Beastly

Title: Beastly
Author: Alex Flinn
Publisher: New York : HarperTeen (2007)
ISBN: 9780060874162 0060874163 9780060874179 0060874171
Pages: 304
Characters: Kyle Kingsbury/Adrian King, Linda Owens, Will, Magda, Kendra
Bookmarks: 5

Kyle is "that guy" in school- hot, popular, smart. Only he treats other people like trash. That is until the night of Spring Formal when he plays a trick on a classmate, Kendra. In return for his cruelty, she transforms him into a beast. He is given two years to break the curse by finding his true love and getting a kiss from her. Kyle believes that it is impossible. His father banishes him away from home and Kyle retreats from the world, with only his tutor Will and maid Magda for company and changes his name to Adrian. That is until his home is broken into one night and in return for his freedom the would-be thief gives Kyle/Adrian his daughter, Linda in return. Kyle/Adrian and Linda quickly adjust to being together and you can feel the chemistry between them. Despite having everything she didn't in her previous life, Linda is unhappy due to missing her father. Kyle/Adrian lets her go to him, only for Linda to run into trouble. Will Kyle/Adrian be able to rescue her? Will the curse be broken in time?

I absolutely LOVED this book!!!! Granted, it probably helps that Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairy tales. I loved that Flinn wove in a couple of other fairy tales (Little Mermaid, Snow White & Rose Red, Frog Prince) through a chat group that Kyle/Adrian was a part of. I also loved that Flinn not only completely fleshed out the story, but set it in the modern world, complete with cell phones and Internet. (It would be interesting to see 20 years down the road how the modern world holds up.) The characters in the story are extremely interesting and the plot moves along quickly. I actually listened to this on tape on my way to and from work and was always disappointed to arrive at my destination. More than once, I was almost late because I stayed in my car until the end of a chapter. While it is definitely more of a girl book than a boy book, I highly recommend it!