Cyla Panin

This was a very unique and different story in some ways and similar to a lot of others in other ways. It reminded me of a gender-bent Beauty and the Beast retelling with some different aspects which I can't really say or I might end up revealing spoilers.
I enjoyed this book a lot and it is definitely a great story with the right kind of atmosphere and vibe for a great story to lose yourself in during the fall. This story is about a girl, Marie, who lives on the outskirts of a small town with her sister, Ama, and their alcoholic father. They sell perfume to try and make ends meet while their father is absent off in taverns getting drunk or trying a little to contribute to providing for them, but for the most part, they have to take care of themselves. Marie marks someone to be Ama's next victim each time they go to the village to sell perfume so that when Ama turns into a beast she can track the scent of the designated target. One day as they're in the village selling perfume and looking to mark a victim for Ama's turning that night they see a body of a child in a cart brought into the village by another who discovered his body and Marie starts to wonder if Ama accidentally or otherwise attacked and killed the boy when she was a beast even though Marie denies it. They begin trying to figure out who killed the boy and Marie decides to try to find out more about what happened to her sister, Ama since Marie believes Ama was cursed in the previous year at the Lord's mansion. Marie finds a way to get herself into the Lord's mansion to help out and to search for answers to how she can reverse the curse so that Ama will be free of turning into a beast and instead discovers a truth about herself, the Lord, his family, her family and why her sister was given the ability to turn into a beast. The end was not what I would have expected and there are some great swoon-worthy romantic moments with the Lord and Marie, of course.
This story delivers some good messages and morals about accepting and loving yourself, being happy with what you have, and believing in yourself. Make sure to put this on your list and read it when it comes out, It's one you don't want to miss out on. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Abrams Kids for letting me read and review this great book. All opinions are my own.… (altro)

Mother deceased, father a cruel and indifferent drunk, these are the parental figures Marie and her younger sister Ama are left with. They have learned to rely on each other to survive, selling perfume in small bottles to earn enough to cover clothing and food. Once a month, Marie must chain her younger sister in the cellar when she turns into a beast, but with Ama coming out of the transformation ever more malnourished, the girls come up with a desperate plan...use specially crafted bottles of honeysuckle perfume to mark bad people, vagrants and drunkards. Neither sister likes doing so, but it's keeping Ama's beast form in check.
When children start being killed, Marie fears the worst and in a fit of desperation, manages to secure a post at the lord's home where she believes Ama was first cursed and where Marie believes she can find a spell to cure her sister. However, there's a lot more afoot in their small village and readers will find themselves pulled along as the plot becomes darker and more complex. This is a dandy choice for school and public libraries where dark fantasy and retellings of classic tales are popular.… (altro)