was a blast to have around.
The story feels a little clipped here and there and at times the named cast felt too large for the short length of the book. Some development was obviously sacrificed for brevity because this is a book aimed at preteens. The plot didn't feel overly simple, but a few of the crucial side characters lacked needed depth (Veronica and Mumford come to mind). The romance between Beauty and Riley was also somewhat rushed given that they didn't meet until after page 200 in a less-than-300-page book. But I did feel that they had the potential to form an excellent partnership and eventual husband and wife (the book does end with a wedding, but fortunately not theirs).
Overall, a sweet little read that will delight its target audience and its twists are interesting enough for older fairy tale enthusiasts to appreciate.
Don't let the poor choice of cover design fool you into thinking this is a modern retelling. This is set in Once Upon a Time land, firmly in fantasy territory. As in the original, Beauty is a merchant's daughter whose family has fallen on hard times. She's only thirteen, but I didn't have a problem with that as I had with Cecelia in Palace of Mirrors because she doesn't act like a child, and in this fantasy universe thirteen is established as almost old enough to marry--Beauty's older sister Clarissa expected to be married before her sixteenth birthday and the Beast character's fifteen-year-old brother Alexander is to be betrothed fairly soon. The Beast himself is an awkward young prince named Riley--also thirteen--with a gift for chemistry and astronomy. When he finds himself cursed by a witch, he sets out to find the one girl who can fall in love with him and break the spell.
Several of the side characters were highlights in this version. Where most retellings focus on Beauty and the Beast alone, isolated in the Beast's castle, Mass has chosen to populate the entire story with quirky characters. I enjoyed the presence of Beauty's best friend Handsome (they're drawn together by mutual embarrassment over their respective inappropriate names) and the fact that they were just friends without a hint of romance. Handsome is engaged to someone else he likes very much and he and Beauty never entertain romantic thoughts for one another despite the misguided notions of Beauty's sister. It's so rare to find a male-female friendship in media that never aspires to be more but both characters are straight (no "gay best friend" trope here). I also enjoyed the rest of Riley's family: Alexander and their parents, the king and queen. The conspicuous absence of the Beast's family in the original story is creatively explained here and his whole family was a blast to have around.
The story feels a little clipped here and there and at times the named cast felt too large for the short length of the book. Some development was obviously sacrificed for brevity because this is a book aimed at preteens. The plot didn't feel overly simple, but a few of the crucial side characters lacked needed depth (Veronica and Mumford come to mind). The romance between Beauty and Riley was also somewhat rushed given that they didn't meet until after page 200 in a less-than-300-page book. But I did feel that they had the potential to form an excellent partnership and eventual husband and wife (the book does end with a wedding, but fortunately not theirs).
Overall, a sweet little read that will delight its target audience and its twists are interesting enough for older fairy tale enthusiasts to appreciate.
October 1, 2021
1.5 Stars
This might be one of the most boring retelling of Beauty And The Beast I've ever read .. I can't believe I managed to finish it !!
So the story is about Beauty .. she is not a beauty but she has a good heart.. one day her father loses his fortune and they become poor, so he goes to travel to find work and stumble upon beast
Beast(aka prince Riley) is actually with no character whatsoever.. he was moving with the plot .. even how he got cursed doesn't make sense !!!
man this was such a mess I don't even know where to begin
This might be one of the most boring retelling of Beauty And The Beast I've ever read .. I can't believe I managed to finish it !!
So the story is about Beauty .. she is not a beauty but she has a good heart.. one day her father loses his fortune and they become poor, so he goes to travel to find work and stumble upon beast
Beast(aka prince Riley) is actually with no character whatsoever.. he was moving with the plot .. even how he got cursed doesn't make sense !!!
man this was such a mess I don't even know where to begin
April 4, 2018
I love this book so much, i remember reading it during junior high when my library got stocked up with new books to read as this one caught my eye. I felt like it has a great twists and was sucked in by the first page. I really do wondered whatever happened to Veronica's mother though, i wish there was a sequel or something to continue Riley and Beauty love story and adventure.
did-not-finish
April 11, 2025I accidentally deleted my review. Sorry. I dnf'ed at 10% because the writing is so stilted. I just couldn't get into the book. At least the Prince was simply awkward and not bad and made a goofy mistake like being an Alchemist who uses mysterious ingredients from an unknown sender. That seems like a bad idea.
