Belle Noir: Tales of Love and Magic

Belle Noir Quotes

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Any item with "FREE Shipping" label on the search and the product detail page is eligible and contributes to your free shipping order minimum. You can get the remaining amount to reach the Free shipping threshold by adding any eligible item to your cart. Enter a world of dark beauty This collection of enchanting and disturbing stories ranging from fantasy to speculative fiction will leave you spellbound! Includes retellings of Beauty and the Beast Transfigured - The Beast has changed back to a handsome prince, yet Beauty finds out that. Includes retellings of Beauty and the Beast Transfigured - The Beast has changed back to a handsome prince, yet Beauty finds out that although some curses may be broken, they are never completely destroyed.

No Loyal Knight and True - In this modern-day retelling of Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott, a boyhood encounter with an odd girl who lives in a tower alters the course of Ryan's destiny. Belle Noir - Young Jane flees from her abusive father into a seemingly perfect marriage only to find that the darkest hearts are never revealed until it is too late. Grotesque - A woman hardened by a difficult past witnesses a horrifying tragedy and undergoes a magical transformation. Mirabilis A Novelette - Rosaria's life changes the day the veiled and mysterious Lord Devlin hires her to cure him of a terrible curse.

Perhaps I was caught in the trickery and distraction of a spell undone.

The spring that finally came after a hundred cold and barren winters, the gleaming castle with proud flags unfurling in the blue sky where crumbling stones used to be, the armies of servants now at our command, sound and clamor filling up the years of silence, and you, shining in the sun, alive, transformed, so different from the other. Shocked with the noise and bright light of the glamour after, perhaps I did not notice, as I should have, just exactly how different you were.

Belle Noir: Tales of Love and Magic by Ava Zavora - Paperback

We live in that gleaming castle on a hill, a handsome prince wedded to his princess, each in perfect symmetry to the other, and we are envied for our life, which will be set in a story told for ages to come. Because I am so much in love with this one! I must admit that I was taken aback upon being approached to do a review. But upon sampling the book, that changed to an enthusiastic YES!

And I am very relieved to report that I never had cause to regret accepting. What lured my interest? Zavora's storytelling is luminous. The stories, five in all, range from gothic fantasy to literary but with fairy tale threads runnin I must admit that I was taken aback upon being approached to do a review. The stories, five in all, range from gothic fantasy to literary but with fairy tale threads running throughout.

Some are more intense than others, contrasting vividly beautiful prose with uncomfortable themes that stayed with me days after I read them. Transfigured is the sample I read: This one revived my interest in the poem, which I read a long time ago. Just when I thought it was headed one way, it completely headed somewhere else. Belle Noir - I thought what the author did in Transfigured was impressive, but Belle Noir was an unexpected, stop in my tracks story that turns the fairy tale on its head yet again.

Belle Noir: Tales of Love and Magic

Grotesque - This gargoyle themed story is the perfect example of a magical, multi-layered tale that looks to be one way in the beginning but ended up being delicately beautiful. Mirabilis - At first glance this looks to be a traditional, fairly straighforward retelling but again, as in the others, the author managed to do something different and still provide a happy ending. It's hard to pick which one is my favorite, as they all have their strengths. While I see that the author has written some romance novels which I probably won't read as they are not my thing I eagerly look forward to more of her fantasy stories.

Every since I was a little girl I have been a fan of fairy tales. I have them to thank for my romantic ways. But we all know how fairy tales end, Happy Ever After.

When I was first asked to read Belle Noir: Tales of Love and Magic I was immediately intrigued by the darkness that was hinted at through the synopsis. And as I read through the compilation of stories I was not disappointed as each story took what I expected from a fairy tale and turned it on its head, delivering a darker, more realis Every since I was a little girl I have been a fan of fairy tales. And as I read through the compilation of stories I was not disappointed as each story took what I expected from a fairy tale and turned it on its head, delivering a darker, more realistic and pessimistic view.

With every story Ava Zavora transported me to another place in time as each story felt like it was told from an ancient time. Though I enjoyed all the stories in this collection, my favorite had to be Mirabilis. It leaned slightly more toward a traditional fairy tale, but it still had a dark edge. I found that I couldn't help but have hope for a happy ending as I read the story of Lord Devlin and Rosaria.

