For a first novel, Beauty demonstrates considerable literary sophistication. The author has a sharp eye for descriptive details and a flair for the striking use of simile and metaphor. She describes the scent of the country air: "the breezes often stirred the piney, mossy smell of the forest with the sharp smell of herbs, mixed in the warm smell of fresh bread from the kitchen, and then flung the result over the meadow like a handful of new gold coins." To depict a moment of painful silence, she writes: "The world was as still as autumn after a winter's first snowfall, and as cold as three o'clock in the morning beside a deathbed."

McKinley's descriptions of the Beast's castle mingle mystery with awe and humor. The sense of silent and invisible presences is captivating, as doors open and teapots pour themselves in a disarming fashion. A...