Beastly by Alex Flinn

Kyle Kingsbury is the ruler of his school. He's good looking, he's wealthy, has a celebrity father, lives in a posh apartment in New York City, has the hottest girl in school on his arm and hangs with coolest guys. But he's a total jerk - having no qualms with making sure the average person knows how "beneath" him they are.

But when his classmate Kendra humilitates him in front of his friends, he vows to make her pay for it. He leads her to believe that she will be his date for the school dance... although he already has plans with his "real" date, the said hot girl. Once Kyle plays his sinister trick on Kendra he definitely was not expecting her to show up in his bedroom later that night or, much less call him "beastly" and threaten him with "comeuppance".

That's right, Kendra wasn't your obvious girl, of course, Kendra is a witch that curses Kyle to look on the outside the way that he is on the inside... beastly. He's cursed to find true love - someone he loves and who loves him in return. Obviously, not something that is easy with his hairy body, clawed hands and sharp teeth. And keeping all that in mind, there is also the slight problem of having a limited time to do it... meaning if he doesn't find someone within the allotted time, he'll be a beast forever.

Modern day version of Beauty and the Beast you say?

Of course, I ran right out and got me a copy because as you must already know, any remake of one of my favorite fairy tale's is a must-have for my bookshelves... and Alex Flinn's tale of the beastly, Kyle Kingsbury does not disappoint.

I loved all the little details scattered throughout the story - Linda also known as Lindy (which means pretty/beautiful in Spanish); the doting maid (which reminded me of Ms. Potts in the Disney cartoon), the rose, his new castle-like residence far from his father and the people who know him, and, of course, the magical mirror. These were such a delight to read about throughout the story.

My favorite parts though... Kyle's IM conversations with the other mythical creatures in the chat room for changed beings. I mean, these were the highlights of the book for me. So funny and a treat.

Kyle was intense, emotional, he's someone you love to hate... but as the story progresses he slowly becomes putty and is molded into such a wonderful young man that, as the reader, you forget how beastly he actually does look and you can't help falling in love with him yourself.

I thought this was such a fun, fast-paced, modernized version - that I'm sure will have you forgetting about the Disney cartoon and loving this so much more.

As always, I was a sucker for a fairytale remake, but I thought this was a fresh and fantastic retelling of an unforgettable classic that any teen and/or adult can enjoy alike.