Beauty's Kingdom, chapter 8

And we finally meet Prince Dmitri! Much as I adore Matt Bomer (who doesn't?), I can't help but think of him as Reuben Golding. So, I'm betting on Sean O'Pry.

I am in love with Prince Dmitri! It turns out he has a great voice—he is a natural storyteller. I love how he would have flashbacks of his past as a slave, even as he visits the new kingdom, and this helps give the sense of the passage of time. It is beautiful that we are given a tour of the Castle and the Village through his eyes. His voice is distinct from Lestat's, or Toby O'Dare's, or Louis's. It's amazing! He is a character on his own. Of course, he sees different things from the other characters in the other novels. But he sounds like himself, not like any other character of Anne's. Anne is a genius!

I want to think of the two slaves assigned to Prince Dmitri, Kiera and Bertram, as Yam Concepcion and Tom Taus, respectively.

I hope an artist or cartographer would be delighted in drawing a map of the castle grounds, its gardens, the Bridle Path, and even the Village, as in most Medieval fantasy stories.

I love these two sentences from page 103. "...I spent a long time with my mirror as I reflected on what might soon occur." And, "When you are a naked pleasure slave, it seems to me, you learn not to be vain, but to reside completely in your physical being."

The pleasure slave from the village, Barbara, I imagine as Lovi Poe.

 

Bella Thorne as Princess Rosalynd

The last two paragraphs of this chapter are just splendid!

Beauty's Kingdom, chapters 6 and 7

In Chapter 6 we see King Laurent and Queen Beauty drawing up new rules for Bellavalten. I suspect this was almost a commentary on the quality of popular erotica that is available today. Let me name it: Fifty Shades of Grey. I will not comment on the book as I have never read it, although friends and fellow readers who have equivocally abhor it. Queen Eleanor had lost the kingdom's former luster, and it is now time for the new Monarchs to revive the kingdom. Shades was badly written, and so A.N. Roquelaure returns to infuse blood into the genre.

Chapter 7. We meet Princess Blanche. I'd like to imagine Cara Delevigne in this role for no other reason except that her face bores me and I want to make her exciting by imaging her as a slave. But I revert to a girl who I have a real crush on. Alexis Bledel. Now that's a beauty!

(And no! She didn't write that scene between Tristan and Laurent! Sadness! Loss!)

Beauty's Kingdom, chapter 5

By chapter 5, my mind wanted to take an opposite track. What if I read from hereon for the story? What if it weren't erotica but a Medieval Tale, and it just happened to have sexy scenes along the way? What if I cared about the storytelling, the style, character development? Even in such a reading Beauty's Kingdom does not disappoint, because Roquelaure cared about the above in the telling so this is not some cheap pornography you hold in your hands, but one so stylishly executed to bear a second, third or fourth reading for its delicate nuances.

Rice, as a mistress of invention, is famous for turning long accepted rules on its head. Vampires are not just monstrous creatures but tormented souls. Werewolves are heroes and not slaves to the Moon. Angels are not quaint figurines but powerful emissaries from a heavenly realm. Now with Beauty and Laurent ruling, the she shakes up the 'rules' of Bellavalten's world and expands it to limitless possibilities.

I am most intrigued by Lexius and Sonya. I don't have a picture of who Sonya is in my mind, but as for Lexius, I choose Imran Abbas.

King Laurent's resolve is very early being shaken by doubt...whether he'd be able to bear if Queen Beauty decides to play slave for a night. Well, we'll see where this leads. There's also the promise of him mastering Tristan, which I hope happens!

Beauty's Kingdom, chapter 4

Severin is Lady Eva's personal slave. My fantasy cast as Severin is Jake Cuenca. Yes, I have a thing for boyish looks and abs.

And I have always fancied football players, so my Captain Gordon is David Beckham!

Ah, but this chapter belongs to Lady Eva and King Laurent. Oh, many times I looked with longing at these celebrities. Now I have the fantasies laid out before me Beauty's Kingdom.

Beauty's Kingdom, chapter 3

A whole slew of characters return for chapter 3. James Reid is my fantasy Prince Alexi. Those eyelids. Those abs.

Beauty's Kingdom, chapter 2

Joseph Marco is my fantasy King Laurent.

Jennifer Lawrence is Queen Beauty.

Beauty's Kingdom, chapter 1

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