Beastly (Kendra Chronicles #1)

Reader reviewed by melissa

i honestly had no idea that this was a modern re-telling of 'Beauty and the Beast' until i started picturing the movie in my head. then all the talk of vanity and appearances made sense. I thought that the author did an excellent job of modernizing the story to fit today's teens and I was both laughing and feeling very sad and frustrated with Kyle/Adrian. The instant messaging really broke it up well and gave it that extra fairy tale twist with lots of charm. it was funny becase in my head i'm wondering why belle isn't texting back and realize oh wait disney didn't add cell phones. i found it to be enjoyable for the kid in everyone and shows that some people may think they outgrow disney, but they don't.

Reader reviewed by Adriana M.

I really enjoyed this modern re-telling of 'Beauty and the Beast'. I would have given it five stars be it not for the fact that the ending (like most fairy tales) was a bit too tidy and perfect. I thought that the author did an excellent job of modernizing the story to fit today's teens and I was both laughing and feeling very sad and frustrated with Kyle/Adrian. The instant messaging bits every now and then really broke it up well and gave it that extra fairy tale twist with lots of charm. I thought the lesson of inside beauty was portrayed very well without being preachy and I think teens will enjoy the tale of a modern teen werewolf/beast. (I kept picturing him like Michael J. Fox from the teen werewolf movie)

Reader reviewed by Erika

A modern twist on a classic. Beastly is about a boy named Kyle who is perfect to most, but a horrible creature to others.

Kyle is handsome, rich, well-known, and gets any girl he wants. But, he is also arrogant, rude, sly, and enjoys making fun of other kids. Most people see the perfect side, but a witch in disguise sees the beast side of him very clearly. When he angers her a final time, she changes his outer apperance so that the rest of the world can see him as the way she sees him.

Kyle's girlfriend rejects him, his father is ashamed of him, and he must find a girl to love him in under two years.

I really enjoyed this book, but, it has many clichés. I really like modern versions of classic fairytales. I always enjoy a happily ever after. I definitly think that watching Kyle's change was worth my time.

Reader reviewed by Anthonely



Kyle Kingsbury is one of the privileged. His mother may have left when he was young, but he was left with his father, a wealthy news anchor. Kyle doesn't want for a thing. In addition to his very comfortable lifestyle, Kyle is blessed with good looks, or as the girls in his exculsive high school would probably say, "He's hot!" Unfortunately, Kyle is not a particularly kind individual. There aren't many people that he considers worth his while, and he is not afraid to let the rest of the world know how inferior he thinks they are.
Things open in an online chatroom. The group is rather unusual a beast (Kyle), an unhappy mermaid, a pouting frog, and someone calling himself Grizzlyguy. It's not your average chatroom crowd. All of them have had run-ins with witches and been the victims of evil spells. Kyle became a beast when he played a nasty trick by he cruelly inviting an unpopular girl to a special school dance knowing he was actually going with his current hot girlfriend. Once there, he and his girlfriend humiliate the other girl only to discover she is actually a witch with the power to change his life forever.

Reader reviewed by Brenda

This is a modern retelling of Beauty and The Beast. Kyle is rich, handsome and nasty. Then he has an encounter with a witch, Kendra and is transformed into The Beast. So he goes into hiding in his castle/brownstone until a thief breaks in and hurts his roses. The thief offers his daughter instead of jail, not just for rose mauling; he has drugs. So Lindy comes to live with The Beast and you know the rest of the story. (Yes, Be our Guest kept playing in my head as he readies the brownstone for Lindy.)

The writing is good; its just that theres nothing new here. Rich nasty parentally neglected guy has duo transformations and finds poor parentally neglected girl. If Im going to read a modern retelling of an old story I want something new and different to keep my attention. The continued involvement of the witch isnt enough to do it. I did love the occasional interludes of transcripts of a chat for Unexpected Changes monitored by Mr. Anderson (Hans Christian I assume) that had a mermaid/human, a frog/prince and a bear/human. That was great and different, and I wish there had been more of that. That was enough to raise my rating from a 2 to a 3.

Reader reviewed by The Story Siren

Beastly is an updated and contemporary twist on the well-known fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. Instead of a prince and a castle, we have Kyle Kingsbury and his brownstone in Brooklyn. Kyle is a very good looking high school freshman, and of course he is spoiled rotten and is the biggest JERK alive. Thus, a witch turns him into the true beast that he is. And we all know that the spell can only be broken with true loves first kiss! But who could learn to love a beast?


One of the things I liked about this book was the internet chat session with Mr. Anderson. There are other fairy tale creatures within the chat room that beast feels he can relate to. Like a mermaid and a prince-turned frog.


If you like the story of Beauty and the Beast, or even if you dont, this is a very interesting rendition. I would suggest that you give it a chance. It is important to remember that beauty is only skin deep and the real beauty is what lies on the inside, sometimes I know I need to be reminded of that.

Reader reviewed by the book muncher

Beastly is a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast in New York City told from the point of view of the beast. The beast in this story is Kyle Kingsbury, the son of a newscaster and probably the most popular boy at his elite school. He was placed under this spell by a witch named Kendra because he couldnt look beyond peoples outer appearances.

Through the course of the story, Kyle changes his name, kidnaps a girl named Lindy to live with him in his seclusion, and gradually learns to see beyond appearances and love Lindy. And fairytales are never complete without happy endings, so its pretty easy to figure out what happens in the end.

I was a little disappointed in this novel. From reading a small excerpt, I had expected a more exciting story, but it turned out to be very predictable. The story took place over the course of two years, and it seemed rushed. It was also unrealistic how Kyle changed his ways to become considerate and giving very quickly after he transformed into a beast. It did make sense that Kyle was desperate for someone to love him so that he could reverse the spell, but it was unrealistic how Kyle just seemed to realize that he loved Lindy. The ending was a little too sweet and perfect for my taste, but I guess all fairytales have to have happy endings.

My favorite parts from this novel were the transcripts of the online chat group Kyle joined once he transformed into a beast. I enjoyed reading about the other creatures in the chat group and figuring out which fairytale they belonged to.

Overall, Beastly did not turn out to be one of my favorites. I would not recommend rushing out and buying it. But if you like retellings of fairytales, then you should check this out.

Reader reviewed by mlecompt

This book is the story of Beauty and the Beast set in present-day New York City. Kyle is rich, handsome, and popular. He has everything he wants and looks down on people who aren't beautiful, don't know how to dress, or don't have money. He plays a prank on a girl in his class, inviting her to a dance, then dumping her when she shows up to meet him. Unfortunately for Kyle, the girl is a witch, and she turns him into a beast. The spell can only be broken by a kiss from someone who loves him.

There are no surprises in this book. If you know the story of Beauty and the Beast, you know what is going to happen. Alex Flinn does a great job of writing it though, and it's worth picking up if you like fairy tales. Kyle is very well-written and his personal growth is very believable. Parts of this book start to veer into sappy territory, but since it is a fairy tale, I'll let that slide.

Reader reviewed by Roseanne

Alex Flinn's new book "Beastly" due in stores soon, is an awsome re-mix to the classic Beauty and the Beast movie that we all love. It tells the story of a boy who considers himself a beast and an outcast and is looking for someone/something to break the curse and turn him into a normal guy and gain confidence in himself so that others can see his true beauty. It is well written and will keep readers asking for more.