Beastly

"Love will not serve those who do not live for her, and in her, and to whom she is not the breath of life." -- Jennette Lee"I get down on my knees and I start to pray 'till the tears run down from my eyesLord somebody, ooh somebody, please,Can anybody find me somebody to love."-- Queen" 'What's the difference? You think looks shouldn't matter. With the Internet, they really don't. It's all about personality.' Then I figured out her problem. 'You're just mad because I figured out a way around your curse, a way I can meet someone without them getting freaked about what you've done to my looks.'" 'That's not it. I cast the spell on you to teach you a lesson. If you learn it, great. I'm not rooting for you to screw up. I'm trying to help you. But this just won't work.'" 'But why?'" 'Because you can't fall in love with someone you don't know. That profile of yours is full of lies.'" 'You read my mail. Isn't that against the -- '" ' "I love to go out and party with my friends..." '" 'Stop it!'" ' "My dad and I are really close..." '" 'Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!' I covered my ears, but her words still taunted me. I wanted to break the mirror, the computer monitor, anything, but it was all because I knew it was true. I just wanted someone to love me, someone to break the curse."Kyle Kingsbury plays a dirty trick on the fat Goth freak who had, from the back of the classroom, complained bitterly about the anachronistic concept of electing a spring dance court, a process blatently based upon looks. Turns out the Goth freak is really a witch, and as punishment for the trail of cruelty he's left in his wake, she promptly turns Kyle into a furry and smelly beast. But, because she's glimpsed a tiny hint of redeeming value in Kyle's pathetically shallow character, she provides him a shot at redemption:" 'Two petals, two years to find someone willing to look beyond your hideousness and see some good in you, something to love. If you will love her in return, and if she will kiss you to prove it, the spell will be lifted, and you will be your handsome self again. If not, you'll stay a beast forever.' "Even though Kyle is devastated by his new appearance, he first clings to his old behaviors. He assumes that he can finesse his way out of this condition, can continue to rely on that sense of entitlement based on looks and money that has always served him so well. But he quickly discovers that the road to recovery will not be that easy:" 'Get away from me!' She opened the door. 'Let me know if you get over whatever this is.' She ran out into the hallway."I ran to the door. 'Sloane?'" 'What?' She was jiggling the elevator button, trying to hurry it there. " 'Don't tell anyone, huh?' " 'Oh, believe me, Kyle, I won't tell a soul. They'd think I was nuts. I must be nuts.' She looked at me again and shuddered."The elevator came, and she was gone. I went back to my room and lay on the bed. I could still smell the scent of her, and it didn't smell good. I hadn't loved Sloane, so it was no surprise she didn't love me either. That must be why the kiss didn't work. The witch had meant it -- I had to be in love."I'd never loved anyone, even when I was normal, never had anyone want to be with me, other than because of who I was, how much stuff I had, and how good I was at partying. I hadn't cared much. There was time for the other stuff later."But what were the chances I'd ever find someone to really love me now? And maybe loving her back would be the hardest part of all."Kyle Kingsbury is, thus, compelled to embark on a two-year journey of self-discovery."High above the forests lie the pastures of the sunWhere the two who learned the secret now are one."--Justin HaywardWhen I first received the uncorrected proof of BEASTLY, I didn't even crack the cover open and take a peek. That might seem surprising, being that Alex Flinn's books have repeatedly been great contemporary YA tales, and I've written about a bunch of them. But it was clear that this book was a retelling of a fairy tale, and I am not a fan of fairy tale retellings. Or I thought I wasn't. Or I didn't used to be."I love you, I thought."Kyle's moving and oftentimes lonely story, his search for the secret of true love, is regularly punctuated by truly hilarious interludes: the transcripts of Kyle's involvement -- using the screen name BeastNYC -- in the "Unexpected Changes chat group" where we get brief glimpses of SilentMaid (who is considering a voluntary change that will cost her beautiful voice), Grizzlyguy, and Froggie -- ("Froggie: hardest prt 4 me is eatin flys" "Froggie: dont lk flys").For those who will argue that this story of transformation is the author's most accomplished piece of writing and most compelling and memorable work to date, I'm with you on that.

