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missbookiverse's review against another edition
4.0
What first caught my eye was the book cover. It looks really cool and it feels even better - like reptile skin. I love little extras like these that add to the atmosphere of the book.
The story was told through Stephen's point of view and Ally Kennen managed very well to give him the voice a 17 year old outcast kid would have. It felt nice to be in his head because he had this certain sense of humour and a nice, short way of expressing himself.
My empathy for him developed quickly. When he was accused for setting fire to those houses I wanted to scream at the police and his social worker, they got me that angry. It was a little hard to take that Stephen hardly reacted but he definitely had good reasons not to.
I loved how most of the characters developed throughout the book. Carol turning from evil to nice. I guess she actually fell in love with Stephen a little but I like how there wasn't mentioned much about it, except for really subtle things like holding hands in dangerous situations.
The step by step mentioning of Stephen's past, his family and especially his brother really added depth to his character in my opinion, it developed in a perfect pace.
When the beast wasn't properly described in the first few chapters I thought it'd be something more amazing than a giant crocodile. In my mind a vague shape of a dinosaur or some other kind of monster had formed. It's okay that it actually just was a huge crocodile but it could've been clearer from the start, would've erased some annoying shadowy shapes from my imagination.
Throughout the book I expected the beast to actually turn out to be a friendly pet. Every time it came running at Stephen I expected it to lick his hand innocently and cuddle its head against him. I was a bit disappointed this never happened but at least it didn't eat Stephen when it had the chance to do so.
The book had a good ending and it made me really happy that the beast (or Malackie) didn't have to die.
The story was told through Stephen's point of view and Ally Kennen managed very well to give him the voice a 17 year old outcast kid would have. It felt nice to be in his head because he had this certain sense of humour and a nice, short way of expressing himself.
My empathy for him developed quickly. When he was accused for setting fire to those houses I wanted to scream at the police and his social worker, they got me that angry. It was a little hard to take that Stephen hardly reacted but he definitely had good reasons not to.
I loved how most of the characters developed throughout the book. Carol turning from evil to nice. I guess she actually fell in love with Stephen a little but I like how there wasn't mentioned much about it, except for really subtle things like holding hands in dangerous situations.
The step by step mentioning of Stephen's past, his family and especially his brother really added depth to his character in my opinion, it developed in a perfect pace.
When the beast wasn't properly described in the first few chapters I thought it'd be something more amazing than a giant crocodile. In my mind a vague shape of a dinosaur or some other kind of monster had formed. It's okay that it actually just was a huge crocodile but it could've been clearer from the start, would've erased some annoying shadowy shapes from my imagination.
Throughout the book I expected the beast to actually turn out to be a friendly pet. Every time it came running at Stephen I expected it to lick his hand innocently and cuddle its head against him. I was a bit disappointed this never happened but at least it didn't eat Stephen when it had the chance to do so.
The book had a good ending and it made me really happy that the beast (or Malackie) didn't have to die.
blatdriver's review against another edition
2.0
This book was just ok for me, it was more about the boy and his life, rather than the beast.
I guess I was expecting more carnage and less teenage drama.
I guess I was expecting more carnage and less teenage drama.
sarahdc1's review against another edition
4.0
ooit eens gelezen, toen ik een jaar of 14 was denkik. ik vond het toen echt een geweldig boek!
jbojkov's review against another edition
3.0
I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. It was an easy read and was interesting enough, I'm just not sure there was a point. If there was, I missed it. If you like slightly creepy and suspenseful- in that you don't know how he's going to resolve his very big, scaly problem- then you might like this for a quick weekend read.
creala's review against another edition
5.0
I have read this book back in 2018 and I come back just for a reread because I remembered it being so interestingly good. It still is. It is a quick thriller that you can get from a book. Interesting storyline and for me, I get a bit sad from some chapters. One of the best YA thrillers that I keep close to my heart.
karenh77's review against another edition
4.0
great easy read, not what I was expecting when i started reading it but it was still enjoyable
kyuropii's review against another edition
4.0
[Have updated my rating to four stars]
A really sensible and easy read. Gripping, engaging, and easily likable. The main character has a very downright attitude- one that I find highly appealing. You don't get to see realistic characters in YA books nowadays.
A really sensible and easy read. Gripping, engaging, and easily likable. The main character has a very downright attitude- one that I find highly appealing. You don't get to see realistic characters in YA books nowadays.
matgala's review against another edition
4.0
Sí que és veritat que el llibre no se m'ha fet pesat, perquè ha durat menys de 3 dies a les meves mans. Però també és veritat que m'ha fet patir molt. Potser és que ja sóc gran per aquestes coses...
La història està molt bé, però és una mica (o un molt) irreal, sobretot el fet que "la bèstia", podent-se menjar a humans, l'únic que faci és fer-los alguna esgarrinxada i prou. Tampoc s'entén massa el canvi de la Carol (per què?)
Però la història enganxa, encara que només sigui per veure si al final tot acaba bé. Bé, al final tot sempre acaba bé, no?
La història no aporta massa, però és una bona història per passar una bona estona.
emilia_r's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
loiereads's review against another edition
3.0
Beast is a YA thriller by Ally Kennen that follows 17 year old Stephan, a foster child with a complicated past. Stephan is hiding a secret. A pet, that was given to him by his father. But this pet isn’t like your cat or my dog. No, this pet it much larger, and much more dangerous. During the story, we see the ways in which Stephan has to secretly feed this pet, and the worries he has surrounding it. If it will get out, if it will kill someone. If it will kill him. There’s a lot of mystery going on in the first half of the book, which keeps you reading and wanting to find out more.
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POSITIVES:
* interesting storyline
* nice, quick and easy read
* mysteriousness of the storyline makes you want to carry on reading
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NEGATIVES:
* pretty slow at the start
* a lot of passages that felt a little unnecessary
* nothing stood out majorly to me
* there's probably some bigger metaphorical meaning behind this book, but I'm probably just too plain-thinking to see it
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Nevertheless, this was an interesting one, with a storyline that I’ve never seen before so kudos for Ally Kennen for that!
You can read an extended version of his review on my Wordpress blog at:
https://loiereads.wordpress.com/?p=1680
-
POSITIVES:
* interesting storyline
* nice, quick and easy read
* mysteriousness of the storyline makes you want to carry on reading
-
NEGATIVES:
* pretty slow at the start
* a lot of passages that felt a little unnecessary
* nothing stood out majorly to me
* there's probably some bigger metaphorical meaning behind this book, but I'm probably just too plain-thinking to see it
-
Nevertheless, this was an interesting one, with a storyline that I’ve never seen before so kudos for Ally Kennen for that!
You can read an extended version of his review on my Wordpress blog at:
https://loiereads.wordpress.com/?p=1680