November 1, 2018
It was still Wendy Mass and it still had all the goodness that she does well, but it definitely needed a final round of editing. There were a lot of contradictory sentences and happenings. It's rated above two stars though because the romance is realistic and there is no love triangle.
July 23, 2017
This book was so good! I loved how the author added to the story, while still staying true to the original tale. Wendy Mass's books just keep getting better, and better.
March 5, 2023
This book is better than melatonin.
April 26, 2018
This was such a sweet book! I read it in one night (probably shouldn't have, as I have a track meet today) but I loved it! It wasn't super fast paced, just a relaxing middle-grade novel. Wendy Mass is an excellent author, I have read several other books by her. (11 birthdays and 13 gifts- I think) All-in-all an excelent read!
Content: none
Content: none
February 15, 2021
This book was really good. I like how the story tale was re-imagined. I really enjoyed this read and I liked how you got to see it from both perspectives. It was really good, and I recommend it to people who like fantasy books.
September 28, 2019
I love this book sooo much! At first I was bored, but out of no where, BAM! The book smacks you in the face and proves you wrong. The twists were AMAZING! This is for sure my favorite book in the series!:D
January 27, 2016
took WAY too long to get to the point. there IS such a thing as too much character backround.
December 21, 2017
I liked this book a lot. I think it took a long time for Beauty and the Beast to actually meet.
April 2, 2022
This is a book is a twist of Beauty and the Beast. I was a good twisted fairy tale. I would read this again.
May 28, 2025
Some re-tellings should NEVER be attempted.
This is one of them.
First, the author drove me NUTS by naming everyone all of these old English names like Mumford or Forsythe or whatever... even the crown prince is Alexander, but then we got swank, mod *RILEY* for our hero? Seriously?! What king names one son 'Alexander' and then tacks 'RILEY' on his spare heir?! Not a chance!
Then there's the fun of Beauty and the Beast both being only FOURTEEN years old, but they talk like they're twenty-eight. It doesn't work. NONE of it works. They wouldn't be mature enough to handle *anything*. Especially if they both led sheltered lives up until the action in the story.
The story itself is a disastrous mess - you don't even get to Beauty meeting the Beast until pg 200 or something, because she's off on a side quest that is semi-related but MAKE. NO. SENSE. If a little girl is looking for a strawberry gem that will lead her to her mother, and is the LAST thing she remembers about her mom? NO WAY is that little girl gonna turn around and give the gem to Beauty, when mom hasn't been found, hello. 'Princess' or not. Not a chance.
Then the beast is cursed for no apparent reason (later we're told it's because he's super-smart, but he doesn't evidence *ANY* of that in the story), they're just riding along in the woods - the ENTIRE royal family with no escort (because the author says so)... THAT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN!!!... everything is utterly implausible and badly written.
There's this whole HUGE thing at the beginning of the story about a mysterious man in a silver cloak who does amazing things... but then the author never does anything with him. Has him taken by the witch, but when he's let go, he just goes into depression and admits he's the loser he is. Because the author couldn't be bothered with him, apparently...?
There *IS* no romance between 14yo Beauty and 14yo RILEY, because his nads haven't even dropped, for the love of Mike... so how she's *poof* in love with him, we have NO IDEA. Too much time was dedicated to pre-story and side quests, and NONE on the two of them coming to have any sort of feels for each other.
Meanwhile, Beauty's father is barely fleshed out as a character - you know more about the local butcher than you do about her dad, I swear. And her sister is a fashionista who burns the house down and is of no earthly good to anyone, but we're supposed to believe that she's gonna hold down Beauty's job at the apothecary shop - WHICH SHE HELD A MERE TWO DAYS BEFORE GOING OFF ON A SIDE QUEST - and the dude is gonna be okay with her, even though she burned her own home down and is stealing his skin care cream in front of his face.
