Beastly by Alex Flinn

          Here's something to think about: What would it be like to be a Beast? Not a rude, brazen person, but an actual beast? Kyle Kingsbury had everything any guy could ever want: popularity, money, and all the girls. Until one fateful day.

          In this fantasy book, Kyle is a stuck up, rotten teenage boy. He's always so full of himself, and he always tries to make others jealous. When a new transfer student named Kendra comes to his school, he's doing his best to make her feel unwanted, and it's easy for him because he thinks she's way too ugly, and he's making a huge mistake. Little did he know, she's a witch that has a disliking for people like Kyle. That's when Kendra decides to surprise Kyle, and it's not anything like egging his house or starting a propaganda to embarrass him. At the schools dance, he ditches Kendra. In return, she turns him into a beast; that's when the real trouble starts. This isn't like Beauty and The Beast: Poor Kyle isn't living alone in a castle. He lives in New York City, which is a major problem. After a few months(and many, many doctors), his father resorts to sending Kyle to Brooklyn. There, Kyle collects himself and finds a way to reverse the curse. Though it may not work, Kyle's willing to do anything to get his life back.

          I read this book back in April, but I still remember it clearly. I absolutely loved this book for various reasons, and I still love it for the same reasons. One reason is because it's like Beauty and the Beast, but with an amazing twist that wants you to keep going: Instead of taking place in France and having the Beast locked away in a castle, this beast gets transformed right in the middle of New York City, and there's nowhere to hide. Another reason I love this book is because ever since I was a little girl, my favorite Disney movie was Beauty and the Beast. I wanted to grow up to be exactly like Belle, but I think Lindy makes a way better Belle than I could ever be. Well, their personalities are almost exactly alike. Looks, not so much. One last reason I adored this marvelous fantasy novel was because I loved how in between each chapter, the author had Kyle and a handful of different normal kids who suddenly had their lives changed when they became fantastical characters in a chatroom that only fantasy characters would talk about how their life is going.

          Trinity C.

          Spicer 8/9