Of Beast and Beauty

Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

Princess Isra is a “smooth skin.”  One of those living in the city under the dome, away from the desert and the “monstrous: those reptilian-skinned creatures.  Isra is also hiding a secret- she knows she has scaly skin and her royal family is hiding it from the population, because even in the royal domed city, those who are part “monstrous” are kept in a partition.  What is also known is that Isra will someday be the blood sacrifice her people need to feed the magic roses that keep the city intact.

Then Gem, a monstrous, is captured inside the city, trying to capture the magic roses to help the desert people.  As their friendship builds, Isra is challenged to find whether everything she knows is actually true. 

Beautifully told from Isra’s and Gem’s points of view, the reader is left wondering just who the “beast” of the story really is. This unique Beauty and the Beast story is marred only by the Biblical reference that tries to incorporate the Adam and Eve story.

Kissing, religious views, strong female character, violence