Beastly by Alex Flinn

Target Audience: Teens/Young Adults

Genre: Fairytale/Romance/Fantasy

A book from one of my favourite genre's again, re-telling of a fairy tale, in this case Beauty and the Beast.

For the most part the story doesn't change much. You have a mean shallow guy that gets turned into a monster and has to find love within a time limit or the curse will become permanent. The main difference is that it is told from the beast's point of view and it is set in modern America and the guy is a high school student rather than a selfish prince.

I have to admit i really hated Kyle (the guy who gets turned into a beast) at the beginning, he is a shallow (insert choice of insult here) who cares for very little except having the hot girlfriend, looking amazing and being popular.
Sick of his selfish ways, a witch curses him and his life changes forever. She does offer him a reprieve. On the night he was cursed, at a dance he gave the rose he had to a girl who really appreciated it, taking this kind act into consideration she says that if he can get someone to love him for who he is, the spell would be broken.

What happens next is similar to the original, in the way that the beast stays locked up and a teenage girl ends up staying with him after her father gives her to him. (Her father really is a jerk!) What transpires is a story of slow burning friendship that deepens to love, and i couldn't help but love the story as it unfolded.

Yes, we all know the ending to Beauty and the Beast but that does not make it any less magical or the characters any less believable, and the whole story still manages to have a modern twist about it.
Give it a read and see for yourself :-)