With the lifting of lockdown restrictions and me (FINALLY) being back to work on the Children’s floor of my bookshop, I was over the moon to get my hands on an advanced copy of The Beast and the Bethany to review – all thanks to Dave as part of the newest #TheUltimateBlogTour!
With a movie already in the works, this brand new middle grade serious is one I have particularly high hopes for!
Synopsis:
Ebenezer Tweezer is a youthful 511-year-old, who keeps a beast in the attic of his mansion.
He feeds the beast all manner of things and in return the beast vomits out presents for Ebenezer.
But the beast grows ever greedier. And it’s bored of a diet of parrots and performing monkeys.
It’s time for a new meal…
Has the beast met its match in the Bethany?
Review:
Ebenezer Tweezer has been harbouring a three-eyed, two-tongued beast in his attic for 511 years, exchanging a few measly meals for eternal youth. But suddenly the beast’s appetites start to grow… and only a child will do!
I want to start this off by saying how much I loved this book! It’s fantastical and fun, with talking birds to drooling beasts there’s always something to keep you on your toes. I’d love to own my very own Winterlorian Purple-Breasted Parrot to chat the day away with (but I wouldn’t feed mine to a beast!). These creatures add in the perfect hint of magic to the story, balancing out the scariness of the beast perfectly. Paired with brilliant illustrations (there’s a few I’ve featured below), I can see this story becoming a firm favourite with a lot of little bookworms. This story conjures up images of what would happen if Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket had ever had the chance to collaborate – there’s the same hint of misfortune as A Series of Unfortunate Events, but it’s coupled with two characters who start to help each other see the world in a different way.
Our main character, Bethany, isn’t like you’d expect. She’s not a polite little thing that finds herself thrust into a strange situation – she’s cheeky, she’s loud and she’s most certainly not afraid of anything. Bethany is bold and a quick thinker, even if she is a little rude. I loved that she was like this! It’s different to a lot of other middle grade books I’ve read and gives us the opportunity to see some real character growth. Only such a super force to be reckoned with could go up against the beast – and I can’t see what she gets up to in the future books in this series.
Overall, I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a modern day Roald Dahl-style story with a hefty dose of cheeky children and ferocious beasts!
Rating: 4/5
You can check out the thoughts of some other wonderful book bloggers on this book throughout the rest of The Beast and the Bethany blog tour by following along over on social media!
#TheWriteReads #UltimateBlogTour #AFeastForTheBeast #BogOffBethany
Are you looking forward to reading this book? I’d love to know your thoughts on it! You can always find me over on Instagram and Twitter if you’re looking for a book chat! 😌
Hannah's Bookshelf 🌸 