So, Khadija of Black Finger Nailed Reviews, another awesome teen blogger, wrote a review for me, back in August. I never got it up, so it's here today! She's written a lovely review on Beastly. You guys know me; I can never keep my mouth shut, so I'm here in red to toss in my two cents. I read Beastly too, and I give it a 4 out of 5 stars. Links below, as usual.
Title: BeastlyAuthor: Alex Flinn
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 5 out of 5
Cover Rating: 4 out of 5 (I love the symbolism for the rose)
Description: 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 a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly.
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 a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly.
My Review: Ok I’ll admit I’m not a very romantic type person…..(That makes two of us.)
And I don’t always exactly enjoy reading about two people falling into mushy gushy love, where they are completely dependable upon each other. Yes I’m a bit of a feminist (hence my vendetta against Bella Swan and all things Twilight) and I agree it destroyed romance.
But I did like the romance in Beastly. Maybe it was because the Beast was so depressed the way he was, maybe it was the references to The Curse of Jullian Gray and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, I don’t know. But the point is the romance portion of the book = surprisingly tolerable….maybe even nice. (Yuppers)
Beastly is a definite page turner for sure, you become enthralled with finding out whether or not the Beast gets his kiss and the spell that was cast is broken.
I’m all for YA books from male point of views just because they seem to be not so common in the YA world. So that was another plus for Beastly and probably its greatest appeal to me. I first heard about this book as recommendation from a friend but at the time I didn’t go look it up or find a summary. It wasn’t until the recent movie trailer that my interest was sparked. I went on a hunt (Google is my greatest hero [Yay!]) and found out as much as I could. My findings where that it was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, except from the Beast’s point of view. I’ve always been curious, it’s a story I’ve always wanted to read….what it was like for the Beast.
Beauty and the Beast was my favorite childhood book, I loved fairy tales and I must have read Beauty and the Beast a hundred times. It wasn't the romance that was appealing; it was Belle, this girl that was able to appreciate the beauty in the small things….(Aww)
Her ability is to see the world in such a way. And also to see past exterior beauty and look within to discover one of the kindest men there ever was.
I got to read this modern-day fairytale and see it all from the Beast’s point of view. What it was like for him…and really the only words I can use to describe it with are Friggin and Awesome (Friggin AND Awesome? Wow...).
I give this book a 5 out of 5, I can’t stop talking about it and always recommend it. It’s a great read and definitely worth the time. :)
Check out more about Beastly and other Alex Flinn novels at www.alexflinn.com Also check out the new movie site for Beastly http://beastlythemovie.com/
Rock on Peeps,
(Rock on, Khad)
Khadija
Did you love Khadija (who doesn't?) and her review? For more, check out her blog,
Peace,RR
Linkage: Amazon B&N BookDepository Goodreads Borders AuthorSite
This was a really good review. I love that cover and that the story is written from the male POV. Must add to my TBR list!
ReplyDeleteRiv Re, Khadija sounds wonderful. Do you think there would be interest in you joining forces for another round of Q&A with a YA? You could maybe do a segment once a month?
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ReplyDeleteOops, I have horrible grammar in this review. I was not very adamant about editing my reviews back in August. It's Julian Gray not Gillian, could you change that bit? Other than my horrible grammar this looks great, thanks for letting me guest post! :)
ReplyDeletewww.blackfingernailedreviews.blogspot.com
I really enjoyed this book too! I'm not really into fairy tales being re-made...and I actually didn't enjoy the Disney Beauty and the Beast, but I liked Beastly a lot! Great review!
ReplyDeleteHey, I followed this fantastic review over from Khadija's site (yes, who doesn't love her :D) and I have to say I'm like in love with your blog. I'm definitely following from now on!
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