Riiiiiiiiiiight....
Meanwhile, the king, queen, and crown prince/older brother are rendered invisible, but keep retainers at the castle to feed the beast, but then there are no retainers except Riley's two friends (one super old, one super young), and suddenly Mass has the king, queen, and prince sewing clothes, dusting and cleaning the castle, and doing menial tasks. WHAT the what...?!?!?!
And the writing. GAHHHHHH, the writing. This author is sooooooooooooooooo tedious with the dialogue that goes absolutely nowhere and doesn't endear you to a single person. They're all just dolts stumbling along a badly written plotline, I swear it.
I'm a collector of really good Beauty/Beast tales.
This? Was pitiful. I wouldn't even read it if I were a kid.
HARD, *HARD* pass.
This is one of them.
First, the author drove me NUTS by naming everyone all of these old English names like Mumford or Forsythe or whatever... even the crown prince is Alexander, but then we got swank, mod *RILEY* for our hero? Seriously?! What king names one son 'Alexander' and then tacks 'RILEY' on his spare heir?! Not a chance!
Then there's the fun of Beauty and the Beast both being only FOURTEEN years old, but they talk like they're twenty-eight. It doesn't work. NONE of it works. They wouldn't be mature enough to handle *anything*. Especially if they both led sheltered lives up until the action in the story.
The story itself is a disastrous mess - you don't even get to Beauty meeting the Beast until pg 200 or something, because she's off on a side quest that is semi-related but MAKE. NO. SENSE. If a little girl is looking for a strawberry gem that will lead her to her mother, and is the LAST thing she remembers about her mom? NO WAY is that little girl gonna turn around and give the gem to Beauty, when mom hasn't been found, hello. 'Princess' or not. Not a chance.
Then the beast is cursed for no apparent reason (later we're told it's because he's super-smart, but he doesn't evidence *ANY* of that in the story), they're just riding along in the woods - the ENTIRE royal family with no escort (because the author says so)... THAT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN!!!... everything is utterly implausible and badly written.
There's this whole HUGE thing at the beginning of the story about a mysterious man in a silver cloak who does amazing things... but then the author never does anything with him. Has him taken by the witch, but when he's let go, he just goes into depression and admits he's the loser he is. Because the author couldn't be bothered with him, apparently...?
There *IS* no romance between 14yo Beauty and 14yo RILEY, because his nads haven't even dropped, for the love of Mike... so how she's *poof* in love with him, we have NO IDEA. Too much time was dedicated to pre-story and side quests, and NONE on the two of them coming to have any sort of feels for each other.
Meanwhile, Beauty's father is barely fleshed out as a character - you know more about the local butcher than you do about her dad, I swear. And her sister is a fashionista who burns the house down and is of no earthly good to anyone, but we're supposed to believe that she's gonna hold down Beauty's job at the apothecary shop - WHICH SHE HELD A MERE TWO DAYS BEFORE GOING OFF ON A SIDE QUEST - and the dude is gonna be okay with her, even though she burned her own home down and is stealing his skin care cream in front of his face.
Riiiiiiiiiiight....
Meanwhile, the king, queen, and crown prince/older brother are rendered invisible, but keep retainers at the castle to feed the beast, but then there are no retainers except Riley's two friends (one super old, one super young), and suddenly Mass has the king, queen, and prince sewing clothes, dusting and cleaning the castle, and doing menial tasks. WHAT the what...?!?!?!
And the writing. GAHHHHHH, the writing. This author is sooooooooooooooooo tedious with the dialogue that goes absolutely nowhere and doesn't endear you to a single person. They're all just dolts stumbling along a badly written plotline, I swear it.
I'm a collector of really good Beauty/Beast tales.
This? Was pitiful. I wouldn't even read it if I were a kid.
HARD, *HARD* pass.
