Beastly - Alex Finn

I, like probably many others, decided to read this book because of the movie that just came out. Although, I have not watched the movie yet but I have finished this book. I really enjoyed it! I haven't watched Beauty and the Beast (The Disney movie) for a very long time, and have forgotten a lot that happens in the movie, but as I read this book I began to remember bits and pieces of Beauty and the Beast and it was fun to remember the childhood memories from the movie by reading this book.

Beastly starts off with Kyle, the most handsome 9th grader at Tuttle, a private school for most rich kids. He has just been elected prince for Spring Dance Court, and pretty much knows he has it in the bag. Kyle comes across very snobby, rich and arrogant. He is a true friend to no one and doesn't care about anyone but his self and doesn't mind putting someone down for the benefit of a laugh. The author does a great job making him unlikeable to the reader.

He plays a joke on an ugly girl at school, but instead of crying and running away like he thought she just shrugs it off and seems pleased that he did exactly what she thought he would. And by playing the joke it gave her the opportunity to put a spell on him...a spell to make him as ugly as he is in the inside out, a beast. And he can only break the spell if someone is to love him and kisses him with true love before 2 years are up...but that is kind of hard when he is an ugly beast.

It is a very great story told in the view of the beast. How he coops with the curse that was put upon him. How he goes to every surgeon his father can buy and no one can help. And soon his father can't even stand to be around the beast and sends him off with the maid to live alone. The story does a really good job showing how Kyles personality changes, it changes so much that he ends up changing his name to go with his new personality.

The story is punctuated between parts of the book with a Forum chat lead by Mr. Anderson. A chat where humans that have been turned into creatures can go to discuss how it has changed there life. The screen names in the chat are: Froggie, Grizzlyguy, and BeastNYC all from fairy tales where princes are turned into creatures. There is also SlientMaid who is thinking about getting a transformation to be with the sailor she rescued.

This a really fun and entertaining twist of beauty and the beast. There are a bunch of funny quotes in the book like "Of course, maybe I'd end up like one of those crazy old people with, like, sixty cats. And one day, the neighbors would complain about the smell, and it would turn out I'd died and the cats had eaten me"

This book has made me want to read more of this authors fairy tale books with a twist I really like how she portrays an old story and makes it fun and different!