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viachu888's review against another edition
4.0
A fairly good book overall. I really enjoyed reading it. It felt a little creepy and forced at times, like Kyle talking to frogs and stuff on a fairy tale creatures IM or whatever. It was a great concept, well written, though it could have been more. A perfect read for the romance loving teen.
kmparsons's review against another edition
4.0
This is one book that I actually enjoyed the movie more. The book was good, I guess, but the actors just fit the parts so well. I would definitely read this book and fun watch the movie before you come to my conclusion or your own.
clowdywings's review against another edition
3.0
I realized on my reread today what was weird about this book.
1. The writing. It was quite bad at some times. It was sweet but not quite what they were going for.
2. The overall story. This is an adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, told from the Beast's side. It starts out from his perspective as a spoiled popular brat attending an exclusive (messed up) school. I hated this kid so much.
3. How much the MC changed. He had an entire personality change in what seemed like a year. I don't believe someone who was who he was would change that fast just because he realized how he acts. It would be gradual, not nearly this fast (Don't get started on his vanity.) He also acts so creepy as part of his change.
4. The IM. They seemed so pointless and just like a filler.
But I liked what the author was going for. The MC and his love interest had some cute scenes. I liked his love interest since she seemed sweet and wicked smart. We should get more of her.
1. The writing. It was quite bad at some times. It was sweet but not quite what they were going for.
2. The overall story. This is an adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, told from the Beast's side. It starts out from his perspective as a spoiled popular brat attending an exclusive (messed up) school. I hated this kid so much.
3. How much the MC changed. He had an entire personality change in what seemed like a year. I don't believe someone who was who he was would change that fast just because he realized how he acts. It would be gradual, not nearly this fast (Don't get started on his vanity.) He also acts so creepy as part of his change.
4. The IM. They seemed so pointless and just like a filler.
But I liked what the author was going for. The MC and his love interest had some cute scenes. I liked his love interest since she seemed sweet and wicked smart. We should get more of her.
heathercottledillon's review against another edition
4.0
This is a modern re-telling of "Beauty and the Beast," from the Beast's perspective. I don't care much for the original "Beauty and the Beast," but I LOVE this book! It's clever, it's cute, it sticks to the classic fairy tale but puts a totally new spin on the details. My favorite parts are dialogues from the support-group style chat room for fairy tale characters trying to get by in the modern world. So funny!
shadylane_00's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
vanikr's review against another edition
5.0
Ich finde Beastly ist ein richtig tolles Buch. Es ist sogar besser als die Verflimung. Ich finde es total interessant mal die Sichtweise eines Jungen einzunehmen und auch seine Verwadndlung zu einem guten Mensche zu beobachten. Lindy ist so ein nettes Mädchen und ich finde es schön das die beiden zu einander gefunden haben. Es ist so süß das sie die Rose die sie von Kyle bekommen hat die ganze Zeit über aufbewart hat.Außerdem mag ich total das die Rosen in Beastly so bedeutend sind. Sogar Kendra, die Hexe die in verwandelt hat, mag ich total.
Ich fand das Buch so schön das ich es garnicht mehr aus der Hand legen konnte. Ich möchte unbedingt noch weitere Bücher von Ales Flinn lesen.
Ich fand das Buch so schön das ich es garnicht mehr aus der Hand legen konnte. Ich möchte unbedingt noch weitere Bücher von Ales Flinn lesen.
eesh25's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really enjoyable read. It was cute and fun and even deep at times. It was also quite cheezy but I didn't always mind.
The things i really liked about this book were the retelling aspect, the humour, the character deveopment when it came to Kyle, the romance and Kyle's relationship with Magda and Will.
In fact, I like almost everything about Kyle. I know he was a complete ass but he was supposed to be if he was gonna get cursed. I loved seeing how much he changes throughout the course of the book and the way that he changes. It was very believable. And so were all his relationships.
I also love the character of Will. The female protagonist was also someone I really liked and I could see why he would love her. Seeing all the interactions and seeing Kyle turn into no-an-asshole-anymore was great.
But even though he wasn't the best guy, I seriously don't think he deserved something like that. Especially since he was like 15 at the time. How could you curse someone for life for something they did at 15? Something that wasn't even a crime? A lot of kids who are pricks in school grow up. How'd the crazy bitch, I mean witch (no, I don't) know he wouldn't as well.
Which brings me to my issue with this book. The witch who cursed him was crazy. I accepted that. But then she turned out to a decent... uhm... supernatural creature. And I didn't buy it. Not decent creature would pull a stunt like the one she did. I wish they'd kept her crazy instead of trying to make her out to be some fairy godmother or something.