Plot Sketch: Kyle Kingsbury is like the hottest freshman at Tuttle Private School in New York City. He's a shoe-in for prince at the upcoming dance, and all of the girls love him. Problem is, he knows it. After a goth girlie named Kendra with green hair stands up in class and tells everyone that the nominees are bunk because it's all based on looks and not anything of substance, Kyle decides to play a trick on her. During gym class, he decides he'll play humble and ask her to the upcoming dance. What he doesn't tell her is that he plans to still go with Sloane, his hottie of a girlfriend. When Sloane learns of his plans to take Kendra, she is hurt, until she finds out that he's still planning to take her in the limo that his dad, Rob Kingsbury (a hotshot reporter on the evening news), paid for with all of the accoutraments she is accustomed to including the purple orchid corsage. FF to dance night, Kyle finds that Magda, the maid has screwed up and gotten the flower that Kendra asked for instead of the orchid that Sloane requested. Kyle throws a little hissy and decides to take the corsage, a single white rose, with him anyway. Sloane hates it because it's a "cheap" flower. At the dance, Kyle takes pity on the ticket taker girl who thinks the flower is pretty and hands it to her. She loves it and is grateful to Kyle, and Kyle is glad that he can't give it to Sloane now that he's given it away. Then Kendra arrives in her purple and black vintage dress. Not only do they make fun of her, Kyle snubs her, and humiliates her in front of everyone. When he gets home that night, Kendra is waiting in his room. She casts a spell on him to be a beast, but because of the one act of kindness with giving the rose to the ticket-taker, she tells him that if he can find a girl that will fall in love with him in his now ugly disgusting state and kiss him, that he will return to the old Kyle. This is the story of Kyle's desperate quest to become human again.Verdict: I Heart It!! This was a great modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I appreciated all of the work that Alex Flinn put into making the story a mashup of a lot of different cultures takes on the tale including the one that we all grew up with in Disney, and the Greek myth about Cupid & Psyche. Flinn did her research. I also like that the character, Lindy, who is essentially the Beauty character, is not your typical beauty. This is a very well-written and up-to-date take on the myth. Flinn was careful to include enough technology that it is current, but not so much that it would become obviously outdated in a few years. Her characters are well-developed, but not exactly what you would expect. The book is divided into six parts with 6-8 chapters per part, and I really liked the way it was divided. There were chat room transcripts before each part, but I kind of felt like those didn't resolve at the end of the book, and was wondering about Silent Maid... but otherwise, I thought they were a good addition.The Gauntlet:At what location does most of the story take place?New York City, NY, USAWhat is the main character's name?Kyle Kingsbury aka Adrian KingDoes I Heart Monster like the main character?Defintely not at first, but as the novel progressed and the character transformed, I really started to love Adrian.How long did it take I Heart Monster to finish the book?half a dayDid I Heart Monster get stuck at any points in the book? If so, why?NopeIs this a good read for Monster?He might like it... I dunno. What floored me though, is that my mom wants to read it, LOL. She's not usually one for fantasy or fairy tales. Maybe I'm rubbing off on her.What, if anything, would I Heart Monster change to make the book more interesting?The ending. I need to know what Kyle's life plan is at the ending... how he will maintain his lifestyle. Will he always depend on his father?What was I Heart Monster's favorite line?I have several:"At Tuttle, we'd treated people bad if they had cheap shoes.""Commercial airlines are tricky. I don't have a credit card. Apparently paying in cash makes one a security risk.""But Adrian, sometimes is nice to let her be smart too.""But finally, I decided something in the room should be pretty, and it wasn't me."How many chapters were in the book?38 + epilogue + author's note

