Book Review: Beastly by Alex Flinn

Title: Beastly

Author: Alex Flinn

Release Date (England): 12th December 2008
Publisher (English): Harper Teen
Price (UK pounds): £6.99
Genre: YA
Series: None
No. Pages: 336

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.

Beastly is based of the classic story of Beauty and the Beast a tale we have all grown up with and loved, especially me. I love Beauty and the Beast and its my all time favourite Disney film, so this made me very cautious over buying Beastly.

I first heard about Beastly once I found out it was being made into a film and only recently got round to buying it and Im glad i did. I was first worried that it wouldnt be good and could of possible ruined Beauty and the Beast for me, but luckily it didnt.

Alex Flinn brought this classic story into the modern era perfectly, basing the characters on what I could only describe as the perfect roles for the character. The Beast called Kyle is that popular boy who we all loathe because of his good looks, popularity and money, but we all hate because of his arrogant and jerk ways, the Beauty: Lindy, is a quiet 'geeky' loner girl who is basically not known at all by anyone in her school. Throughout the book we witness the almost complete change of Kyle from this selfish egoistic guy, to someone caring and the complete oppisite to who he is at the beginning of the book.

My favorite thing about the story is the use of the roses. If you dont know the main object in Beauty and the Beast is a rose, used as a time keeper, which it also is in Beastly, but it also has a more significant role within the story. Its what brings Lindy and Kyle together.

MY second favourite thing about the book is before every part of the book theres a chat room, for supernatural creatures who walk the earth. We are partially shown there world and story and I reallly hope Alex Flinn would use this in her other book (i dont know if she has or not as ive only read  this) and maybe create a whole modern day fairy tale series based on the characters in the chat room.

This book is great and quick read, perfect for summer/spring time. If you love your fairy tales and classics im almost certain you wil be obsessed with this wonder book.

I give this book a...