Beastly - Alex Flinn

Synopsis for Beastly:

"A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever – ruined – unless I can break the spell.Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you.

I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly."

Jenn: I actually liked this new twist on Beauty and the Beast, although at times it seemed a little too much to accept. It's set up like a fairy tale, but set in modern times, which is where it got a little tricky. All the characters act as though it's the fairly tale - they even reference it a little bit here and there - even though it's modern day. But that was my only real issue. I liked that it was told from the Beast's perspective, instead of Beauty's. You get a better picture of how he became a beast, his growth as a person, and how he falls in love. And the small inserts of a chat group he joins is actually a pretty funny idea that I enjoyed thoroughly. Overall, I really liked it - a nice, fresh take on an familiar story.