Maegan Mariee | Thoughts & Lifestyle

Originally, I wasn't going to do a completely separate post for this book. I had already mentioned I was reading it in my last post and figured that would be the end of it. But this book was a million times more enjoyable than I thought it was going to be.

Maybe it's because the after effects from this year's Beauty and the Beast remake still has me all giddy, maybe it's because this is my favorite Disney tale ever... whatever the case, I LOVED THIS BOOK.


I briefly mentioned in my last book post that this is part of a trilogy of twisted tales from Liz Braswell and Disney. So basically, a retelling. All of the books have a question of 'what if's', that dramatically change the stories. The question for this tale was 'What if Belle's mother cursed the Beast?'. I mean, how crazy, right? We don't actually know anything about Belle's mother aside from the fact that she was there one moment and gone the next. In the 2017 movie, we find out that she died from the plague that ravaged Paris not very long after Belle was born.

In As Old As Time, Belle's mother, Rosalind, is a charmente. A witch, basically, but the term in French I believe means charming. So a charming being, or a being who can do charms. I'm not sure, but the term is used throughout the book to describe a large group of magical people. You get this entire backstory on the kingdom, Maurice, and Rosalind. I loved getting more information on these characters because we only know about the curse and then Belle's story.


We learn a little more about the people who were in the castle when the curse was placed; Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, Cogsworth, etc. There are some other characters as well that become connected in this giant mystery of what happened to Rosalind after she cursed the castle because she obviously didn't come back. I don't want to spoil it, so I'm not going to go into anymore detail.

I found the other two books in this series a little wanting, but this one had just the right amount of intrigue for me. There are, of course, the scenes we practically know by heart; the tale of the curse of the prince and his kingdom, the terms of the curse and such. As well as Belle be ambushed by Gaston of a surprise wedding, Maurice getting locked up in the tower and brought to an asylum by the townspeople once he returns. So there is a familiarity to the whole thing, but I don't feel that ruins the story.

Would you consider reading this?
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I am always on a constant quest to find the perfect shampoo and conditioner for my hair. It's a fickle and irritating thing, always changing bottles and clogging up my shower space. Believe it or not, I have about six different pairs of various bottles, always changing them to see which one will work better. The truth is, I haven't really found one yet.

But I have a contender. One brand that has risen above the others for the moment. Finesse. I'm not going to lie, this brand might not last long as my favorite. But as I have been going back to it for the last two weeks, I have to say that it's putting up a good fight. My hair has been smooth, silky, and... wow, strong.

Dealing with my dandruff, I have some fall out from all the scratching I can do when I haven't treated it properly. This stuff has stopped most of the fall out by at least eighty percent. And that is impressive! The scent is light and gentle, so if you don't  like strong smelling shampoos, this is going to be the perfect option for you.

You can find these at your local drugstores and they're SUPER affordable!
Walmart | Walgreens
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UPDATE: My mother has now stole these from me! 😂






*This post has been kindly sponsored by Brandbacker and Finesse. All opinions are my own, as always*

Whoops, it's been a crazy month, hasnit?


I'm going to be doubling up on some posts that I've been working on to fill in the gaps, so you should be seeing a couple this week! For now, I thought I'd do one of my favorite things to post about and let you know what I've been digging my nose into!

For the last couple of weeks, I've been tackling my to-read list on Goodreads. I have a stockpile of books sitting in my room, waiting for me to go through them. But I have a habit of getting more from the library anyway. Does anyone else have problem? You have something on hand to read, but you get something else? It's not really helping, but I guess I can't complain, seeing that the books are still there waiting for me.

Anyway, I drove through Lauren Grahams' Someday, Someday, Maybe. A really cute novel about a girl going to school for acting and finding her footing in the crazy career of show business, set in New York. It was quirky and fun in all the right places.

I've also been going through some Disney reads. Books that have twists and backstories on some of our favorite villains and tales. First are the Twisted Tales collection by Liz Braswell. There are three and include Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast. The purpose is to reimagine the story we know into something completely different. I read the Aladdin one sometime last year and the plot was what if Jafar had gotten to the lamp first? Sleeping Beauty's is what if she never woke up. And lastly, Beauty and the Beast is what if Belle's mother cursed the beast? I love the concept and they have been fun to read.

There are three other Disney books I have on hand by Serena Valentino, who delves into the pasts and presents of three well known villains; Ursula, Maleficent, and the Beast. (I don't consider the Beast a villain, personally, but I suppose some would.) I've already read Ursula's story and it was crazy interesting. I won't give anything away, but it really goes into detail about her relationship with King Trident and how deep her hatred is for most of the people around her.

What books have you been into lately?

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