Review Detail

Beastly is a modern adaptation of the tale Beauty and the Beast. It's told through the "Beast" aka Kyle Kingston's point of view. The setting? Where else? New York City, baby! Anyway...

Kyle Kingston has it all. Popularity, looks, money, the works. He doesn't care who he hurts. In fact, he takes pleasure in it. Then he meets Kendra, the goth girl. He decides to play a cruel joke on her. Of course, what goes around usually comes around. Kendra is actually a witch and casts a spell on Kyle. She turns him into this hideous beast. The only way to turn him back is for him to find someone to love him and love her in return. Sound familiar? I hope so.

When I first started Beastly, all I could think about was what an jerk Kyle is.  He's arrogant, proud and takes pleasure in hurting others.  He's that person you see walking down the hall and want to trip. 

As the story continues, you meet the "Belle" in the story. I would say who she is, but I don't want to spoil it. Just like the fairy tale, she's very distant and very uncooperative. As they start getting to know each other, their friendship grows. Kyle starts to change. For the first time in his life, he cares for someone other than himself. Dare I say, Kyle has fallen in love with her? Oooh la la! The only thing is, can someone like her fall in love with the Beast?

The book is broken down into several different sections. You get the beginning, pieces of the middle and the conclusion with an epilogue. There are certain things I liked about the story. I like watching the relationships develope. Not just the relationship between the Beast and Belle, but also with the other people in Kyle's life. I like to think of those people as the "Mrs. Pots" and "Lumiere." I also liked how the witch played a more significant role in this retelling.

The negatives: There are things that bothered me. The main thing I didn't like is Kyle himself. Even when he changed, he still bothered me. And the internet conversations? I mean, really? Cute, but utterly reaked of cheese.

For the most part, I did enjoy the story. It's short, it's sweet, it's a fairy tale. I finished it in one sitting, and I'm sure you will too.