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 family in a brutal attack, and she’s been left with the Beast responsible inhabiting her body. Her job as an ER nurse helps satisfy the Beast’s needs to feed on pain and her patrolling at night for criminals helps as well.

 

Everything changes the night she rescues an elderly man from his attackers and draws the attention of Remy, the Warden tasked with policing magical beings. It’s frightening to find out there’s a whole magical world she wasn’t aware of, but it’s also a relief to find out exactly what she has inside her. Remy helps her get her Beast in control in exchange for helping heal his grandfather and pretending to be his girlfriend.

 

With this arrangement, Raine is dragged into the politics of a magical world she knows nothing about. While there’s a growing romantic relationship between Raine and Remy, she discovers there’s a lot of information he’s holding back. I really liked Raine. She had a strong moral compass and worried over having this powerful entity trapped inside and what it might do to others. She trusts easily, because she assumes the best of people. I think she’s going to be more cautious going forward.

 

A Curse of Beasts and Magic delivers action, romance and dangerous political maneuvering. The final battle is a high‑stakes showdown packed with reveals and consequences that I’m sure will play out in the next book. I’m eager to find out what comes next.

 

I listened to the audio version narrated by Tavia Gilbert. I like her female voices, but the male voices less so. 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?