Beastly (Kendra Chronicles #1)

This was an enjoyable read. I couldn't put it down. What a page turner. I've always loved Beauty and the Beast and must say this is my favourite retelling of the tale. Great characters. The only reason I didn't give it a five was because the ending got a little cheesy, but that's my only gripe. Everything else was brilliant.

Alex Flinn really brought me back to childhood with Beastly. I really enjoyed her modernized version of my Disney favorite Beauty and the Beast. It was a very captivating retelling. There is nothing I love more than a romantic happily ever after.

Kyle Kingsbury had it all, the fame, the looks, and the fortune. The only thing missing, his lack of compassion. I was drawn to Kyle’s character. He was stuck in a world that drains us of sensitivities. We all grow up to mimic an environment we were raised in. Kyle was just too blind to notice that looks and money are not everything. Cruelty blackens a soul, and for Kyle, his cruelty and insensitivities lead to the desecration of his handsomely good looks. I was upset to see his reaction to his curse. He just took it as another situation to talk or buy your way out. Although, I was extremely excited to see him turn a 360, and in the end, I hoped for his success.

Lindy was a unknown for me. There was not much to learn about her which made it hard to relate to her character. She was also slightly childish in the book to me. I did sympathize with her character. I also had an addicted father in my life early on. If you have ever had an addict in your life, you know you do not ever really have much, shelter nor money wise. I was glad to see her attempts to rise above it all, though. Lindy also shared a love of books with me. This boosted her up ever so slightly on my likable character list. I just wish her character was more developed during the story.

If you have ever seen Beauty and the Beast, then you pretty much have a decent idea how this story goes. It does have its differentiations, though. This is a more modern and mature version. There is also a movie based on this book. I watched that movie also, and let me say, it was nothing like this book! I was extremely disappointed. This book, though, was pretty great.

There were a couple of things I liked about this book that stood out the most for me. The chat room messages throughout the book were extremely interesting. It was really fascinating watching the “fairy tale” creatures communicating. I was eager to read more about their struggles in their “transformations”. The second part that stood out to me was Will’s character. He was the savior that Kyle needed. It was refreshing to see so much ambition and determination in a character. He too suffered with an abnormality. The last thing that really stood out for me about this book was the symbolism of the roses in this story. To me, they symbolized Kyle’s growing as an individual. Although there are many sizes, shapes, colors, and types, a rose is still a rose.

Reader reviewed by the book muncher

Beastly is a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast in New York City told from the point of view of the beast. The beast in this story is Kyle Kingsbury, the son of a newscaster and probably the most popular boy at his elite school. He was placed under this spell by a witch named Kendra because he couldnt look beyond peoples outer appearances.

Through the course of the story, Kyle changes his name, kidnaps a girl named Lindy to live with him in his seclusion, and gradually learns to see beyond appearances and love Lindy. And fairytales are never complete without happy endings, so its pretty easy to figure out what happens in the end.

I was a little disappointed in this novel. From reading a small excerpt, I had expected a more exciting story, but it turned out to be very predictable. The story took place over the course of two years, and it seemed rushed. It was also unrealistic how Kyle changed his ways to become considerate and giving very quickly after he transformed into a beast. It did make sense that Kyle was desperate for someone to love him so that he could reverse the spell, but it was unrealistic how Kyle just seemed to realize that he loved Lindy. The ending was a little too sweet and perfect for my taste, but I guess all fairytales have to have happy endings.

My favorite parts from this novel were the transcripts of the online chat group Kyle joined once he transformed into a beast. I enjoyed reading about the other creatures in the chat group and figuring out which fairytale they belonged to.

Overall, Beastly did not turn out to be one of my favorites. I would not recommend rushing out and buying it. But if you like retellings of fairytales, then you should check this out.

Reader reviewed by The Story Siren

Beastly is an updated and contemporary twist on the well-known fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. Instead of a prince and a castle, we have Kyle Kingsbury and his brownstone in Brooklyn. Kyle is a very good looking high school freshman, and of course he is spoiled rotten and is the biggest JERK alive. Thus, a witch turns him into the true beast that he is. And we all know that the spell can only be broken with true loves first kiss! But who could learn to love a beast?


One of the things I liked about this book was the internet chat session with Mr. Anderson. There are other fairy tale creatures within the chat room that beast feels he can relate to. Like a mermaid and a prince-turned frog.


If you like the story of Beauty and the Beast, or even if you dont, this is a very interesting rendition. I would suggest that you give it a chance. It is important to remember that beauty is only skin deep and the real beauty is what lies on the inside, sometimes I know I need to be reminded of that.