Another thing was that near the end, there were many moments of surprise or revelation and they kinda fell flad, Not only did I, as a reader, not feel the excitement, the characters didn't seem to be all that surprised or shocked or joyous either.
Last but not least, the book was quite cheesy, mainly towards the end. But some of it was kinda expected and some was okay. and despite it all, I really enjoyed the book. It was a great read and I recomment it to anyone who likes retelling. This is a short, easy-going, sweet, fun and overall, good book.
The things i really liked about this book were the retelling aspect, the humour, the character deveopment when it came to Kyle, the romance and Kyle's relationship with Magda and Will.
In fact, I like almost everything about Kyle. I know he was a complete ass but he was supposed to be if he was gonna get cursed. I loved seeing how much he changes throughout the course of the book and the way that he changes. It was very believable. And so were all his relationships.
I also love the character of Will. The female protagonist was also someone I really liked and I could see why he would love her. Seeing all the interactions and seeing Kyle turn into no-an-asshole-anymore was great.
But even though he wasn't the best guy, I seriously don't think he deserved something like that. Especially since he was like 15 at the time. How could you curse someone for life for something they did at 15? Something that wasn't even a crime? A lot of kids who are pricks in school grow up. How'd the crazy bitch, I mean witch (no, I don't) know he wouldn't as well.
Which brings me to my issue with this book. The witch who cursed him was crazy. I accepted that. But then she turned out to a decent... uhm... supernatural creature. And I didn't buy it. Not decent creature would pull a stunt like the one she did. I wish they'd kept her crazy instead of trying to make her out to be some fairy godmother or something.
Another thing was that near the end, there were many moments of surprise or revelation and they kinda fell flad, Not only did I, as a reader, not feel the excitement, the characters didn't seem to be all that surprised or shocked or joyous either.
Last but not least, the book was quite cheesy, mainly towards the end. But some of it was kinda expected and some was okay. and despite it all, I really enjoyed the book. It was a great read and I recomment it to anyone who likes retelling. This is a short, easy-going, sweet, fun and overall, good book.
kathydavie's review against another edition
3.0
First in the Kendra Chronicles in the young adult, paranormal series. The couple focus here is on Kyle Kingsbury and Lindy Owens.
My Take
Oh, brother. This is a contemporary take-off on Beauty and the Beast in which a jerk of a guy has to find someone who will love the inner him even as he must love her back. For the most part, it's actually a cute story. Except for the bits where Flinn just gets too dorky for words. The chat rooms really irritated me. The Little Mermaid??? The frog. Snow White and Rose Red…c'mon.
I did enjoy Kyle's evolution over the months as he grasped the concept of inner beauty. I also enjoyed Kyle's making such lavish use of his father's credit card. That jerk deserved much worse. The bit where Kyle realizes he has to let her go...oh, I cried. But then the transformation scene could really use some work. Flesh it out, give it more depth.
I did like our opportunity to see Lindy and Kyle together at Tuttle throwing all the other snobs off track.
The Story
Kyle Kingsbury is the, well, king of the class at the private school he attends and doesn't he know it. He's a total jerk and is about to pay for his attitude. It's only the gift of a white rose that gives him any chance at all. A chance he's not interested in taking until his father sets him aside.
It takes the kindness of two strangers and a magic mirror for Kyle to begin to understand where true beauty lies.
The Characters
Kyle Kingsbury is a ninth-grade prince. Blond and blue-eyed, all the girls love him. With his dad's money, he can afford anything...material-wise. His dad, Rob Kingsbury, is a well-known newscaster who has all the ladies interested in his single status and his paycheck. He's more interested in appearances and his job than his son. Magda is the Kingsburys' housekeeper.
Lindy Owens is a scholarship student at Tuttle and the recipient of that unwanted white rose.
Trey Parker and Graydon Hart are his best friends. Then Kyle finds out what they really think. Sloane Hagen is the class princess with all the negatives of her shallow little heart.
Kendra Hilferty has many roles to play in this story, but her chief one is that of witch. One who gives Kyle enough rope to hang himself. Will Fratalli is a blind guy his dad hires to tutor Kyle. In Kyle's new house. The new house he lives in on his own with Magda and Will and his guide dog, Pilot.
The Cover
The cover is all black with a white rose and the title in a thorny red. Very appropriate as roses are a recurring theme in this story.
The title is accurate enough as Kyle Kingsbury is perfectly Beastly.
