Beastly by Alex Flinn

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Kyle is handsome, althletic, rich and popular. He can get any girl in school - or believes that he can. He's also arrogant, mean, and looks down on others. And then a witch comes along and casts a spell on him, turning him into a beast, showing him by his outside what he looks like on the inside. She offers him one chance at breaking the spell, based on a moment of kindness when he handed a plain girl a rose corsage, although he admits it was because he didn't know what else to do with it.

Ever wanted to know what the fairy tale Beauty and Beast was like from the Beast's point of view? Well, it tells it here, only updated to modern day New York City. Told in the first person, we see the beasts transformation from a 16 year old arrogant beast into a true prince.

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairy tales. It takes imperfect characters and offers then redemption. Beauty is here in this book as Lindy, and like the fairy tale and unlike the Disney version, her father is a contemptable creature who trades away his daughter for his own safety. The Beast has his staff in a blind teacher and a housekeeper who has left her family behind in another country. They both have their desires just as the enchanted people did in the fairy tale and the Beast makes a deal with the witch that they too will get their wishes if he can break the spell.

The only uncomfortable part of this book is that he keeps Lindy trapped in his castle, although he goes out of his way to treat her well.

Definetely an entertaining book, written well and in a teenage boy's voice, a voice that doesn't gloss over his misdeeds. My daughter turned me on to it, and I will be looking to read more works from this author. I couldn't put this book down.

Books by Alex Flinn