Voice of Youth Advocates

The author of Breathing Underwater (HarperCollins, 2001/VOYA June 2001) and Diva (2006/VOYA October 2006), breaks new ground with her first foray into fantasy fiction. It is a tale told and retold many times, but Flinn's rendition of the classic Beauty and the Beast is creative enough to make it an engaging read. Flinn enjoys playing with unexpected narrators in her novels; Breathing Underwater is narrated by an abusive boyfriend, whereas Diva's narrator is his victim. This tale is told by the Beast himself. Kyle Kingsbury, a handsome, selfish young man, judges everyone based on looks. When he intentionally humiliates a strange young woman at the Homecoming Dance, she curses him by taking away his looks and turning him into a frightening manifestation of his beastly inner self. Unable to leave his own house and dismissed by his narcissistic father, Kyle must find a way to live as a Beast until he can break the spell. One kind act has bought him two years to find a girl to love him despite his looks and to learn to love her back. If he cannot, he will remain a Beast forever. The story's Beauty comes into Kyle's life through somewhat contrived circumstances, but she and Kyle are appealing characters who show some genuine growth during the story. Kyle's metamorphosis from arrogant bully to kindhearted gardener could be more unbelievable than his change from boy to beast, but Flinn pulls off both in this engrossing tale that will have appeal for fans of fantasy and realistic fiction.-Anita Beaman.

Kirkus Reviews

Cavalier and cruel, Kyle Kingsbury rules as prince of an upper-crust school until he angers the wrong Goth girl, who casts a spell that makes him look as ugly as his inner self. When claws, fur and fangs appear, Kyle is confined to a Brooklyn brownstone, where he grows roses, paws through The Hunchback of Notre Dame and IMs other transformed kids. Flinn's contemporary adaptation of Beauty and the Beast pulls fairy tales and classics like Phantom of the Opera into the context of modern teen life. Kyle's hilarious chat-room sessions most effectively exploit clever convergences of old and new. Chris Anderson moderates (sans Hans), while BeastNYC (Kyle), Froggie (a webbed prince) and SilentMaid (a little mermaid) offer support using the virtual vernacular. Teens will LOL. They will also find their preoccupations with looks, status and pride explored thoroughly. When Lindy, Kyle's Beauty, moves in, much of the interesting adaptive play recedes, but teens will still race to see if the beast gets his kiss, lifts the curse and lives happily ever after. (Fiction. YA)

ALA Booklist (Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2008)

In this unusual foray into fantasy by an author best known for gritty realism, a wealthy, narcissistic ninth-grader, Kyle, plans a mean trick right out of Stephen King's Carrie; less than 24 hours later, he has been transformed by his victim (an undercover witch) into a hairy beast and given two years to break the spell. The remainder of Flinn's Beauty and the Beast retelling chronicles Kyle's redemption from his own, rapidly evolving point of view, culminating in his sensitively forged relationship with houseguest-hostage Lindy, whose presence in the beast's Brooklyn mansion is explained in a manner befitting the contemporary setting. Flinn's storytelling is least convincing whenever the reality beyond the mansion intrudes, with comic chat-room interludes seeming especially jarring. Some readers may also question why a public outburst of violence committed by Kyle has no consequences. But through her character's psychological transformation, Flinn finds ways to address some larger, painful truths about male adolescence, making this a rare fairy-tale-inspired novel with equally strong appeal for boys and girls.

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-Flinn is known for her gritty novels that openly address serious issues such as peer pressure and domestic abuse. This spin-off of "Beauty and the Beast" is no exception. Kyle Kingsbury is good looking, rich, a ladies man, and one of the most popular students at Tuttle High School. He's the type who everyone wants to be or be around. However, while he might be beautiful on the outside, he is selfish, arrogant, and cruel on the inside. Kendra, an unattractive and unpopular girl who Kyle never noticed before, refers to his behavior as "beastly." To get even with her for that remark, he publicly humiliates her at the school dance, sealing his fate. Later that night, Kendra reveals to Kyle that she is a witch, and that she is going to teach him the most important lesson of his life. The author explores important values through the depiction of Kyle and the people who are there for him (and those who are not) after his transformation. The story is well written and grips readers right from the beginning with an online chat session with Kyle/Beast and other fairy-tale characters. And, since it's told from the Beast's point of view, it will appeal to boys who otherwise might not pick it up. Beastly has romance, true love, tragic circumstances, magic, action adventure, and hope. It's a must-read for all fairy-tale fans, and has a knockout cover to boot.-Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Flinn (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Diva) delivers a lighthearted and contemporary twist on Beauty and the Beast, and while there is nothing shocking nor any striking departure from the original, her retelling is eminently satisfying. Kyle Kingsbury is a gorgeous high school freshman, spoiled rotten by his famous anchorman father, a man who’d rather dole out cash than affection. Kyle attends the exclusive Tuttle School in New York City and torments those poor unfortunates who lack his looks and wealth. When he humiliates a girl at school, she transforms him into a horrific-looking creature. Kyle’s only hope for breaking the spell lies in finding true love—as he reports online in meetings of the Unexpected Changes chat group (other members include Froggie and the mermaid Silent Maid). Flinn follows the fairy tale’s original plot points closely, but falters in her depiction of the story’s bad guys, over-the-top caricatures that simply ring false in her up-to-date setting. Kyle’s father, for example, spends literally three minutes with him each day, the time it takes him to heat his dinner in the microwave. Even so, the happily-ever-after ending is rewarding, if not surprising. Ages 14-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Oct.)