Title: Bewitching
Author: Alex Flinn (Blog. Facebook.)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publish Date: February 14, 2012
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 336
Source: Publisher:

Kendra Hilferty, the witch who curses Kyle Kingsbury in Beastly, tells about her immortal existence-how she discovered she was a witch and the various ways she has used her powers to help people throughout the centuries. (Unfortunately her attempts have often backfired.)

As it turns out, Kendra has actually had a hand in "Hansel and Gretel," "The Princess and the Pea," and "The Little Mermaid"-but these are not the fairy tales you think you know! Kendra's reminiscences are wrapped around a real-time version of "Cinderella," except the "ugly" stepsister is the good guy.

Kendra Hilferty has always been a bit of an enigma. While there are well-known witches doing dastardly deeds and witches known to have been transformed due to their evil ways, there's never been another witch quite like Kendra. She's been around for century upon century, popping up at the most opportune, or inopportune (depending on which end of the story you lie), moments. Beneath layers of magic and mystery, there is a heart that beats with honesty and truth within Kendra, and for the first time, we're about to meet the witch behind that Beastly spell. 

I became a sucker for Alex Flinn's writing style by chance, randomly picking up Beastly while on a book-buying binge nearly two years ago. Now, here's an example of a fully versatile author that can write the most breathtaking, poetic prose for one book, then turn around and write an entirely different way, though still completely captivating. Bewitching is vibrant and alive with excitement, whirling with magic and mystery from start to finish. With a layered plot, an insider's look into the heart and soul of Kendra Hilferty and a birds-eye view of some of the most classic of fairy tales, Bewitching hits a home-run. 

If you've read Beastly, you'll remember the character Kendra who, while shrouded in mystery, drove the actual storyline. I wanted to know more about the witch then, and I'm so glad to say that Bewitching addresses pretty much everything I wanted to know. Kendra is a fantastic character! While morose and a bit solemn in her prior character, she comes alive within the pages of Bewitching, and I have to say that her story, or backstory as it were, is utterly enchanting. She's flawed, and it's an incredible discovery and transformation that we can follow throughout the entire story because, though Kendra isn't human, Bewitching very much features a singing undercurrent of the nature of humanity. The world of Bewitching, too, is leaps from the pages with each and every fairy tale we encounter. The plot is action-packed, the tension is brittle and real and the emotions run high, but Bewitching's beauty lies within the fact that you can lose yourself in a world that's exciting, safe and entrancing, much like the childhood stories we love so much. The only real issue I had with Bewitching was the fact that some of the subplots leaped a bit too fast, and the transition jarred a bit, though it smoothed back into a steady past after a few pages. 

Overall, I adored Bewitching, and the story of Kendra is one that I truly hopes will continue because it was such a pleasure to explore where she came from. I give it a 4.5 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to all fans of YA, especially those who enjoy paranormal, fairy tale retellings and stories from Alex Flinn. 

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

TGIF is a new(ish) feature at one of my absolute favourite blogs, GReads!, hosted by the lovely Ginger. It's a way to celebrate the impending weekend, and answer fun questions. Most of all though, you get to know a wee bit more about all those awesome bloggers you meet. So, what are you waiting for? Do your own post and head on over to link up!

Which characters from a book do you love to hate?

First off, I must say that there really are FAR too many for me to name, so I'm going to have to go with my top five here. That said, I must also note that, yes, I'm aware that my list is dominated by Harry Potter characters. Sue me.

Ok...confession: I have more love for Severus Snape than hate. I love to hate him as much as I hate to love him. C'est la vie, mes cheries :)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Jerks in Literature (all those jerky guys in books...those who truly WERE asshats and those who just acted like one but could actually be quite lovable):

1. Patch from Hush, Hush - Ok, seriously? I love me some bad guys, but this guy honestly takes the cake. I alternated between absolutely loathing him and slightly adoring him. Frankly, I can't figure him out.

2. Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter - Son of a douche. No, really, he is. He's a nasty little slimeball that I have both an aversion and a love of. Honestly, without him, I think HP might be a little lacking though, so I have to love his nastiness.

3. Jace from The Mortal Instruments - He's got a bit of a tricky exterior, but once you get past that, he's a marshmallow with a heart of gold. LOVE him...plus, I'm pretty sure this guy is epic eye candy. I'm jussayin'.

4. Adrian from Vampire Academy - He acts like a skeeze, and he quite often IS a skeeze, but when push comes to shove, he's got his heart in the right place. I'll also admit that my aversion to his character might just be because of my love of Dimitri though.

5. Voldemort from Harry Potter - Frankly, he should probably be the number one asshat on any list, but I figure I'll just list my 10 in an old order. If you want the embodiment of evil and right d-bag in the flesh, it's him. Honestly, there isn't a good bone in his creepy snakelike body anyway.

6. Varen from Nevermore - I wasn't sure I even liked the guy a tiny bit at the start of the book, but he grew on me. His perpetual honesty and reluctance to partake in anything really mundane made him more appealing, plus it made his interaction with Isobel more believable.

7. Kyle Kingsbury from Beastly - Remember those guys in high school who thought they were the sh*t and that the sun rose and set for them? That's Kyle in a nutshell, or at least, it was. I hated him for half the story, but through his transformation (both physical and mental), I got to see who he really was, and I loved it.

8. Luke from Percy Jackson - I loved him, then I hated him, then I pitied him, then I hated him, and then I just felt hollow. Honestly, I still don't know where I stand with Luke, but he's not a very nice guy, so I guess he's just a jerk.

9. President Snow from The Hunger Games - Well, how else do you feel about an evil sadomasochistic dictator hellbent on destroying the youth of the world's population for sport? He's as bad as Voldemort, and that's saying something.

10. Irial from Ink Exchange - Dark fae with creepy minds and hidden agendas...'nuff said.

I am a beast. 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 a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly.
Taken from GoodReads.

Beastly follows the story of Kyle Kingsbury, the popular, good-looking, conceited, arrogant jerk who has always been taught that those with good lucks and class (in the monetary sense of the word) can, and will, always get what they want. So, with the school dance fast-approaching, Kyle is a shoe-in to win Prince, and his queen is none other than the popular and beautiful Sloane Hagen. In an attempt to be both funny and get payback for being called out by Kendra Hilferty, he invites her to the dance but stands her up, unleashing her wrath, a curse, and the possibility that Kyle might just have to find his beauty beneath the surface.

I'll be honest. I've never been a fan of those classic Disney fairy tales. I read Beastly because I want to see the movie, and I always read the books first (because they're better). I was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed this book, despite the fact that Kyle starts off as a hideously cruel jackass snob. Alex Flinn did a great job transforming the classic Beauty and the Beast tale into one that fits our modern times. She cleverly uses internet chats to interweave fairy tales and bring the characters, mainly Kyle - the Beast, to life.

Beastly started off well, getting into the action and creating strong emotions (in my case - disgust) towards Kyle. Once the curse is set and Beastly is set in motion though, I found the story lagged a bit until Lindy was brought into play. I understood he was trapped and a transformation was taking place, but I felt it was a bit drawn out. Nevertheless, the writing remained fluid, clear, and easy-to-read throughout.

I give Beastly a 4 out of 5 only because it started to creep along halfway through. I would recommend this to fans of the classic tale, those who love YA, and anyone looking for a good, sweet romance. Oh, and as a quick closing note...the Beast in the upcoming film, Beastly, looks nothing like he does in the book. I'm pissed. And now I'm over it.