Read Clean YA with CJ Episode Thirty-Five
Welcome to another episode of Read Clean YA with C.J., featuring debut author Abigail O’Bryan discussing her dark YA reimagining of Beauty and the Beast, Iron Rose.
No Kiss Can Break This Curse.
There is no future for Lydia Brightwood.The Crimson Lord, a tyrant bent on destroying Lydia’s country, made sure of that. Her only hope of a different life is to find the one person who could unite her country: a royal heir. There’s just one problem… They’re all dead.The Beast’s humanity is slipping away. Shut away from the world by a horrible secret, Adam watches the destruction of his homeland from the ruins of a fortress all the while holding the devastating truth in his chest: It’s his fault.Adam and Lydia’s paths cross in the ruins of the north where they must find a way to conquer the curse before everything they love collapses…but being truly human has its price.
Episode Show Notes below
Beauty, Beasts, and Rebellion: Inside Abigail O'Brien's Dark YA Retelling
Episode Show Notes:
Meet Abigail O’Bryan
Abigail O’Bryan writes fairytale-inspired stories for teens (and the young at heart) filled with curses, adventures, and happily ever afters.
When not writing, you can find her playing D&D with her friends (or plying them with experimental baked goods), trying to do entirely too much in her garden, or just enjoying hanging out with her favorite people—her husband and two children—in their century-old house in the shadow of the Wasatch Range. Iron Rose is her debut novel.
A Fresh Take on a Classic Tale
O’Bryan’s debut novel offers a unique spin on the beloved fairy tale:
“Iron Rose is a dark YA reimagining of Beauty and the Beast… You mainly follow Lydia, who is sort of the Belle character, except she is the leader of a rebellion in the midst of an occupied country. And she is trying to take down a tyrant at any cost.”
The Story Behind the Story
The author’s inspiration came from questioning the classic tale:
“Even as a child, I was like, hold up, I don’t feel like that really checks out… What kind of person would curse a child? What would happen when that ruler disappeared? And what kind of person could become friends with a beast, let alone fall in love with them?”
Deeper Themes
Exploring True Strength
For Lydia’s character:
“It’s really a question of what is real strength… Through her relationship with Adam, she begins to see that her femininity isn’t going to be something that kills her. That it can be a strength.”
Breaking Through Shame
For Adam (the Beast):
“Shame is what locks him up in the ruins where he lives, not any physical force… Something I would really want readers to take away from the book would be that their value is not attached to the outcomes of their efforts. And that love breaks shame.”
Similar Stories
O’Bryan describes Iron Rose as:
- “Beauty and the Beast, but if Katniss were Belle”
- Similar to The Hunger Games
- Comparable to Mary E. Pearson’s works
- In line with Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Writing from Different Perspectives
On writing dual POV:
“When I get to write from Adam’s perspective, it feels delicious… he sees the parts of her that she doesn’t think are valuable and adores that.”
Beyond Writing
When not crafting stories, O’Bryan:
- Gardens and “rewild” her property
- Hosts game nights and plays D&D
- Experiments with baking
- Raises her two children
Connect with the Author
Find Abigail O’Bryan at:
- Instagram: @Abigail_OBryan_author
- Website: www.authorabigailobryan.com
“Each individual who joins me on my journey really has input and has impact. And I care a lot about you guys.”
Iron Rose is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and local independent bookstores. Note for sensitive readers: The book contains scenes of intense action and violence.
For more clean YA book recommendations and author interviews, tune in to Read Clean YA with C.J. Milacci.
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Abigail O'Bryan
Author
Abigail O’Bryan writes fairytale-inspired stories for teens (and the young at heart) filled with curses, adventures, and happily ever afters.
When not writing, you can find her playing D&D with her friends (or plying them with experimental baked goods), trying to do entirely too much in her garden, or just enjoying hanging out with her favorite people—her husband and two children—in their century-old house in the shadow of the Wasatch Range. Iron Rose is her debut novel.
About Your Host
Award-winning author CJ Milacci writes stories for teens and young adults with heart-pounding action and hope. As the podcast host for Read Clean YA with CJ, she loves talking about books and the deeper themes woven into the pages of each novel. She’s passionate about crafting stories of good overcoming evil, finding hope in the midst of seemingly hopeless circumstances, and true acceptance.
Always willing to get real about hard issues, C.J. also enjoys the cheesiest of puns. She chats about writing, her faith, bubble tea, and other fun adventures online (@cjmilacci) and at cjmilacci.com.
CJ Milacci is the award-winning author of The Talionis Series, and she writes stories for teens and young adults with heart-pounding action and hope. As a referee, she’s always relearning the hard lesson that it’s impossible to make everyone happy, and she’s discovered that stories can be found anywhere, even on a lacrosse field. She’s passionate about crafting stories of good overcoming evil, finding hope in the midst of seemingly hopeless circumstances, and true acceptance.
Recruit of Talionis, Book 1
A teen with a dark past. A secret military force that kidnaps new soldiers. Can she survive as a Recruit of Talionis?
Fugitive of Talionis, Book 2
They kidnapped her. Trained her. And now they’re hunting her.
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