A Book Dork

"Beastly"
Alex Flinn

5

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.

I picked up Beastly because I loved the cover art and the concept of a modern day Beauty and the Beast sounded intriguing. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Beastly was a really great book. I expected it to be funny, but it delivered so much more. Even though Kyle was a total jerk at the beginning of the book, Flinn did a great job of showing you glimpses into Kyle's personality that made you root for him even at his worst. The story was woven well from start to finish. It may have been a bit predictable (not in the way that it is a remake so most of the plot points are the same), but that didn't detract from the enjoyment at all. I have to say that I haven't read the original story of "Beauty and the Beast', so I can't compare it to that; however, it was extraordinarily close to the Disney version, of course it didn't have the singing furniture. Also, the book is told through the Beasts perspective, which is different from most versions. I think Flinn create a fantastic adaptation that still carries her own voice, but stays true to the original story.

I plan on picking up more of Flinn's books in the future. I wonder if Flinn plans on using any of the other fairytale characters introduced in "Beastly" for other novels. She has written a book called "A Kiss in Time" where sleeping beauty awakens in modern day. It sounds really cute and funny... I think that will be my next Flinn read. If you want to read an excerpt from "Beastly" then just go here, or click here for an excerpt from "A Kiss in Time".