Prince Rhen is cursed to repeat his 18th year over and over again until he finds a girl who will fall in love with him. It seemed easy at first to break the curse, but at the end of each season, he transforms until a mindless beast. Now Rhen must live with the guilt that he has killed his entire family and most of his court while in beast form. No girl has loved this beast, but Rhen, desperate to save his kingdom from himself, continues to kidnap a girl each season in hopes that one will be different. He never expected to find a girl like Harper.
A lifetime of tough luck has taught Harper to be strong, even though everyone underestimates her because she has cerebral palsy. While trying to stop a kidnapping, Harper ends up being the one chosen to go to Rhen's world. A world of magic and chivalry seems absurd to Harper, but as she meets Rhen's people, she discovers they are just as real as she is. Harper is torn between wanting to get back home to her dying mother and wanting to do what she can to help Rhen's people and save him from this curse. With the time running out, how can this Beauty and her Beast find a happy ending?
Within the pages of this book lies the one of best re-imaginings of the Beauty and the Beast story, and like a beast, you will want to devour this book. Both Harper and Rhen are complex characters that fiercely fight for the people they love. I love that Kemmerer's main character has CP, but the book is not about CP. I also loved the idea of a beast who truly becomes an inhuman monster. With no control over his actions, it makes the consequences even more heartbreaking. The romance between Harper and Rhen is swoon-worthy, and at the end, you will be dying to for the sequel, A Heart So Fierce and Broken, which comes out January 7, 2020. Highly, highly recommended!