At first I couldn't believe what I was reading! I'm not really the type that enjoys my pleasure with pain, so I found this book quite shocking. After I read on, though, I couldn't put the book down. I was constantly asking myself what would happen to Beauty next. I tried to put myself into her place and feel what she was feeling, and the book came alive. Anne Rice does a wonderful job at creating an imaginative secret story compared to the Disney version. I was engrossed with this book and, as surprising as it is, couldn't put this book down!