Heart's Blood

This is how you take a traditional fairy tale (Beauty and the Beast) and make if your own!!

Overall this is classic Juliet Marillier and one of her finer books. Caitrin is running from an abusive household and ends up at Whistling Tor, a place inhabited by the mysterious Anluan and his otherworldly companions.

There is mystery, friendships and a budding romance. Anluan is not a beast under a curse. He is a man afflicted with physical deformities from an illness. Caitrin carries her trauma from her previous household. The otherwordly characters have personalities and are truly fleshed out characters. The story is well thought out, well researched and well implemented.

My only critique was the rushed ending. It felt like the author was backed into a corner on how to resolve all of the plotlines and which took precedence. I wish there was at least an extra 50 pages towards the end that would provide a bit more meat for a solid, less rushed ending.