Author: Alex Flinn
Publisher: HarperTeen, 320 Pages (October 1st 2008)
From: Amazon
Synopsis: I am a beast.
A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright—a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.
You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.
Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.
Review: 2 Stars - Beastly is a modern/updated retelling of the classic fairy tale - Beauty and the Beast. The book begins with an intro into the life of Kyle. He's got it all, good looks, money, popular.... etc and knows it. He's extremely superficial in everything he says or does making him a bully and jerk to say the least. He crosses a witch who curses him and turns him into a beast to teach him a lesson about life... and can only be broken with a kiss from his true love within a 2 year time limit, or be cursed to stay the beast forever.
It was hard to read at times because both Kyle the jerk and Kyle/Adrian the beast were not likeable in the slightest. I know it's a retelling of a fairy tale and all, so it's bound to be a bit over the top. I get that. It's why I gave it 2 stars and kept reading.
I enjoyed the funny internet chats on the message boards to help others out there who are afflicted with problems such as being a beast. Characters such as the little Mermaid, a frog prince, etc. joined in the online chat. Those were the shining point that I looked forward to the most throughout the book.
In the end it was entertaining to a point. Not the best but far from the worst. I did see Kyle make some important changes once he got past some things. I just wish we would have seen him change a bit more. I mean 2 years is a long while and we only had a chance to see a little part of it.
In the end I still wasn't a fan of Kyle/Adrian, almost, but not quite. I just wish he had been more likeable and believable throughout the book, I think more readers could have and would have been able to relate to him from time to time if we had a chance to hear more of the story. Bumpy read and all… it wasn’t horrible. So if you enjoy the story Beauty and the Beast, then this is a story for you. Will I be checking out the movie that's being made about this book? At some point, I think so.
FTC Disclaimer: I DID pay for this book and have NOT been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this review.
I loved this honest review - I have this book but have not read it, all the way though yet, I tried - but it just did not grab me...so I am hoping maybe it will at some point!
ReplyDeletehey Jenn, Glad you liked the review. It was hard to get into, but I really try hard to always finish a book. Even if I have to come back to it, I get it finished.
ReplyDeleteSo, yeah... I totally understand what you mean with picking it back up again. I have a couple books I need to do that with some time down the road. I hope you have better luck with it when you pick it up again.