I’ve been reading like crazy this summer. I love reading. I love leaving my ordinary life and immersing all of my energy into a book that takes me to a world where everything is extraordinary and anything is possible. I just finished reading “Beastly” and I adored it. It has such a wonderful message that is unbelievably relevant to today. I wish fairytales like that happened in real life… life would be sweeter and magical if it were so. Also I think it would make the world a better place if what happened to Kyle happened to shallow, conceited, vain people out there who think because of their wealth and appearance they are better than everyone else. Inner beauty truly is what matters. For those of you who don’t know what this book is about I will give you a summary. I recommend it, especially to all you hopeless romantics out there like me! It’s a modern day retelling of Beauty and The Beast.
Kyle Kingsbury rides through life on his looks and his celebrity (what with his father being a big-time news anchor and all). He’s adored by all the girls in school, and gravitates toward the Barbie-doll, airhead types. Ugly people are beneath him. In fact, they don’t even exist.
Kyle decides to play a prank on an overweight, green-haired Goth girl named Kendra. She stood up to him in English class, and now it's his turn to exact revenge. He invites her to the school dance as his date in order to humiliate her, secretly inviting his bimbo girlfriend as his real date. But instead of crying or becoming embarrassed, she simply walks out, leaving Kyle uneasy.
When Kyle arrives home that evening, Kendra is waiting in his room. That’s when she reveals her true identity. She’s not a high school student at all—she’s a witch! And she’s seen the ugliness inside of Kyle. She casts a spell upon him, one that makes him equally as ugly on the outside. She turns him into a Beast! Kyle will only return to his human form if he finds someone he truly loves who loves him back within two years. And to break the spell, they must share a kiss.
Kyle knows it’s hopeless. Who could love a hideous Beast? Even his own father ships him away to a big house with his maid, Magda, and his blind tutor, Will, where he kind hide from the world. As time passes, Kyle expands his horizons, building his own greenhouse to grow roses, and reading many of the classics like The Phantom of the Opera, and Frankenstein. He even changes his name to Adrian, wanting to forget his past.
Kyle begins to lose hope until one day a junkie breaks into his backyard. Kyle catches him and makes the man promise to bring his daughter to Kyle’s house in exchange for not going to the police. Kyle watches the man’s daughter through a magical mirror given to him by the witch. He recognizes the girl, Lindy, from school. He desperately wants to make Lindy feel comfortable, not like a prisoner, even though that’s exactly what she is. But what if she can’t handle the sight of him? Will she ever learn to trust a Beast? Could she ever love him?
I really want to see this movie! It stars Alex Pettyfer as Kyle, Vanessa Hudgens as Lindy, Neil Patrick Harris as Will and Mary-Kate Olsen as Kendra.
Beastly Quotes
“Surface beauty: blond hair, blue eyes—is always easy to recognize. But if someone is braver, stronger, smarter, that’s harder to see.”
-Kendra Hilferty
“You’d better hope you never get ugly. You are ugly now, on the inside, where it matters most, and if you ever lost your good looks, I bet you wouldn’t be smart or strong enough to get them back. You are beastly.”
-Kendra
“You can’t help what you’re born with.”
-Kyle Kingsbury
“That was the great thing about most people. If they could get what they wanted from you, they’d give you what you wanted back.”
-Kyle
“Love is never ugly.”
“A beautiful thing is precious, no matter the price. Those who do not know how to see the precious things in life will never be happy.”
-Magda
“I am not frightened of you, I am frightened for you.”
-Magda
“A rose can change your life.”
-Will
“Sometimes, unexpected things can happen.”
-Kendra
“You shouldn’t miss people who don’t miss you, right?”
-Will
“Just because something is beautiful doesn’t mean it’s good.”
-Will
“I’m a girl. Every girl pretends she’s a princess at one point, no matter how little her life is like that. And I like the idea of ‘happily ever after’.”
-Lindy Owens
“If two people are meant to be together, they will be, even if something separates them. There’s a magic to it.”
-Lindy
“People make such a big deal about looks, but after a while, when you know someone, you don’t even notice anymore.”
-Lindy
“Sometimes we surprise ourselves.”
-Will
“That’s what true love should be like—the person should be part of your soul and you should know what they’re feeling all the time.”
-Kyle
“Maybe we judge people too much by their looks because it’s easier than seeing what’s really important.”
-Kyle
“It was wondrous when life gave you a second chance.”
-Kyle
“It hurts too much so I don’t want to talk about it.”
-Kyle
“Somehow, when I’m around you, I don’t feel ugly at all.”
-Kyle
“It’s not about how others look at you. It’s about how you look at yourself.”
