Review: Beastly by Alex Flinn

Beastly by Alex Flinn


Description:

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 a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly.

My Thoughts:

This is a contemporary YA version of Beauty and the Beast. Kyle is popular, rich, and good-looking.  He is also cruel to people in his school who are not.  Basically he is not a nice guy. He manages to cross a witch and gets himself turned into a beast.  The story is told from Kyle's point of view and as he discovers that looks aren't everything, and he realizes how it feels to be on the receiving end of the cruelty he used to dish out, you go through all of those emotions with him. 

Parts of the book are told in chat format, which I found amusing.  It is a support group and you will recognize other fairy tale characters as well.  I really enjoyed this book.  If you are a fan of fairy tale retellings, this one is worth a read.

My Rating: ****
Steam Factor: !

 I also found out that there is a movie version that came out last year: