Audiobook Review: A Curse of Beasts and Magic by Jeaniene Frost

 

A Curse of Beasts and Magic (Beautiful & Beastly #1) by Jeaniene Frost

Publication Date: May 26h 2026 by Macmillan Audio

Pages: 361

Audio Book Length: 11hrs 28min

Narrators: Tavia Gilbert

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

At fifteen, Raine lost her entire family in a brutal attack, and the Beast responsible has been trapped inside her ever since. Working as an ER nurse gives the creature a steady stream of pain to feed on, and her nighttime patrols hunting down criminals help keep its darker urges in check.

 

Everything changes the night she rescues an elderly man from his attackers and inadvertently draws the attention of Remy, the Warden tasked with policing magical beings. Learning there’s an entire hidden world she never knew existed is terrifying, but finally understanding the nature of the Beast inside her is its own kind of relief. Remy offers to help her gain control in exchange for healing his grandfather…and pretending to be his girlfriend.

 

Thrown headfirst into magical politics, Raine realizes she has a lot to learn. Her growing connection with Remy is complicated by the secrets he’s keeping. I really loved how grounded Raine remained through it all. She has a strong moral compass, a genuine fear of what the Beast might do, and an instinctive trust in others that feels both endearing and dangerous. I have a feeling she won’t be quite so trusting in the future.

 

A Curse of Beasts and Magic delivers action, intrigue, and a simmering romance wrapped in a world full of hidden agendas and dangerous power plays. The final battle is a high‑stakes showdown packed with reveals and consequences that clearly set the stage for the next book. I’m eager to find out what comes next.

 

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Tavia Gilbert. I really enjoyed her female voices, expressive and engaging, though the male voices didn’t land as well for me. Still, the performance overall made for an enjoyable listen.

4 Stars

Book Description:

New York Times bestselling author of The Night Huntress series Jeaniene Frost returns with a brand-new series! It’s Beauty and the Beast meets The Witcher in this dark fantastical retelling, except Beauty IS the Beast, and he’s the Warden keeping mythical beings in check in our world and beyond.

Raine Stone was the sole survivor of a horrific creature while camping. Her account of the attack was attributed to shock, but Raine knows all too well that her story is true because now she carries that same Beast inside her!

She’s been restraining its violent urges by letting it 'feed' on the pain and chaos she’s exposed to as an ER nurse, and by playing vigilante against would-be muggers at night. But when Raine uses the Beast’s energy to heal a frail elderly gentleman from a seemingly random attack, she opens herself to a new world of danger—literally.

Remington “Remy” Byrne knows that the wall between a realm of deadly mythic creatures and our own world is very thin; he’s the Warden who guards the gateways between them. He also rules the supernatural creatures living in secret among us. Raine’s Beast makes her an intruder on Remy’s territory, but the elderly gentleman she saved is Remy’s grandfather, and her Beast contains power that could tip the scales in a sinister plot against Remy’s rule—if Raine allies with him.

Will they be friends or foes…or will the dangerous attraction between them turn into something else? And can our world be saved by their explosive alliance?