Beastly by Alex Flinn

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.

Released: October 1st, 2007
Published by: HarperTeen
Series: -
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
Page Amount: 300

Plot 10/10
Likable Characters 9/10
Problem Development 10/10
Solution Effectiveness 10/10
Writing Style 10/10
Character Development 10/10
Cover 10/10
Setting 10/10
Ending 10/10
Beginning 9/10
=
98%

BEASTLY is the modern re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, told in the Beast’s point of view. It was interesting to read it with the point of view not of the person who falls in love with the beast. But, I will admit, what made me pick up this novel recently in the book store was that the movie is being released in March and I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie, and I didn’t want to get the movie cover. Overall, I am very impressed with this novel.

This plot is unlike any other plot that I have ever read. I have never read a modern re-telling of another famous novel or story, so I honestly can say that I didn’t know what to expect at all.

Kyle, or Adrian, in the majority of this novel, is a very likeable character. It’s just the behaviour that he showed in the first little bit of this novel, he was nothing but a stuck-up, rich snob.

I like how the problem developed during this novel. It didn’t go too fast, or too slow. I just didn’t like that it went BAM, right into the problem, but I guess that is what happen, and I can’t do anything about it.

I LOVED the solution in this novel, so solution effectiveness struck high in this book. I can’t give too much away, since I could go on and on about how much I loved the ending of this novel, but all I can say is that it was truly amazing and I think Kyle got what he deserved in the end.

Flinn’s writing style is not like any other book that I have ever read. I loved the internet chats with Mr. Anderson from a sudden changes group online, I think that it was an amazing element that Flinn pulled into this already amazing writing style. I liked how it was simple, and it seemed as if a real teenage boy had actually said what Flinn wrote for Kyle to say. It just felt very realistic to me, as if Kyle was telling me the story personally. I really love when a author does that, and it usually makes me love that certain novel. This is defiantly not an exception.

I was truly amazed of how Kyle grew up in this novel, so character development is one of the most favourite things about this novel. I can’t tell too much about it, because that would give away too much about the novel, I’ll just say that if you are a sucker for amazing character development, this novel is defiantly for you.

I personally think that this cover is absolutely beautiful, and it is one of my favourites. I think that it is just simple and elegant, and is an amazing way to define what this novel is all about, like all covers should.

I love that this novel was set in upstate New York City, because although New York is a very populated city, I have not read many books that are set there. It was a nice refresher for me, since all novels are set in in small towns and the protagonists are always typical small town kids that want to break out from their town to do something big. This novel was a nice refresher to me.

Like I said about the solution effectiveness, I loved the ending for this novel. I think that it was all what Kyle deserved in the end.

The beginning of this novel started off a little slow in the first couple of pages, but quickly picked up within a few sentences.

I am very impressed with Alex Flinn, and I will be reading her other novels, because I truly did love BEASTLY, and I can’t wait to see the movie and see how they portrayed BEASTLY’S awesomeness.