October 5, 2017
In the book Beauty and the Beast: the Only one who Didn't run Away by Wendy Mass was an extraordinary twist on the original story of Beauty and the Beast. In the beginning of the book a girl with the name of Beauty's house burns down and her family is left to leave their home town, and move to a small hut in the outside of their town. Meanwhile a prince named Riley, gets turned into a beast by an old witch. Beauty and the Beast meets later in the story and they fall in love like all original Disney stories. The beast turns back into a human and they find all of the other people that have been turned into animals and save them all. The Witch dies and Beauty and Prince Riley get married at the end of the story.
My personal preference to this book was that it was a really good book, but some parts could of been more exciting. For example for one page they talked about someone opening a door for a very slow old man, but there was some really exciting parts too. Like when Beauty and Prince Riley were trying to save all of the humans that were turned into animals. I especially like the part where beauty had to make some potions and it spilled every and someone's hair turned from belong to bright green. This book is a unusual twist on the original Diseny book/movie Beauty and the Beast.
I recommend this book to anyone who like a good twist on any fairy tale, but you have to be prepared to have a very different perspective on this book because it is a different kind of fairytale. I also recommend this book to anyone who has, or is in the reading level of a middle schooler or higher elementary schooler, but I also think that anyone could read this book and enjoy it as much as I did, the book Beauty and the Beast: the Only one who Didn't run Away by Wendy Mass was a wonderful book that anyone can enjoy!
My personal preference to this book was that it was a really good book, but some parts could of been more exciting. For example for one page they talked about someone opening a door for a very slow old man, but there was some really exciting parts too. Like when Beauty and Prince Riley were trying to save all of the humans that were turned into animals. I especially like the part where beauty had to make some potions and it spilled every and someone's hair turned from belong to bright green. This book is a unusual twist on the original Diseny book/movie Beauty and the Beast.
I recommend this book to anyone who like a good twist on any fairy tale, but you have to be prepared to have a very different perspective on this book because it is a different kind of fairytale. I also recommend this book to anyone who has, or is in the reading level of a middle schooler or higher elementary schooler, but I also think that anyone could read this book and enjoy it as much as I did, the book Beauty and the Beast: the Only one who Didn't run Away by Wendy Mass was a wonderful book that anyone can enjoy!
May 25, 2018
{My thoughts} – I am beginning to really love the ways in which this series of books is written. It allows you to have the perspective of both characters before, during and after their lives are merged together.
In this book we have Beauty a girl that isn’t well what one would actually define as beautiful, rather she is more plain and ordinary. And then you have the Beast. He is Prince Riley and he isn’t much of a looker either. However, the two of them do in deed fall for one another and in doing so come up with a plan in which they will attempt to over throw the witch that had cursed him and his family.
I really enjoyed reading this story as it was a eye opening kind of story. You get to meet many characters throughout the book and they come back in the end and it’s like that was that person type thing. The story is nicely woven together and it is in it’s own a brilliantly retold classic.
I recommend this book for any child that enjoys fairytales. I strongly believe that they will enjoy reading about Rapunzel and the Prince. It’s a well written retelling that doesn’t take much time at all to read through. I look forward to reading the rest of the series in the future.
In this book we have Beauty a girl that isn’t well what one would actually define as beautiful, rather she is more plain and ordinary. And then you have the Beast. He is Prince Riley and he isn’t much of a looker either. However, the two of them do in deed fall for one another and in doing so come up with a plan in which they will attempt to over throw the witch that had cursed him and his family.
I really enjoyed reading this story as it was a eye opening kind of story. You get to meet many characters throughout the book and they come back in the end and it’s like that was that person type thing. The story is nicely woven together and it is in it’s own a brilliantly retold classic.
I recommend this book for any child that enjoys fairytales. I strongly believe that they will enjoy reading about Rapunzel and the Prince. It’s a well written retelling that doesn’t take much time at all to read through. I look forward to reading the rest of the series in the future.
