From New York Times bestselling, award-winning author Jennifer Donnelly comes a revolutionary, gender-swapped retelling of Beauty and the Beast that will forever change how you think about beauty, power, and what it really means to follow your heart. Arabella faces the dilemma of what makes a girl "beastly" as she makes her society debut. Her parents expect her to be compliant, but Arabella can't extinguish the fire burning inside her, driving her deepest wishes and wildest dreams. Tragically, an attempt to suppress her emotions backfires, resulting in a curse that dooms her and her loved ones, trapping them in a castle. Over the years, Arabella abandons hope, blaming herself for the curse, convinced that she is impossible to love. When a handsome thief named Beau enters the castle, the servants believe he may be the one to break the curse. However, Beau is wary of the castle's strange inhabitants and the malevolent presence lurking within.