Book Review: Beastly by Alex Flinn

Beastly; by Alex Flinn

genre } young adult | fantasy | fairy tales
rating } pg 13+
date released } October 1st, 2007
edition } HarperTeen (304 Pages)
ISBN } 0060874163 | 9780060874162
acquisition } bought
purchase @ } Book Depository | Beastly

Summary:
From Goodreads

Now a major motion picture starring Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer

I am a beast.
A beast!
Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright. 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.

My 2 cents
Like many other books, the cover turned me off several times. A white rose. Thorny font. I actually didn’t pick it up, but actually assumed this is erotica o.0 What’s the deal anyway, since I actually read erotica you say, right? Still say the cover turned me off. The new cover however, has the movie poster slap on it.

You know the fairytale, man steal rose, man meet beast, beast wants to kill man, man cower and pleads, beast makes a bargain, man brings daughter to live with beast.

Forget it. This is NOT that book. This is a book about the Beast, who was a teenager in New York, who’s has been a very superficial teenager (who isn’t?), meet a weird girl and got turn into Beast. This is the story of him. His story, and nobody else but him.

Let me put it upfront that, I don’t like movie Kyle! He looked more like a tattooed emo punk rather than the Beast portray in the book itself. A fellow book blogger friend was telling me about this book, and I rush to get a copy. Make note. This is BEFORE the movie was up and around. So yes, nobody else actually know about Beastly but a few of us (in my circle of people that is)

I love the journey of watching Kyle transforming like a butterfly from a horrible brat to a thoughtful, lovable, young man. I pity him when his father abandoned him with help in the middle of nowhere because he is “Beastly”. But it bothers me the author didn’t tie the loose end regarding this matter.

It’s a fast read, but I actually went through it in my own time. If you’re an emo-reader like me, you would trash talk with this book’s characters while you read it. My favorite is the witch and his private tutor hired by his father (regardless shunning him, he actually left him with an unlimited credit card and a tutor. In my personal opinion, probably a bit of guilt.)  other than the maid.

This book also apply the “Random Act of Kindness” leads a long way attitude.  You see why when you read this book. The thing, this version actually make sense. If you think about it. Plus it’s way better than the usual cheesy kiddy version we get these days.

SO GET A COPY!