Gaston is a sick and frail young man, and with a family who often mock him for his supposed weaknesses, his life moves from one miserable moment to the next. One day, while out exploring, Gaston is attacked, only to be saved by a young witch called Agatha. Little by little, the pair fall in love, neither of them having felt before the happiness they do when they’re together. But with outside forces and their tempestuous natures to contend with, will their love be able to last?

When I first read about Gaston beginning as a frail, sickly, zit-faced teenager in the summary, I was a bit disappointed. After all, I liked the idea that B&B established that Gaston has always been like this. Handsome, charismatic, and privileged, allowed to get away with everything because of it. Making him the unfavorite of the family who can’t shoot a buck seemed to have ruined that inherent privilege.

Langdon convinced me. Much like in her Vanessa novel, the seeds for what makes Gaston a villain were always there. He’s selfish, he’s manipulative. While his uglier adolescent face, and scrawny physique gave way to resentment and cruelty, turning beautiful just allows him to be more manipulative and get away with his cruelty. In parts, I actually was on Gaston’s side, wishing Aggie would be less hard on him. Just like everyone else who excuses hot, privileged people. I fell for it! That was good writing.

Split into three parts, the second part has a Voltaire quote: “The mirror is a worthless invention. The only way to truly see yourself is in the reflection of someone else’s eyes” that sums up the theme of the novel and what Langdon is trying to deconstruct because the perceptions of Gaston and Agatha of each other are not true reflections.

The pact between Agatha and Gaston to enhance his physical attributes for each noble deed she assigns him made a very interesting premise. As I said before, Langdon establishes quickly that Gaston was never a good person, but like every human there were good points that poke through in his relationship with Agatha. She’s the first one who gives him a shred of empathy or compassion compared to his macho, social climbing family members. She sees her own situation reflected back, put down upon by others who value different attributes and crush those who don’t fit into the status quo.

Gaston’s good deeds are difficult for him at first, but he soon comes to enjoy them- because he likes the adoration Agatha puts on him. Even good points are soon twisted in his selfish heart. For her part, Agatha is truly noble and she has a sad backstory with having to tamp down her powers after her mother ran away, leaving her vulnerable to abuse. You can understand why she’s drawn to Gaston because he is the first one who seems to care for her, and his lordly position in the house, and later, his muscles represent the safety and home she always wanted.

Less blatant than Gaston’s desire for Agatha’s adoration, and for what her powers could do for her, readers will quickly pick up that Aggie is also falling for Gaston for superficial reasons. She is on her guard against him trying to use her for her power, but she is like Pygmalion falling for her own creation. She likes being the catalyst for changing Gaston to a good person, and the physical attributes she bestows on him slowly form to her personal dream man. Being with him is a dream of happily ever after and good deeds.

Being with her spells a chance to become the most powerful, beautiful, adored couple in France. They were always doomed.

While some parts are predictable, ie. the mystery regarding Agatha’s mother, and who is trying to frame Gaston later on in the novel, Langdon is solid in crafting a compelling twisted love story with a vulnerable, coming of age heroine and the man she wrongly gives her heart to.

Each piece in the novel informs Gaston and Agatha’s stories and motivations. We see the evolution of Gaston from sickly, resentful teenager who rolls his eyes at his macho father/brother to hide his own desire to be like them to the brutish golden boy he becomes. Each transformation pushing him to become the person he truly is, vindicative, petulant, vain, brutish, and social climbing like the rest of his family.

5 stars.