I finished Beastly.  I don't know what happened.  One minute I was just starting it and the next I was finishing it.  I enjoyed it that much.  I loved the similarities between this story and all the rest.  Sometimes a story is so good that when a retelling is done, you hope they don't ruin an already good tale.  Flinn didn't ruin it, she added to it and made it even more delightful.

I loved the symbolism of the rose: a delicate, beautiful flower you have to nurture and grow.  It was always one of my favorite aspects of the Beauty and the Beast tale.  Flinn incorporates the magic mirror, the only portal the Beast has to the outside world.

The one thing a truly liked was that the witch wasn't just some magical hag who wanted to teach our beast a lesson.  She was someone who generally cared for him and wanted him to have more in life than just the material and superficial.  I thought it gave the story a softer feel to it.  It starts with love and ends with love.

So, I started Beastly.  I'm actually writing about it before finishing it.  I told you I would try. 

I just finished the first part, where he gets turned into the beast.  So far I like it.  My favorite part thus far is the online support group: The Unexpected Changes Chat Group.  Not only is our beastly there, but also the Frog Prince and the Little Mermaid.  I just like how Flinn is incorporating some of the other fairy tales that deal with a witch and a transformation whether unexpected or voluntary (in the case of the little mermaid. She trying to decide whether to become human or not and is looking for advice).

I also like that Flinn sticks with the original witch background.  A woman hidden behind "ugliness" who targets the beast, gets him to perform a cruel act on her and in the midst of revealing her true beauty, puts him under the spell.  I was afraid he would make it a normal high school girl who just wants revenge.  I like this better.

I've always been a fan of authors who take a current tale and spin it.  Hence, The Looking Glass Wars back in June.  I just can't lay off them.

So the general consensus of The Arizona Kid "it was okay."  Most of us was expecting more with the book and felt there was potential there.  One girl did come out and say she didn't like it, but the majority of us didn't think is was good or bad, we just felt okay.

Our next book is Beastly by Alex Flinn, a twist on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale.  It's also a movie that's coming out next year.  So stay tuned for my progress.  I will also review the movie when it comes out.  You get two for one with this book.  Aren't you excited?