Beastly

Book: Beastly

Author: Alex Flinn

Bookshelves: 2011, fantasy, fiction, for teens, New York City, New York City, paranormal romance, romance, USA

Begun: March 15, 2011

Finished: March 17, 2011

Media Type: paperback (larger sized)

Setting: present day New York City, present day upstate New York

Characters: Linda "Lindy" Owens, Kyle Kingsbury (aka Adrian), Will Fratalli, The Witch (aka Kendra Hilfert), Magda, Rob Kingsbury

Review: I picked up Beastly because the movie was being released and I decided that I should read the book (at the time I really, really wanted to see the movie too – since reading the book, I think I will wait for the DVD to come out and then go get it for free at the library). The story is … well the plot, at least, in its most basic form, is a good thing. Think: an updated Beauty and Beast.

And what little girl didn’t love the story behind the Disney classic.

In this reworking of the fairytale, we open the book to an online chatroom transcript where the moderator’s name is Mr. Anderson (all I could think was Hugo Weaving playing Agent Smith from The Matrix asking Keanu Reeves (Neo/Mr. Anderson) saying “You hear that Mr. Anderson?... That is the sound of inevitability... It is the sound of your death... Goodbye, Mr. Anderson...”). Maybe others missed it but “Mr. Anderson,” is a not so cleaverly veiled reference to Hans Christian Anderson who authored many (if not most) of the fairytales that are still so popular today! In the chatroom we meet the little mermaid, a bear, and the frog (the prince who was turned into a frog) … and a beast who proceeds to tell us his story.

Kyle Kingsbury was the most popular person at his private prep school. But inside, he’s kind of messed up. His mother left his father and him without, really, any good reason when he was pretty young. His father, Rob Kingsbury is a self-loving and beauty obsessed anchorman. He doesn’t have that much time for Kyle other than to make sure he’s not getting into that much trouble.

Kyle, who is a shoe in for Prom King, plays a trick on the goth chick in his English class, Kendra Hilfert, by asking her to the dance even though Kyle is actually taking the “cool girl,” who becomes ticked at Kyle for getting her a “simple, common” white rose for her corsage instead of the exotic orchid she wanted. When they get to the dance, Kyle hands the offending rose to a “scholarship” girl who is manning the ticket desk. This simple act of making the girl’s day with the flower is the only thing that saves him from what is about to happen.

When Kendra realizes that Kyle has an ugly heart as she suspects and has been playing her for a fool, she reveals that she is actually a beautiful witch. She transforms Kyle into a beastly visage to match his heart. But, because he was kind to the “scholarship girl,” the Witch gives Kyle a chance to redeem himself. He is given two years to get someone to fall in love him.

He figures that this will never happen. He thinks he’s gross because he’s covered with fur, disfigured, and has claws. He’s basically an amalgamation of a bear, dog, man and gorilla. When the doctors can’t cure him of his physical deformities, his father gets him a five story apartment away from his apartment in Manhattan. Kyle realizes that his father can’t stand to look at him and has shunted him out of his life. Magda, the family’s maid, goes with him and his father pays for a blind tutor to become his companion and teacher.

Slowly over the course of the first year, Kyle comes out of his self imposed prison, changes his name from Kyle (which means “handsome”) to Adrian (which means “the dark one”), and builds a greenhouse where he begins to grow roses of all sizes, colors and types. One night, he catches a robber who broke into the greenhouse intent on stealing things in the house for drug money. The robber bargains his daughter for payment (of not being turned over to the authorities). His daughter is Linda (“Lindy) Owens who it is revealed is the “scholarship girl” from the dance.

Could she be the girl to break the curse? How could anyone see though the horrific exterior to see what’s within Adrian’s heart? And is that heart worth seeing?

To break the curse, make Lindy love him, and return to his “normal” life, Kyle/Adrian only got months left …

Awards:

• ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
• VOYA Editor’s Choice
• IRA/CBC Young Adults’ Choice
• New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
• Texas Lone Star Reading List
• Detroit Public Library Author Day Award
• Utah Beehive Award Master List
• Missouri Gateway Award Master List
• Volunteer State Book Award Master List
• Nevada Young Readers Award Master List
• South Dakota Young Adult Book Award Master List
• New Hampshire Isinglass Award Master List
• Woozles (Canada) Teen Battle of the Books list

Recommended by: myself after seeing a commercial for the movie which was released in Feb. 2011

Recommend to: Twilight saga fans, fans of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Kate U. (my friend)

2000 Kisses (SEAL/Code Name series #1)

2000 Kisses by Christina Skye


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
It's the new millennium and EVERYONE'S worried about Y2K taking down the computers and the ATMs and THE WORLD! (sorry, I think this is hysterical and I did back in 2000 too when everyone thought it was going the be the end of the modern world as we knew it!)

Tess O'Mara's a modern woman with modern wants. She the head of ... well ... she's a PR guru. I don't know how else to describe her. She's the shit when it comes to her stuff though. And she's just sold out every port of the cruise ship that she was working on the campaign for. She makes everything she touches gold. And her boss is giving her a bonus ...

Then comes Jan. 1, 2000.

Tess decides to check her ATM account and withdraw some funds. But to her surprise (a very pleasant surprise) there are 1,000,000 reasons she needs to go on a shopping trip. A new hairstyle, a leather jacket, some clothes and a baby blue convertible later, Tess calls her brother in Washington to ask about the strange amount of money she's received after the bank can't track where the credit to her account came from.

Turns out something very illegal is going on and Tess has been caught up in the middle of it because of a Y2K glitch. Her brother wants her some place safe where an old friend will watch over her.

That place is Almost, Arizona (aka East-Cupcake-ville). And the friend that is going to be watching over Tess is ... well, think Mel Gibson in the late 80s/early 90s.

T.J. McCall is hot ... and tired ... and sick of trouble. That's why the ex-Secret Service agent is now the sheriff of the town out in the middle of no where, but after an old friend, Andy O'Mara, calls him asking for help with his baby sister, T.J. knows he's in for it.

The tension between these two sizzles and sparkles. My only problem with the book was that at times Tess seems to have these "spells" where she is halucinating that she is in the old West (I'm talking back when the Native Americans ran the place and the whitemen hadn't even been seen on the shore of New England, yet). Then all of a sudden ... nothing. They go away. She can't explain it ... no one can. They don't even bring it up again. That was a little bit of a problem to be but all in all, this was a good start to the Seal/Code Name series.

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Harmony's Way (Breed series #8)

Harmony's Way (Breed Series, #8) by Lora Leigh

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
I'm really starting to get sick of Lora Leigh's writing. There doesn't seem to be much of a plot behind any of her novels ... or any true emotions. Just one character having a lot (and graphic sex) with another character who Lora Leigh then declares the mate of which ever character is breed.

Harmony's Way (Breed Series, #8) isn't much different. You find out Harmony is a Breed they formerly called Death. Her brother, who you are lead to believe wants revenge against her for killing their mother, sends her to Broken Butte, a small town in what I assumed was the southwest, to a man named Lance Jacobs, who is her mate. Harmony's brother, Jonas, knew Lance was Harmony's mate but we are never told how he knew.

The plot never really develops and there is a twist of fanatical supremists thrown in there but the book never really takes off. Poor excuse for a book if you ask me.

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