As Old As Time: A Twisted Tale by Liz Braswell

As Old As Time is probably my new favorite novel. Mainly because Belle is my favorite princess. She's book smart, compassionate, honest, and odd. Traits I hope that I emulate over my lifetime. This novel takes a tale I have heard since I was a child and twisting it to make sense. It starts with Maurice and his wife Rosalind, the Echantress, living in the kingdom that Rosalind later curses. There are other les charmantes (supernatural) like Rosalind living amongst the "naturals". Later, a fight between two boys (one natural, one les charmantes) over a girl involves the death of the natural boy. This sets off a chain reaction that is written about throughout history. Les charmantes are harrassed, beaten, and some have started to disappear. Rosalind asks the king and queen to help but they refuse, so the small family leaves the kingdom for a "small, provincial town." Later, the king and queen die and Rosalind tests the prince, and we know how that goes. Cut to Belle and the story we all grew up with, but where is Rosalind now?

The author did a great job of adding her own twist to the fairy tale without taking away from the overall theme of the story. I admired how she answered loads of unspoken questions but also how each twist tied into what could have actually happened. Another thing I liked was the addition of les charmantes. I always thought it was strange that there was one enchantress but nothing or no one else.

The overall grammar and puncture needs a little (literally teeny tiny) work. There was nothing that took away from the story or made it distracting, but they are noticeable. Overall I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.