Review: Light a Candle for the Beast by Echo Shea

Title: Light a Candle for the Beast
Author: Echo Shea
Publication: November 26th 2014 by Roane Publishing
Genre: Fantasy ~ Paranormal
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: 4/5

Review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

  

If you’ve ever been caught in a riptide, pulled down into the water, then you know me. Or, more accurately, what I’m like when I’m angry.

Delia was beautiful, smart, and kind. He wasn’t. He said he loved her, but he didn’t know what love was. He was manipulative and cruel—more than a thief. A beast.

All she wanted was a rose…

These are the words on my sister’s grave. Her sadness, her obsession, forever a reminder I didn’t--couldn’t save her.

I’m not vindictive or cruel. I’m simply as the river--my memory is winding and my reach is long. I watched him steal her beauty, her essence. Watched him become a beast. He thought he'd get away with it, thought he'd go free.

I lay a rose upon my sister's grave.

Light a candle for the beast.

I really liked Light a Candle for the Beast. In fact, it's one of the best short stories I've read in a while and it made me want more. The reason I loved it so much was that it isn't only a Beauty and the Beast retelling but it also features Greek mythology, which happens to be one my favorite things ever.

Aside from it being a retelling and featuring Greek mythology I also liked it because it was a rather dark story. I love stories that are dark so this one was really something for me. This certainly isn't your typical Beauty and the Beast re-imagining. But that's what I loved about it.

Another thing I liked was the writing. It was really beautifully writting, in my opinion. That's what stood out to me the most, actually, when I started the book. I would've loved to read a full story in this world but even though it's a really short story, it didn't feel rushed at all. I thought it was really good as it was. 

And also, the main character is a Naiad. How freaking cool is that? I've always wanted to read a story with a Naiad in the lead.

       About the Author:

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An Urban Fantasy writer, I like charaters with an edge and most of my plots are character driven. I've been featured in Portals: A Fantasy Anthology, Spooktacular Seductions, and two books of my own--Manor of Sweet Souls: Gladys Celebrates and Light a Candle for the Beast. I'm currently working on the next and longer piece for Gladys--what can I say? That troll just gets me.