My Take
Oh, brother. This is a contemporary take-off on Beauty and the Beast in which a jerk of a guy has to find someone who will love the inner him even as he must love her back. For the most part, it's actually a cute story. Except for the bits where Flinn just gets too dorky for words. The chat rooms really irritated me. The Little Mermaid??? The frog. Snow White and Rose Red…c'mon.
I did enjoy Kyle's evolution over the months as he grasped the concept of inner beauty. I also enjoyed Kyle's making such lavish use of his father's credit card. That jerk deserved much worse. The bit where Kyle realizes he has to let her go...oh, I cried. But then the transformation scene could really use some work. Flesh it out, give it more depth.
I did like our opportunity to see Lindy and Kyle together at Tuttle throwing all the other snobs off track.
The Story
Kyle Kingsbury is the, well, king of the class at the private school he attends and doesn't he know it. He's a total jerk and is about to pay for his attitude. It's only the gift of a white rose that gives him any chance at all. A chance he's not interested in taking until his father sets him aside.
It takes the kindness of two strangers and a magic mirror for Kyle to begin to understand where true beauty lies.
The Characters
Kyle Kingsbury is a ninth-grade prince. Blond and blue-eyed, all the girls love him. With his dad's money, he can afford anything...material-wise. His dad, Rob Kingsbury, is a well-known newscaster who has all the ladies interested in his single status and his paycheck. He's more interested in appearances and his job than his son. Magda is the Kingsburys' housekeeper.
Lindy Owens is a scholarship student at Tuttle and the recipient of that unwanted white rose.
Trey Parker and Graydon Hart are his best friends. Then Kyle finds out what they really think. Sloane Hagen is the class princess with all the negatives of her shallow little heart.
Kendra Hilferty has many roles to play in this story, but her chief one is that of witch. One who gives Kyle enough rope to hang himself. Will Fratalli is a blind guy his dad hires to tutor Kyle. In Kyle's new house. The new house he lives in on his own with Magda and Will and his guide dog, Pilot.
The Cover
The cover is all black with a white rose and the title in a thorny red. Very appropriate as roses are a recurring theme in this story.
The title is accurate enough as Kyle Kingsbury is perfectly Beastly.
bookishgamer's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The writing gave me the ick and will was the best character (the standards weren't high based on the other characters
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
2.0
I decided to read this book after re-watching the movie recently. It had been some time since I'd last seen it so I was surprised by how bad it truly was. That train of thought got me thinking about the book. And well, here we are!
As someone who loves retellings, Beastly already had me hooked on premise alone. But, it failed to do anything truly special or new. It was a mostly bland, generic YA novel hidden beneath the facade of an interesting modern twist on Beauty and the Beast. The only thing different here was that rather than being from Lindy's (who represents the Beauty/Belle character) perspective like other retellings I've read, it was from the Beast's.
Kyle Kingsbury is a handsome jerk who thinks what's on the outside is all that matters. He crosses Kendra, a witch, and she curses him to be a Beast. He has two years to make a girl fall in love with him and love her in return or he'll be a Beast forever. Basically, it's just Beauty and the Beast in High School. But, a lot of stories can be stripped to their bare bones like that. What makes the story good is the execution - which is severely lacking in this case.
I will say Kyle does have some development. However, in a story like this where the fundamental basis is that he *has* to change that's not too much of a compliment. Kyle also, unfortunately, is the only character to get any kind of depth - though it isn't much. The entire book is from Kyle's point of view. After he is turned into a Beast and up until Lindy comes to stay with him, it is mostly introspection as he sinks further into depression. We spend a lot of time getting a feel for his feelings and motivations while completely neglecting the characters around him. This can also be attributed to the lack of dialogue. It's fine for the most part the first year or so that Kyle is a beast as you can chalk it up to him transitioning. However, as he starts to mature there still is an utter lack of connection to the people around him. Part of Kyle's development is supposed to be caring about other people, yet it's mostly a case of show, don't tell. There simply is not enough dialogue between characters to support this. It does not feel at all like Kyle legitimately cares or should care about these people when Will barely exists and Magda essentially fades into the background (something I believe is related to a poor twist later in the book). There is a lot of glossing over time passing that adds to the feeling that nothing matters. We simply are not given enough detail to really get a sense of Kyle's despair despite an endless amount of pages devoted to doing so.
