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Cover of Beastly

Beastly

Alex Flinn

384 pages

A modern, angsty spin on a classic fairy tale that trades castle walls for a New York City brownstone and explores the painful, beautiful process of learning to look past the surface.

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What it feels like

Reading this book feels like stepping into a moody, modern fairy tale where the magic is hidden just beneath the gritty surface of New York City. The narrative moves at a brisk, engaging clip, driven by a highly conversational and initially abrasive voice that slowly reveals deep wells of vulnerability. It is an experience steeped in isolation and urban melancholy, capturing the claustrophobia of being trapped in one's own mistakes. As the layers of arrogance are stripped away, the atmosphere softens into something genuinely romantic and tender. It delights readers who love a dramatic redemption arc and the satisfying, slow-burn emotional payoff of a classic story reimagined for a contemporary world, proving that true transformation is always an inside job.

Mood
  • urban gothic
  • isolated
  • romantic
  • melancholic
Tone
  • sarcastic
  • angsty
  • conversational
  • earnest
Pace
brisk
Themes
inner versus outer beauty · redemption and growth · isolation and loneliness · transformative love · hubris and humility
The writing
The narrative is delivered in a conversational, diary-like voice that feels distinctly teenage, blending sharp sarcasm with raw, emerging sincerity.
The arc
The protagonist shifts from arrogant entitlement to profound, isolated despair, eventually thawing into genuine vulnerability and selfless love.
Who it's for
Readers who crave modern, angsty fairy tale retellings with a strong focus on character redemption and slow-burn romance.
Content notes
  • bullying
  • parental neglect
  • confinement
  • body dysmorphia

About the book

A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright — a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. 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.

Description from Open Library.

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