Beastly is about a mean guy named Kyle who is cursed to become a beast by a well-meaning witch and how he breaks the curse through love. As a mean joke, Kyle Kingsbury, the most popular student in his high school, asks an unpopular girl named Kendra as his date to a dance, but then turns up at the dance with another date. Kendra, who is a witch in disguise, puts a curse on Kyle that turns him into a beast. Because of an inadvertent act of kindness that Kyle did before the curse took effect, Kendra tells him the secret to breaking the curse - he has to make a girl fall in love with his beastly self and kiss him as proof of her love. Kyle's superficial father keeps Kyle hidden in a mansion with a maid named Magda and a blind tutor named Will. When a drug addicted robber visits his mansion one night, he makes a deal with him that he will let him go if he brings his daughter to him. Kyle finds that the robber's daughter is Linda, the receiver of his act of kindness. Linda, who dislikes Kyle initially because he kidnapped her, soon starts to warm up to him. When Linda's father falls ill, Kyle lets her go home saying that she could return to his mansion again, this time as a friend. Two weeks later, when Linda doesn't return, Kyle sees through his magic mirror that she is being attacked by a man. Kyle rushes to save her, getting shot in the process. As he lays dying, he asks for a kiss from Linda which she gladly gives. Kyle's spell is broken and he and Linda live happily in his mansion.
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Best part of story, including ending:
I liked the way the author has turned the classic tale of Beauty & the Beast into a contemporary story.
Best scene in story:
My favorite scene is when Kyle gets cursed by the witch Kendra. His emotions as he goes through the process is realistic and well-written.
Opinion about the main character:
Although Kyle starts off as a despicable character, the curse makes him see himself through others' eyes and he starts to grow as a person. His growth is slow, but believable and that is what I like about Kyle.