October 11, 2017
Like they say "Tale as old as time"! This book takes the classic fairy tale beauty and the beast and twists it in a extremely creative way. The book alternates between the individual story of beauty and the story of the beast until the two characters cross lines and meet. The author does a brilliant job in placing the classic tale's main events in a modern setting with modern day problems. The story really shows you how sometimes your problems may lead you to happiness because both of their problems lead to them meeting each other and falling in love. I gave this book a strong 4 star rating because it is certainly a page turner and it is a book that takes you through a rich journey of emotions from love to thrill, and it always leaves you wondering "What is going to happen next?"
September 14, 2017
I haven't read #1 or #2 in this series yet, but it doesn't seem to make a difference that I can tell. This is a different take on Beauty & the Beast than I have ever read before (and I have read several variations of the story). I like it as much as any version I've read. I was surprised though, at how late in the book it is that Beauty & "Beast" actually meet. My only concern/complaint is that the cover doesn't "fit." It shows a picture of a girl in a contemporary party dress, yet the story clearly takes place at least a couple hundred years ago.
May 24, 2018
3.5 stars
This one was cute, too. I think I even liked it a little better than the first one (Rapunzel: The One With All the Hair). I think what I liked the most was the family dynamics. Both Beauty and Beast had supportive, loving families, which can be a rarity in fairy tales...haha. The whole quest thing with Veronica and Handsome felt a little unnecessary, and it took forever to get to the part where Beauty and Beast actually met, but it interesting to get a little more backstory, so I didn’t mind that too much.
This one was cute, too. I think I even liked it a little better than the first one (Rapunzel: The One With All the Hair). I think what I liked the most was the family dynamics. Both Beauty and Beast had supportive, loving families, which can be a rarity in fairy tales...haha. The whole quest thing with Veronica and Handsome felt a little unnecessary, and it took forever to get to the part where Beauty and Beast actually met, but it interesting to get a little more backstory, so I didn’t mind that too much.
December 11, 2018
Meh... I liked it, but that is all. It was gripping and interesting, I loved the families of the main characters (Beauty and Beast themselves were just OK), but the language was contradictory. I suppose it was meant to be old-fashioned with the ever-repeating "Truly?" instead of today's "For real?", but there were some phrases/words that were certainly not old-fashioned, like "rip" or "you're boss".
Ya know what I mean?
Sorry, I happen to be very picky, but not only about books. I'm picky about perfume, music, make-up, stuff like that.
Ya know what I mean?
Sorry, I happen to be very picky, but not only about books. I'm picky about perfume, music, make-up, stuff like that.
April 2, 2019
I like this book because it doesn't entirely depend it's story on the real story, Beauty And The Beast. My favorite character in this book is Veronica because even though she is little and only a kid, she persistent, ambitious, and determined to find her mother. Another thing that is really cool about her is that she knows every thing. It's weird and cool. She is really nice too. Even though Veronica, Beauty and Handsome worked pretty hard for the stone necklace, she let Beauty bring it on her trip.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2025
One of the best YA retellings of the Beauty and the Beast fairytale I've ever read. Told in alternating chapters (I really appreciated the short chapters that made the story move forward at a fast pace) with the well-defined characters of Clarissa, Handsome, Alexander, Godfrey, and Veronica adding depth, humor, and heart to Beauty and Riley's predicament. I especially enjoyed the King and Queen's relationship with each other and with their two sons, especially after the witch's curse has rendered them invisible.
Great read!
Great read!
September 20, 2020
I really really enjoyed this book. This book is a twist on the classic Beauty and the Beast that we probably all know and love. I don't want to give too much away but it features the main characters "Beauty" and Riley who is turns into the beast. This story has an interesting plot, taking twists and turns that I didn't expect. Overall I give this book a five-star rating. I really enjoyed everything about it!
January 19, 2023
Mass's books are pretty light & easy. But they've still got enough special bits that they're worth reading, and, imo, rereading. In this one I like the details of the 'best room' at the inn, for example. Or the exact shape of the Beast's form. Or, well, it's a short book and I don't want to drop them all for you. If you're interested, just read this - it's got far fewer calories than a box of candy!
Btw, these Twice Upon a Time do stand alone separately. And I wish there were more.
Btw, these Twice Upon a Time do stand alone separately. And I wish there were more.
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