"Kyle Kingsbury, you are beastly"At least that's what the goth freak in Kyle's English class said. But, Kyle is one of the most beautiful, popular guys in his school. Great looks, a rich and famous dad, and a bad attitude = popular. Kyle is even voted to be prince of the class for the upcoming dance.What Kyle doesn't know is that the dance will be the last time he will be mister popular. Kyle has decided to asked Kendra, the goth freak, to the dance, only to have her show up and embarass her by being with the most beautiful girl in school. Only, when Kendra does show up, she isn't embarresed, she isn't even mad.When Kyle gets home from the dance, it's only to discover that Kendra is waiting for him in his room. It just so happens that Kendra isn't your normal teen, she is a witch. Kendra transforms Kyle into a beast, one that is as ugly on the outside as he is on the inside. His only way out is to break the curse by falling in love and being loved in return, and by true loves kiss, and he only has 2 years to do it in.Kyle's dad swears he will find a cure for Kyle and takes him to all the best doctors around, noone can help him. Kyle's dad gives and up abandons Kyle, his maid and a tutor in a house in Brooklyn. Locked away where noone can see what his son has become.How will Kyle ever find true love? Will he ever break the curse? Will he even learn his lesson??This was such a fabulous book! It keeped me enchanted from page one until the very end. A fabulous retelling of Beauty and the Beast! 5 stars!!

Love this book. I've already read it four times! Still, I just can't get enough of it. Probably gonna read it another time when I feel like it.It's a "beauty-and-the-beast-like" romance - but in the present. It's kind and cute. Liked it very much.

Questo libro, che altro non è che una trasposizione moderna de La Bella e la Bestia, è ricco di significato e di valori, quelli che contano davvero nella vita dell’uomo e che spesso, purtroppo, vengono sostituiti da futili apparenze del mondo moderno. Ho amato tantissimo questa storia, capace di farmi immedesimare nel protagonista Kyle, che fa un percorso “terapeutico”, non privo di sofferenze profonde, riuscendo però, infine, a diventare un uomo migliore, senza pregiudizi e in grado di guardare nel profondo dell’animo, tralasciando l’esteriorità. Purtroppo Kyle, ha dovuto affrontare una vita ricca di denaro e di lusso, ma carente di affetto paterno, tanto desiderato e mai ricevuto. A causa di questa mancanza, era diventato un ragazzo superficiale e mal disposto verso il prossimo, mascherando in questo modo, la sua richiesta d’aiuto; il suo aspetto fisico, da bellissimo ragazzo, lo invoglia a continuare per questa strada, non curandosi che oltre l’esteriorità esista una bellezza interiore, ancora più importante. Solo alla fine, grazie alla provvidenziale “punizione” della strega Kendra, riesce ad amare realmente e a farsi amare per l’uomo che è diventato, sensibile e amorevole, nonostante il suo aspetto fisico sia orribile. Capisce che il denaro, la fama, il successo non potranno mai comprare la felicità e colmare il vuoto che ha dentro. La scrittrice mi ha conquistato, regalandomi una storia carica di magia. Il libro è scritto in modo pulito, scorrevole, molto dettagliato. Ne consiglio vivamente la lettura a chi ama leggere i romance in chiave fantasy ed ha voglia di vivere un sogno. Da questa romanzo è stato tratto un film nel 2011, scritto e diretto da Daniel Barnz, con Alex Pettyfer e Vanessa Hudgens, di cui consiglio la visione.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐♥️

I couldn't stop turning pages until I reached the end. And as usual, the book was better than the movie, which was pretty good by the way. This is about love and the sacrifices it requires, tolerance, kindness, understanding others and finding one's true self. A wonderful version of the fairy tale.

El interior del libro está perfectamente, recomiendo totalmente la compra. ¿A quién no le gusta un buen libro? El único problema que yo he tenido es con el estado de la portada, ya que me venía doblada por una parte. Si no fuera nuevo lo entendería, pero no fue así. Por último decir que nunca hay que juzgar a un libro por su portada, así que dadle una oportunidad.

I've read this book many times, and I just received my deluxe edition today. I checked the other customer reviews and saw some had their books with the manuscript malfunction, I double checked my book and am happy to say all the lines are in it.