The story of Mirabilis was reminiscent of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast, but with wonderful twists that only made the story better. Just like in Beauty and the Beast you can't help but route for a happy ending. Especially after all the not so happy endings in the other tales.

Belle Noir Quotes by Ava Zavora

But there were times where I felt that the way the stories were told also confused the stories, often giving you the sense that the tenses changed throughout the stories; causing some stories easier to follow than others. Despite that, the stories in Belle Noir: Tales of Love and Magic definitely give the readers a twist on the usual fairy tales and delivers the reader to a time when things didn't always seem to end with happy ever after.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for a darker take on fairy tales. Tales of Love and Magic will transport its readers to another place in time. A place of undeniable odds, a place of magic, and a place where you never know the ending.

The full review is posted on my blog: An e-copy of Belle was sent to me by the author in return for an honest review, And I was a bit nervous because its the first anthology I've read. Belle Noir is a collection of short stories for adults and most of the stories are about heartbreak, pain and magic.

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This book was so original, I didn't want to put it down. Don't let the name and cover fool you, Belle Noir is dark and heart wrenching, All of the characters i The full review is posted on my blog: Don't let the name and cover fool you, Belle Noir is dark and heart wrenching, All of the characters in the first four stories faced great pain - at the hands of men - and reading about them felt like witnessing some thing private that was shared by accident, but I couldn't look away, it was too intriguing. Oct 16, Shannon Kamzelski sanders rated it really liked it.

I was provided with a copy from the author for an honest review. Prepare to have your mind opened to so new possibilities on the story you thought you know. Each time it is reworked in such a manner that you will be amazed at how many different versions this tale can really have. Well written and thought provoking. These stories had me thinking about the characters and the plot well after I set the book down. Oct 17, Amy rated it really liked it Shelves: A quick, yet enjoyable read. There is a definite dark undertone to all of these stories. There are also moment of twists I did not see coming.

Ultimately, I take away the message of not judging someone by their outside. Sometimes you have to look deeper. If you like to read about different takes on classic fairy tales, I highly recommend Belle Noir. Originally posted on Paranormal Sisters http: So when I was able to get to it, I dived right in. I read this back in July so this may be hard to review but I need to do this.

Some things are memorable to me b Originally posted on Paranormal Sisters http: Some things are memorable to me but truthfully I don't really remember the first two stories in this book. I remember the last three though so I'll talk some about them. I hated where it was going because I'm really not a big fan on reading stories of child sexual abuse so this led me to be sour at the end of it. Most of the time I felt disconnected from it but I did like that it was about gargoyles, it was a nice surprise and twist, sorry Mirabillis: The time period I loved and what the actually beast looked like was definitely creative, I couldn't get enough and the most memorable.

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I remember them now but sadly this book isn't that memorable. I felt complete sympathy for our main girl.

It was enjoyable but again I didn't know where things were going. Overall this is an okay read. I don't regret it but I wished I would have liked it more. Sometimes sentences would go on and on, dragging to the point of my eyes getting tired. I couldn't believe how long some of them were, so that helped with me not quite enjoying it. These are adult themes so this is a forewarning. I knew it was but I was hoping one wouldn't lead to a child getting what she doesn't deserve, that man is truly a beast. So if that makes you uncomfortable then skip story number 3.

Other than that, the rest can be read comfortably.

Sep 15, Sara rated it it was ok. I was expecting a version of stories of retellings of traditional tales which the book was advertised as. In four of the stories the links with the traditional tales were weak and were disturbing tales about things I was not expecting like Child abuse. The fifth story Mirabilis was fantastic, exactly what the collection should have been like.

It was a retelling of beauty and the beast where the beauty and beast worked together to find a cure. This is what I expected the rest to be like. As a I was expecting a version of stories of retellings of traditional tales which the book was advertised as. As a result I was unable to give this story the 4 stars it deserves as overall I did not like the book. Opening the iTunes Store.

If Apple Books doesn't open, click the Books app in your Dock. Do you already have iTunes? Click I Have iTunes to open it now. Tales of Love and Magic Ava Zavora. View More by This Author. Description Enter a world of dark beauty

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