Fairy Tale Review: Blossom and the Beast (The Alder Tales #1) by R.S. McCoy

Blossom and the Beast (The Alder Tales #1)
by R.S. McCoy

Description:
*A paranormal romance retelling of Beauty and the Beast*

Blossom Frane is only weeks away from her transformation. On her eighteenth birthday, she’ll find out her future branch of society and her totem, the animal form she’ll be able to take at will for the rest of her life. Like her brothers, she’s expected to be a brown bear of the religious branch known as Terra.

In the Alderwood forests, Blossom’s bear blood is a valuable asset. Any day now, a rival clan leader will step forward and offer her father a hefty bounty in exchange for her hand in marriage. Blossom can do nothing more than sit back and wait to be traded to the highest bidder.

Determined to spend her last weeks exploring the Alderwood, Blossom sneaks away and manages to find Kaide Landel, a rising political star of the Pyro branch. Known for his violence and disregard for the religious teachings of the Terra branch, he’s all wrong for the bear clan’s prized daughter. But when the politician uses his wealth and influence to secure her hand, Blossom has no choice but to leave her family and marry him—if she lives that long.

A new paranormal romance from RS McCoy, author of The Sparks Saga, The Luminary Chronicles, and The Extraction Files series.

Book One of The Alder Tales.


My Review:
Blossom and the Beast, as the description states, is a new take on the Beauty and the Beast story, this one with spirit totems, shapeshifting, and an interesting mix of magic and technology.

There are a few things I especially liked about this book, first off, the main characters. I enjoyed Blossom’s spunk. She’s tough, determined to be herself, and yet still human. On the other hand, Kaide is complex. He really is dangerous and violent, but he’s striving to overcome that side of him, the beast. He seems good for Blossom, but not all that good, considering his baggage.

The world itself, the three main branches and the differences between them, are the second thing that really sets this story apart. I thought the story was simply paranormal romance, but there’s an intriguing side of science fiction, too, which I dig, and it comes out as the story progresses and more and more of the world is revealed.

That being said, I didn’t quite get into it as much as I did some of the other books by this author. There are a couple of things that happen in the story that seem off, maybe out of character or maybe too easy or hard. I think it didn’t help that near the end, Kaide began referring to himself as a beast and Blossom as beauty. Ah well, other than all that, it’s a great story.

Overall, set aside the fairytale origins and you have quite a smart and unique story. I really liked it, and fans of paranormal romance will very likely enjoy it, too. The science fiction and post-apocalyptic themes are also a cool touch.

I received the review copy of this book from the author.
Book Two, Raene and the Three Bears, comes out on 29 November 2016. br />
About the Author:

Rachel McCoy is a Texan living in New Jersey. Between binge watching MTV reality shows and baking gluten free treats, she writes paranormal fantasy and science fiction novels. She is the self-published author of the Sparks Saga trilogy as well as numerous short stories, some of which now reside in anthologies. Back when she lived in the real world, Rachel earned a degree in marine biology, which contributed to her die-hard love of manta rays.

To connect with RS McCoy (or swap recipes), visit her on her website (www.rsmccoyauthor.com) or check out her Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRSMcCoy). You can also join her newsletter to receive release updates, free stories, and bonus extras (http://eepurl.com/YItp1).