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

What i thought: First of all, before i say anything else, you need to know that the Beauty and the Beast is my all time favorite fairytale/Disney Princess Film/broadway musical. The story itself is such an irresistable love story it is almost imposible to dislike it.

So, building up from that, i absolutely loved this novel! The idea of a modern fairytale was so clever, and i loved the e-chats with other fairytale characters--luv ya Froggie! Adrian--better known as Kyle Kingsbury--was so cruel and heartless it was almost unbearable, but underneath it all, just like Beast, he was a great guy who had never really been loved. The personalities of all of the others surrounding him really helped build his character, especially the wretched Mr. Kingsbury, Will, Magda, Kendra, and--of course--Lindy. Even when not trying to be so, Flinn was absolutely hilarious, and Adrian was positively charming!

The way that the roses were woven into the story was very unique, and the plotline tended to swerve away from the classic Beauty and the Beast retellings, which was something new. Flinn's writing was fabulous, and i found myself falling in love with Adrian along with Lindy--the emotions were that powerfull.

I very much enjoyed the theme of this novel, which, clearly, is something along the lines of 'its what's inside that counts.' Truly, i think that this is something very important that both girls and boys my age (teenagers/preteens) need to learn: When push comes to shove, it doesnt matter how much money you have or how perfect you look--its who you are, what kind of person you've become--or are becoming. And i really think that's something everyone needs to understand, or you'll spend so much time worrying about futile things that really don't matter in the end.