Beauty and the Beast of Paradise Lost 1

4.5* stars. After "witnessing" the murder of her mother by the dreaded Beast who steals beautiful women's faces, Belle was locked away for her supposed wretched appearance by her distraught papa. After years living locked away, without a kind word thrown at her, she escapes her attic of a jail cell when she hears the Beast has returned to their town and she wants answers about what truly happened to her mother. But when she finally confronts the "beast," another Beast appears and saves her. Why are there two beasts, and why did the one protect her? Including from her own father... You want to root for Belle, but she is comes off really weak and self-loathing in the beginning, making it hard to cheer her on, but once she meets the male lead character, his forcefulness makes her speak up for herself, making her less whiny with the potential for a good amount of character growth. All the characters personalities and their looks are interesting, the story is intriguing and engaging, and the pacing is spot on. The odd combination of horror and shojo art style is unique and enjoyable but takes a second to get used to. Overall, a very good series that I am going to love immersing myself in Belle and Beast's world.