Leife Shallcross
The Beast’s Heart
Hodder & Stoughton/Hachette, 2018
I am neither monster nor man – yet I am both.
I am the Beast.
I know why I was cursed; I know the legacy of evil I carry in my tainted blood. So how could she ever love me?
My Isabeau. She opened my eyes, my mind and my heart when I was struggling just to be human.
And now I might lose her forever.
Lose yourself in this gorgeously rich and magical retelling of The Beauty and the Beast that finally lays bare the beast’s heart.
“This beautifully conceived debut from Australian writer Leife Shallcross turns the classic fairytale on its head . . . The love story between the Beast and Isabeau is a delight; a credible, awkward, stilting courtship that’s shot through with moments of gentle romance, pathos, and passion . . . a complex, charming, romantic, and richly detailed story about the redemptive power of love.”
About the Author
Leife Shallcross lives at the foot of a mountain in Canberra, Australia, with her family and a small, scruffy creature that snores. She has a tendency to overindulge in reading fairy tales, then lie awake at night listening to trolls (or maybe possums) galloping over her tin roof. Ever since she can remember, she has been fascinated by stories about canny fairy godmothers, heroic goose girls and handsome princes disguised as bears. She is particularly inspired by those characters that tend to fall into the cracks of the usual tales. She is the author of several short stories, including Pretty Jennie Greenteeth, which won the 2016 Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Short Story. The Beast’s Heart is her first novel.
