Beastly: Alex Flinn {Review}

Beastly

by Alex Flinn

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published October 1st 2007 by HarperTeen

I am a beast. A beast! Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright. 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

First Line(s): I could feel everyone looking at me, but I was used to it. One thing my dad taught me early and often was to act like nothing moved me.

Favorite Quote: "those who do not know how to see the precious things in life will never be happy."

My Review: I adored this book! Beastly was an amazing book! The was Alex Flinn retold ythe story of Beauty and the Beast was captivating. I was interested throughout the whole story. Kyle was a total jerk at first ( I found myself thinking dude got what he had coming to him). These feelings made it all the more emotional when his heart started to change and you started seeing him for the person he really was inside. This retelling was close enough to the one we all know from our childhood but Alex Flinn added some much needed twists to give this story a new life! Kudos!

My Rating: 4 stars

Here is a clip to the movie that was made off this book. I have not seen it but just from previews alone you can see they changed it up a bit.

Until next time...

Happy Reading!

Sleeping Beauty Vampire Slayer: Maureen McGowan

Sleeping Beauty Vampire Slayer

by Maureen McGowan

Book Details:

Author: Maureen McGowan

Pages: Paperback, 320

Publish Date: April 1st 2011

Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books

Long ago in a faraway kingdom where humans co-exist with vampires, werewolves and fairies, a beautiful baby princess named Lucette is born. The king and queen host a celebration, but exclude the vampires because of tensions brewing between their previously peaceful kingdoms. Angry at the slight, the Vampire Queen crashes the party and puts a curse on the baby: when Lucette reaches adulthood, she will cut herself, and the instant her blood falls upon the ground, she will never wake again while the sun is in the sky. When night falls, she will awaken while everyone else in the kingdom will fall asleep, leaving Lucette alone in the darkness.

The royal wizard can’t reverse the spell, but alters it so that the curse can be lifted if Lucette proves she has found true love. But falling in love seems impossible if all the eligible bachelors are sleeping. Furious at the curse tampering, the Vampire Queen breaks the peace treaty that forbids vampires from attacking the people of Lucette’s kingdom. An army of vampire slayers is created to defend the kingdom from the nightly rampaging bloodsuckers.

Lucette secretly trains with the army, knowing that if her parents’ attempts to protect her fail and the curse comes true, one day—well, technically one night—she’ll be the only one in her kingdom awake to fight back.

And here’s the twist – you’re in control. At three points during the story, you get to decide what Lucette would do next. Depending on your choice, you flip to that relevant tab for the continuation of the story. Based on your choices, Lucette’s adventures unfold. And the extra fun part? After reaching one outcome, the reader can re-read the book, choose different options, and read an entirely different story!

First Line(s): Sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows lining the western-facing of the palace's reception room.

My Review:
Do you all remember those books where there were different options you could choose from, several paths throughout the novel and alternative endings? I loved these books when I was younger, so I was happily when I discovered this novel fits into that category! There are three or four times throughout the novel where you get to pick the path of the heroine. The only bad thing about this is that, no matter which path you pick, the ending still remains the same. That was a real bummer for me.

The main character, Lucette, is well-written. She has depth, a multi-layered personality and boy is she witty. I would have liked to know more about Alex and Tristan, the two possible love interests of Lucette. The King and Queen were much better developed, with interesting personalities.

Over all I loved the story! This novel is not the best piece of fiction ever written, but it is a fun and is a fast read for sure!

My Rating: 4 stars

I would like to thank Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book. I was given this book to read in exchange for a honest review.

Until next time...

Happy Reading!

Idea's for Once Upon a Time Reading Challenge

A few people have asked for some idea's for this challenge. I decided to make a list of books I have read as well as books other's have read from last year.

here is a quick list....

1. Levine, Gail Carson The Fairy's Mistake

2. Pattrson, James Witch and Wizard

3. White, E. B. Stuart Little

4. White, E. B. Charlotte's Web

5. Carroll, Lewis Alice Through the Looking Glass

6. Dunn, Joeming Peter Pan graphics novel

7. Barrie, J. M. Peter Pan

8. Burgess, Thornton W. Old Mother West Wind

9. Levine, Gail Carson Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand

10. Somtow, S. P. The Vampires' Beautiful Daughter

11. White, E. B. The Trumpet of the Swan

12. Yep, Laurence The Ghost Fox

13. Rice, Anne The Claiming of Sleeping beauty ( this is actually a 3 part series)

14. Kehret, Peg Spy Cat

17. Levine, Gail carson the faries and the Qeust for Ever Land
18. An Offer From A Gentleman- Julia Quinn
19. Cindy Ella- Robin Palmer
20. Geek Charming- Robin Palmer
21. Awakened by a Kiss- Lila DiPasqua ( she has a new one out, Princess in His Bed)
22. Highlander Untamed- Monica McCarty

Also if you search on amazon they have huge lists...

Amazon.com: Products tagged with fairy tale retellings

Amazon.com: Modern Fairy Tale Retellings

The Best Fairytales and Retellings ( this one is from Goodreads)

These are just some idea's, I am sure there are thousands upon thousands of books to choose from.

I look forward to seeing what books make your list!

Until next time...

Happy Reading!

Once Upon a Time {2011} Post Your Reviews!

This is NOT the sign up page.

If you'd like to sign up for this challenge, click here.

If your looking for book idea's, click here.

Although it isn't required, some bloggers like to link their reviews when participating in a reading challenge.

This post will be how I pick the winner of my prize for this challenge.

Use the Mr. Linky Widget to link your review page or use the comment section.

Posting reviews for this challenge is optional.

Until next time...

Happy Reading!

2011 Once Upon a Time Challenge

I have gotten a few emails in the last week(s) asking me if I am bringing back the "Once Upon a Time" reading challenge. I hadn't given it much thought because to be honest I kind of felt like I did it wrong last year. I read all the books to "finish" the challenge but I didn't hype it up to what it truly could have been.

I plan to fix that in 2011! So here we have it folks......

This challenge is quite simple..... read the fairy tales you grew up reading but from another view than Disney's version. There are so many great fairy tale books out there, that might take the same story we know but with an added twist.

These books can be Young Adult, Romance, Erotic, e-books, audio books.... your only limited by your own imagination.

Levels:

* 1-3 books: Born into Royalty

*4-6 books: Princess in Training

*7-9 books: Awaiting Prince Charming

* 10+ books: Queen Bee

The time frame for this challenge will be January 1, 2011- December 31, 2011. Plenty of time. Please do not start this challenge before the time, and don't use books you have already read. Cross overs are okay!

Please take the above picture and make a post on your blog announcing that you are taking part in this blog and linking it back to this post. This way we can get the word out about this challenge. All active members ( those who finished any level) of this challenge will be entered into a giveaway ( will announce prize at later time) at the end of the year.

If you are looking for book idea's, click here!

My List:

1. 
   
   Sleeping Beauty Vampire Slayer: Maureen McGowan


2. 
   
   Beastly: Alex Flinn

Have fun!

Until next time...

Happy Reading!