Review: Beastly by Alex Flinn

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on April 26, 2012 | 0 Comments

Beastly by Alex Flinn
Series: Kendra Chronicles #1
Published by HarperTeen (10.1.2008)
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Format: Paperback, 300 pages
Source: Library
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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.

My thoughts

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney movies (other than The Lion King, of course), so naturally I enjoyed this book and I recommend it to any other fans of the Disney movie. It doesn’t quite live up to the original, but it was a cute and quick read!

The way Kyle acted in the beginning made me sick. He is under the impression that ‘ugly’ people are worthless and that the so-called beautiful people are the only ones that matter. He was a vile and conceited person, which made his change after the curse even better. There was clear development in his character.

I liked the moral of the story. Kyle slowly began to see beauty in things that he once thought were cheap or ugly. He sees the beauty in Lindy, who is plain and ordinary. However, I thought a little more time should have been spent on the romance. Lindy didn’t come in until halfway through the book, so the romance between she and Kyle seemed a bit rushed. There could have been a lot less time spent on Kyle’s life pre-curse and his early time spent in the house. It was still sweet though! I enjoy the Stockholm Syndrome and love/hate sort of love stories. I guess I’m just sick and twisted that way…

I think I will be renting the movie in the very near future! :)