Book Review: Beastly by Alex Flinn + Gobble, Gobble Day!

I just want to wish everyone in the U.S. a Happy Thanksgiving!! I hope you all stuff your faces, I know I am. Also, I wanna say my thanks to everyone, new and old followers, if it wasn't for your supportive comments, my blog wouldn't be as successful :) Enjoy the day and don't forget to check out my review on Beastly below! *Hugs*

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Book Review:

Beastly by Alex Flinn
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Release Date: Available Now
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 320
Received From: Store Bought

Summary: 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.

My Review: Beastly was a great modern telling of Beauty and the Beast. Kyle Kingsbury was the popular, good looking guy in high school that every girl swooned over. However, looks was the only thing going for him. His personality was truly ugly; he was selfish and cruel to others. One day in English class Kyle crosses someone that he would regret later. Kendra, the goth looking girl who was humiliated by Kyle at a school dance ended up being a witch. She cast a spell on Kyle that would last forever unless he found a girl to love him in his beastly form. Kendra gave him a chance to find a girl in two years, if not Kyle would never be the same again. Kyle eventually found a girl to communicate with that learns to care for his interior instead of his exterior. But does she fall in love with him? Hm, you need to read the book to find out! hehe. Honestly, I enjoyed the modern twist on one of my favorite stories. Alex Flinn's writing was easy to get into and the suspense kept me reading till the end. I liked the characters especially Kyle, in his beast form and Lindy, the girl he fell in love with. Lindy was a character that loved reading so I related with her on that basis. Overall, a very cute read and I recommend it to readers who love twists on their favorite childhood stories. Alex Flinn also came out with another book, A Kiss in Time which is a humorous retelling of Sleeping Beauty, so I'm definitely going to check that one out too!

After watching the movie trailer that's coming out June 2010, I'm not sure they cast the characters correctly. I think Kyle was cast perfectly because he is a good looking blonde, blue eyed guy. But for the character of Lindy, hell no! She's suppose to be an average looking red-haired girl. Um, Vanessa Hudgens to me is very pretty and definitely not average, but eh whatever I guess they want to attract Vanessa fans to watch the film. I don't care for her as an actress, but I'm curious to see how she'll embody the role. Also when Kyle turns into a beast, well they don't actually make him into a hairy, beast like creature, look at the pictures below to see what I mean! :)

This is how the book portrays his beast like form, they stuck to the actual Beauty and the Beast.








This is the "beast" form in the movie - big difference right? I hate when movies change a lot from the book, eh oh well!






Check out the movie trailer here.
My Rating: 4.8 out of 5
Author's Info:

Alex Flinn loves fairy tales and is also the author of a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast titled Beastly, which was named a VOYA Editor's Choice for 2007, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age for 2008, and a 2008 ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Her other books include Breathing Underwater, an ALA Top 10 Best Book for Young Adults, Breaking Point, Nothing to Lose, Fade to Black, and Diva. She lives in Miami with her husband, two kids, a cat, and a dog.