Beastly by Alex Flinn

Title: Beastly
Author: Alex Flinn
Published: October 2007
Pages: 304
ISBN: 9780060874162
Source: Library

Description: I am a beast.
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.

I Give This Book 3 Stars!

I was amazed at how easy it was to hate a main character.  I guess the author was hoping you would look past this and continue on with the story.  I did, but only because I figured it this book was true to the fairy tale, he couldn't stay like this for the entire story.  I was right, but I don't think he redeemed himself very well.  It almost seemed like instead of changing and becoming a better person, he just managed to find someone to overlook his faults and love him anyway.  Which, I guess is the point of the story.   I did like the fact that it was told from the beast's point of view.  But, I don't feel like it added anything new to the fairy tale.  The only difference was it was set in modern day New York.  Everything else felt exactly the same.