Beastly (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: Kyle Kingsbury, New York, Snow White (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Teens will race to see if the beast get his kiss, lifts the curse, and lives happily ever after." (Kirkus Reviews )

"[An] engrossing tale that will have appeal for fans of fantasy and realistic fiction" -- VOYA. (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) )

"a must-read for fairy-tale fans." (School Library Journal )

Product 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 the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (October 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060874163
• ISBN-13: 978-0060874162
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #323,197 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, February 28, 2008

By	TeensReadToo.com "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

"Kyle Kingsbury, you are beastly."

That's what Kendra said. Beastly. But Kyle had it all: popularity, good looks, money, and any girl he wanted. Kyle never missed an opportunity to let the inferior people know just how far beneath him they were, including his best friend, whose dad was merely a doctor. Kyle's dad was the nightly New York City news anchor. At Tuttle, an elite school for the richest of the rich, Kyle was a somebody.

Until the school dance. Until his stupid maid bought his girlfriend a rose instead of an orchid for her corsage, which Kyle tossed to a scholarship student. Until he deliberately set up Kendra to be embarrassed and humiliated when she realized that he, Prince of the dance, already had a date and never intended to be her escort.

Until Kendra appeared in his bedroom and he received his "comeuppance."

"You will know what it is like not to be beautiful, to be as ugly on the outside as on the inside..."

The clock struck midnight and Kyle was left a beast, with only a magic mirror for company.

Kyle's famous dad vows to spend whatever it takes to cure his son's affliction. When he realizes even his money isn't enough to find a cure, he banishes his son, with their maid and a tutor, to a New York brownstone.

Will Kyle ever be able to break the curse? Will he find true love's kiss or be forever doomed to roam the New York City streets in the dark of night, hidden as the beast?

BEASTLY, by Alex Flinn, is a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast. This novel is just plain fun . Ms. Flinn creates the perfect romantic tension when Kyle finds his true love and then has to let her go. Like the fragrance of the perfect rose, BEASTLY will linger with the reader, leaving the feeling that life is indeed good long after the pages of the book have been pressed closed.

Reviewed by: Cana Rensberger

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars keeper, October 26, 2007

By	aerin19 (Rockaway Beach, OR United States) - See all my reviews

I think I would call my reaction to this fairy tale retelling "mildly enthusiastic," though I suppose that's an oxymoron.

The story flows smoothly and believably, and does not suffer at all for being set in modern times. Too often when fairy tales are modernized, they lose a bit of their magic, but Ms. Flinn did a very good job.

Two things prevented me being wildly enthusiastic for this book. The first could have been avoided, but the second I thought Ms. Flinn handled very well. First, the transformation help group internet chat logs interspersed throughout the story were an intriguing idea, but I think overall I could have done without them.

Second, for those who, like me, read fairy tales mostly for the romantic themes, it might be hard to be entranced by the male viewpoint. Much like Andrew Lloyd Weber's "Phantom of the Opera" (with whom our beast identifies), however, you find yourself really rooting for the monster, even knowing what a jerk he was before his transformation.

I expect this story to improve with a second reading, and have decided to add it to my bookshelf.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gotta love it!, March 11, 2008

By	Marilynn Griffith (Florida United States) - See all my reviews

Kyle Kingsbury is king of Tuttle Prep, maybe even his small corner of NYC. Well, prince at least. Who wouldn't vote for him? With his looks and his national newscaster dad's money, what's not to like? He's feeling pretty good about being nominated until a weird looking goth girl in the back of the class crumples the ballot and comments on how unfair it is that the pretty people get everything without even trying.

And that's not all she says. Goth girl, who's starting to look more and more like a witch to Kyle, seems to think she's got him all figured out. And she does, but it bothers him anyway. To teach her a lesson, he asks Weird Girl to the dance he already has a date (and a hot one) for. When he upstages the girl in her ugly dress, in front of everyone though, she doesn't cry or scream or run away. Instead, she points her finger and calls him just what he is--beastly.

That night, when the "witch" is waiting in his bedroom, her words become reality. Kyle Kingsbury is beastly indeed. From there, Flinn launches into a modern day take on "Beauty and the Beast." At times, it was totally out there, which was what made it great. A real fairy tale. I loved Kyle's transformation--inside and out. Another good pick from my teenage daughters.