This is especially true of his relationship with Lindy, which is threadbare at best. They barely seem to interact before Kyle is in love with her. And his love seems too convenient when you consider the 100+ pages before meeting her dedicated to how lonely he is. His desperation seems more of a motivating factor than legitimate interest in her. She is a basic caricature of a girl that has very little in common with him when it comes down to it. The backstory given to her is supposed to serve as a personality, but it lacks any real nuance or bearing on the plot. It's merely a convenient way of moving the plot along. Lindy is not really affected by her experiences until it is needed to progress the plot along.
Speaking of plot, this book made the mistake of thinking its premise was the same as an actual plot. Nothing much happens. And while that can be fine for a book to do the execution is key. The majority of the book should have been focused on Kyle and Lindy falling in love. But, that ultimately is only a very small, rushed part of the book. The romance has so little bearing on the novel as a whole that it could have been taken out entirely with no problem- in fact I would have appreciated a retrospective from the Beasts' perspective without the love interest a lot more.
(Side note, I don't know how this functions as a vehicle for Kendra's series, when she doesn't do anything in this book. How does a nil character become the focus of several books? Like from a narrative standpoint it doesn't make sense to use this as the introduction when it's not from her point of view and there isn't enough dedicated to her to pique ones' interest.)
Overall, it was a breezy read once I actually sat down and committed to it. I never was bored reading it, but it wasn't a particularly stimulating read either. I vaguely enjoyed it, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it to anyone either.
As someone who loves retellings, Beastly already had me hooked on premise alone. But, it failed to do anything truly special or new. It was a mostly bland, generic YA novel hidden beneath the facade of an interesting modern twist on Beauty and the Beast. The only thing different here was that rather than being from Lindy's (who represents the Beauty/Belle character) perspective like other retellings I've read, it was from the Beast's.
Kyle Kingsbury is a handsome jerk who thinks what's on the outside is all that matters. He crosses Kendra, a witch, and she curses him to be a Beast. He has two years to make a girl fall in love with him and love her in return or he'll be a Beast forever. Basically, it's just Beauty and the Beast in High School. But, a lot of stories can be stripped to their bare bones like that. What makes the story good is the execution - which is severely lacking in this case.
I will say Kyle does have some development. However, in a story like this where the fundamental basis is that he *has* to change that's not too much of a compliment. Kyle also, unfortunately, is the only character to get any kind of depth - though it isn't much. The entire book is from Kyle's point of view. After he is turned into a Beast and up until Lindy comes to stay with him, it is mostly introspection as he sinks further into depression. We spend a lot of time getting a feel for his feelings and motivations while completely neglecting the characters around him. This can also be attributed to the lack of dialogue. It's fine for the most part the first year or so that Kyle is a beast as you can chalk it up to him transitioning. However, as he starts to mature there still is an utter lack of connection to the people around him. Part of Kyle's development is supposed to be caring about other people, yet it's mostly a case of show, don't tell. There simply is not enough dialogue between characters to support this. It does not feel at all like Kyle legitimately cares or should care about these people when Will barely exists and Magda essentially fades into the background (something I believe is related to a poor twist later in the book). There is a lot of glossing over time passing that adds to the feeling that nothing matters. We simply are not given enough detail to really get a sense of Kyle's despair despite an endless amount of pages devoted to doing so.
This is especially true of his relationship with Lindy, which is threadbare at best. They barely seem to interact before Kyle is in love with her. And his love seems too convenient when you consider the 100+ pages before meeting her dedicated to how lonely he is. His desperation seems more of a motivating factor than legitimate interest in her. She is a basic caricature of a girl that has very little in common with him when it comes down to it. The backstory given to her is supposed to serve as a personality, but it lacks any real nuance or bearing on the plot. It's merely a convenient way of moving the plot along. Lindy is not really affected by her experiences until it is needed to progress the plot along.
Speaking of plot, this book made the mistake of thinking its premise was the same as an actual plot. Nothing much happens. And while that can be fine for a book to do the execution is key. The majority of the book should have been focused on Kyle and Lindy falling in love. But, that ultimately is only a very small, rushed part of the book. The romance has so little bearing on the novel as a whole that it could have been taken out entirely with no problem- in fact I would have appreciated a retrospective from the Beasts' perspective without the love interest a lot more.
(Side note, I don't know how this functions as a vehicle for Kendra's series, when she doesn't do anything in this book. How does a nil character become the focus of several books? Like from a narrative standpoint it doesn't make sense to use this as the introduction when it's not from her point of view and there isn't enough dedicated to her to pique ones' interest.)
Overall, it was a breezy read once I actually sat down and committed to it. I never was bored reading it, but it wasn't a particularly stimulating read either. I vaguely enjoyed it, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it to anyone either.