Beastly

Beastly

by : Alex Flinn

reviewer: Brittknee

   Beastly is a modern day Beauty and the Beast , with a certain modern day twist. This story is a tale about a narcissistic teen from New York City, named Kyle Kingsbury. Who got by on his fathers riches, and good looks. When a witch, named Kendra sees his true inner self, and turns him into a hideous beast to teach him a lesson. “They're sheep, following the herd . They vote for the so-called popular people because it's simple. Surface beauty : blond hair, blue eyes-- it's always easy to recognize. But if someone is braver, stronger, smarter, that's harder to see. “ -Kendra Hilferty  He is given two years to fall in love with a girl, whom must love him back for who he really is. And seal it with a kiss.

  There are pages in the novel which are chat room post conversations, which add uniqueness to it. The chats are formed by a Dr. Anderson, who helps other people who have been transformed into something that is not their original form by witches which Kyle joins hoping to possibly find love, and for advice. The chat conversations between different people show the other struggles their dealing with, and giving over all opinions to one another. Each of the different people who may be transformed, or considering being transformed all resemble a different fairytale. Such as The Little Mermaid, The princess and the frog . etc. While this does add a different twist to the novel, it also can be a bit confusing to follow because of the short form abbreviations.

  Kyle soon discovers that he was just a spoiled good looking, rich kid as he learns that the girls he was around actually only liked him for his good looks. He also learns what his friends actually didn't think he was all that. Including his father, who is a T.V newscaster and practically lives for his good looks and money. He abandons Kyle once he sees what the witch had done to him, giving up on helping him. He buys a house in Brooklyn for Kyle, and his housekeeper Magda to stay in. Which is where the story mainly takes place. The house they stay in is fairly large which makes Kyle feel more alone than ever. As he grows as a person the house soon turns into his home. Kyle learns a home is where your family, which is what Will, his tutor, and Magda become. Kyle puts effort into the home making it beautiful for that special girl, he one day hopes to fall in love with.

  For the first half of the novel, Kyle tries to figure out ways to cope with being a 'monster' forever and gives up on finding anyone who could possibly fall in love with his 'hideousness'. At first while reading, I felt as if Kyle deserved to look like the monster he truly was on the inside. But as he started breaking down, and finding the beauty in things I felt remorse. And I yearned for him to find love and a happily ever after, as he kept giving up.

  I truly recommend this novel to anyone, the novel was easy to relate to, because of the fairy tale story it refers to. And the connection between the characters, and how they're very similar to people in this day in age. The Writing style is easy, yet compelling to read! I love the changes Kyle shows throughout the novel, and watching him grow and become a better person for the better and have the possibility to fall in love. Find out if Kyle ever find his true love or if he'll just be a 'hideous beast' for the rest of his life.

Also stay tuned for our views on the movie! 

5/5 literature monsters !

Brittknee!