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Allison Tebo transforms a tale of simple heroism into a story of the ultimate Hero rescuing a condemned soul from her Enemy.
—Lorehaven review, 2025

Break the Beast

Allison Tebo re-imagines the ancient legend of Beowulf in an epic story of redemption and grace in a high-stakes fantasy adventure.
· September 2023
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Who is to say who is the real beast?

Grendel haunts the land of Frisia in a restless need for vengeance on the human world that has rejected her. With a fiendish master urging her on, she attacks without fear of repercussion.

But the arrival of a foreign prince causes Grendel to doubt her invulnerability. Beowulf is renowned for killing monsters, and he can have only one purpose in visiting Frisia: to break her hellish reign.

When the inevitable confrontation occurs, the battle between man and beast will change both their lives forever as they find themselves thrust into a quest for truth neither could have anticipated.

Allison Tebo re-imagines the ancient legend of Beowulf in an epic story of redemption and grace in a high-stakes fantasy adventure.

Part of the A Classic Retold series.

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Review of Break the Beast

Allison Tebo transforms a tale of simple heroism into a story of the ultimate Hero rescuing a condemned soul from her Enemy.
· June 2025

Allison Tebo’s fantasy Break the Beast retells the classic Beowulf through the eyes of his enemy, Grendel. But what if Grendel did not remain the villain? In this version, Beowulf is an experienced monster hunter blessed by the Almighty in opposition to the Dragon Below. After Beowulf tears away the cursed hood that binds Grendel to the Dragon Below’s service, she joins him to follow to the Almighty. Together they face rejection, setbacks, and monsters on the path to their final confrontation with the Dragon Below.

Tebo’s characterizations are larger than life without crossing into farce. Her prose aims for poetic, though it can be melodramatic. By magnifying the allegorical aspects of the original, Tebo transforms a tale of simple heroism into a story of the ultimate Hero rescuing a condemned soul from her Enemy.

Best for: Teen girls and fans of introspective stories, Beowulf, or retellings.

Discern: Violent moments including murder and severe burns, frequent self-deprecation and negative thoughts by the story’s narrator.

 

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