Reader reviewed by Brenda

This is a modern retelling of Beauty and The Beast. Kyle is rich, handsome and nasty. Then he has an encounter with a witch, Kendra and is transformed into The Beast. So he goes into hiding in his castle/brownstone until a thief breaks in and hurts his roses. The thief offers his daughter instead of jail, not just for rose mauling; he has drugs. So Lindy comes to live with The Beast and you know the rest of the story. (Yes, Be our Guest kept playing in my head as he readies the brownstone for Lindy.)

The writing is good; its just that theres nothing new here. Rich nasty parentally neglected guy has duo transformations and finds poor parentally neglected girl. If Im going to read a modern retelling of an old story I want something new and different to keep my attention. The continued involvement of the witch isnt enough to do it. I did love the occasional interludes of transcripts of a chat for Unexpected Changes monitored by Mr. Anderson (Hans Christian I assume) that had a mermaid/human, a frog/prince and a bear/human. That was great and different, and I wish there had been more of that. That was enough to raise my rating from a 2 to a 3.

Reader reviewed by Bernice

A modern day version of Beauty and the Beast.
A conceited teenage boy who is cursed with the looks of a beast.
Since I am a huge fan of the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast, I instantly fell in love with this book. It's interesting to see how Flinn puts it together in a modern point of view. Movie: the huge library,the enchanted servants, and the ballroom dance. It's all in there in unexpected ways.
It's great because it helps people see the truth in every person, and not just looks

Reader reviewed by Lena

Beastly is a modern adaptation of the tale Beauty and the Beast. It's told through the "Beast" aka Kyle Kingston's point of view. The setting? Where else? New York City, baby! Anyway...

Kyle Kingston has it all. Popularity, looks, money, the works. He doesn't care who he hurts. In fact, he takes pleasure in it. Then he meets Kendra, the goth girl. He decides to play a cruel joke on her. Of course, what goes around usually comes around. Kendra is actually a witch and casts a spell on Kyle. She turns him into this hideous beast. The only way to turn him back is for him to find someone to love him and love her in return. Sound familiar? I hope so.

When I first started Beastly, all I could think about was what an jerk Kyle is.  He's arrogant, proud and takes pleasure in hurting others.  He's that person you see walking down the hall and want to trip. 

As the story continues, you meet the "Belle" in the story. I would say who she is, but I don't want to spoil it. Just like the fairy tale, she's very distant and very uncooperative. As they start getting to know each other, their friendship grows. Kyle starts to change. For the first time in his life, he cares for someone other than himself. Dare I say, Kyle has fallen in love with her? Oooh la la! The only thing is, can someone like her fall in love with the Beast?

The book is broken down into several different sections. You get the beginning, pieces of the middle and the conclusion with an epilogue. There are certain things I liked about the story. I like watching the relationships develope. Not just the relationship between the Beast and Belle, but also with the other people in Kyle's life. I like to think of those people as the "Mrs. Pots" and "Lumiere." I also liked how the witch played a more significant role in this retelling.

The negatives: There are things that bothered me. The main thing I didn't like is Kyle himself. Even when he changed, he still bothered me. And the internet conversations? I mean, really? Cute, but utterly reaked of cheese.

For the most part, I did enjoy the story. It's short, it's sweet, it's a fairy tale. I finished it in one sitting, and I'm sure you will too.

I tried to like this book. Even after hating the movie, I tried to give this book a chance. However, none of the characters, with the mild exception of Lindy, were even remotely good people. Kyle/Adrian just got worse as the book wore on. By 2/3 of the way through, I absolutely hated him and was repulsed that Will and Magda went along with his plans. I do not recommend this book to anyone unless you like characters that you will hate. On another note, the writing style was easy to read and the author's voice flowed nicely. I might like a different of the author's books.

Reader reviewed by Suzanne

This book is what they call a modern-day fairytale. A ninth-grade snob, who is treated like a king in his 8th grade class, thinks it's funny to make fun of what he considers "outcasts". Until he messes with the wrong one. After months of searching for a cure, his father gives up on him with embarassment, adn sends him to a private home in Brooklyn. He only has his maid and a blind tutor, who can't judge him by his looks. In order for the curse to expire, he has to fall in love, and so takes a girl from her rocky home life, and gives her shelter. At first they avoid each other, but after awhile, become good friends. After he's learned his lesson, he decides to let her go home, but on the way, she gets abducted. So "The Beast" must find her and convince her to fall in love with him. On his way to save her, she screams that she loves him, and he turns back into Kyle, the regular 8th grade boy. But he has changed inside, and they live happily ever after. I personally felt that the characters were to young for the story. It didn't fit together like is should've.