Beastly by Alex Flinn: Review

Beastly
By: Alex Flinn
Young Adult Fiction

Beastly is a modern retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" through the eyes of the Beast, Kyle Kingsbury. Kyle is the son of a rich and famous anchorman. Due to his selfish behavior, he is transformed into a beast, and disowned by his father and sent to live in a secluded apartment, with his only company being his maid and tutor. Kyle must find a girl that will fall in love with him and kiss him within two years or he will remain a beast forever.

This book was a lot of fun. I haven't read many stories from the viewpoint of the beast. I found this book to be incredibly funny. There were parts that I was actually laughing out loud, and that doesn't happen often for me. I worry though that in a few years many aspects of the book will be outdated, particularly the mention of technology. However, it was a really enjoyable read for me. I'd recommend it to people who like fairy tale retellings and romance, because this book has a fair amount.

I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Beauty: Review

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast
By: Robin McKinley
Young-Adult Fiction

The plot of this book was pretty straightforward. Beauty is the youngest daughter of a wealthy merchant. Her given name was Honour, but as a young girl, asked to be called Beauty instead. She grew up to be plain and never felt like she lived up to her nickname. Her father's shipping business falls into disaster and they are forced to move to the country, where she meets the beast.

I had heard a lot about this book, and its author, Robin McKinley. I didn't enjoy the book quite as much as I had hoped I would. I felt sometimes like there was too much time spent on characters talking about what had happened, rather than what was happening at the time. Also, the ending was quite abrupt. A lot of time was spent building up the story and then the ending fell flat. But, those few flaws aside, it was a really fun book to read. I enjoyed reading about Beauty's thoughts and how they changed towards the Beast. The imagery and change that took place in the book came together really well.

Overall, I would give the book 4 out of 5 stars. I look forward to reading more from Robin McKinley.