The Beast and the Bethany

I read this book under two hours because once I started I just could not put it down. I will try not to spoil this book because as with lots of Children's books, the plot isn't wide and the story is really focused on the outcome. Ebenezer is 511 years old but he looks nothing like his age because of a potion that he gets from a monster he keeps in his attic. He has basically been living a solitary life of enjoyment, he has all the money he can ever spend and if he does spend it all, the monster can just vomit some more for him. But it appears that the monster is now greedy for something and he would not be giving Ebenezer the potion that keeps him young unless he gets him what he wants. He wants a tasty plump child. The HORROR!

At this point in the book you begin to see Ebenezer's idea of morality, I mean its one thing for him to fed the monster one of the rarest birds in the world and it is another to feed it a child (I want to believe that anyone would put the child before the bird, but I cannot speak for animal rights. Don't come for me, I Eat Meat!). But Ebenezer begins to question is standing, its just one child, right? So when he finally finds the worst child he thinks he can get he decides she is perfect for the beast to feast on.

Bethany is a honestly a spoilt brat, however she did not deserve to be eaten by the beast. Getting to know Bethany better, Ebenezer finds out that she is also a creature of circumstance. A friendship buds between them and he has to chose between death and giving his friend to the beast.

Fun and totally grossed out with this absolutely terrific children’s book that has heart and warmth!
It’s being made into a big budget Hollywood Movie with Warner Brothers already and I can see how it can lend itself terrifically well to the big screen.

I’ve been one of the lucky people to get my hands on a copy of the book to review and it gives me great pleasure to share with you.

The Beast And The Bethany is one of the biggest middle-grade children’s books to be published this year, with a film going to be made of it, this is the perfect chance to get your hands on the book first. Excited? It’s worth getting excited about.

Review
Ebenezer Tweezer is an age you can only ever imagine. He has 1 week to go until his 512th birthday. Has he the wrinkles of an old man? No, not him. He looks around 20 years old… I figure a lot of adults now reading this are wondering what his beauty secrets are and a lot of children having fun and in awe of his age. He lives in the most amazing house with a rare parrot. He then goes to an orphanage where he meets Bethany, who has some pretty gross habits. Children who like Roald Dahl, will really enjoy this book. Still, Ebenezer wants to adopt her from Miss Fizzlewick. She’s a handful and what she can’t do with superglue and chilli powder isn’t worth knowing!
I think many children will find some pretty grossed-out humour in this book. Bethany is pretty obnoxious. Then… There’s The Beast to contend with. Ebenezer has gone to great lengths to get the beast what it wants, including the Titanic. Now a child, who unfortunately may not be to its taste after-all and what can be done to remedy it. Readers will have to find out why not in the book…

Ultimately, Ebeneezer needs to change Bethany, so she becomes less of an obnoxious brat. The beast has also promised a very special potion to Ebenezer in return.

There are some parts that children may find thought-provoking and could be good for discussion, such as what it may feel like getting older and also transformation in behaviours, including that of the beast. The book has a heart and soul to it with a certain, unexpected warmth.

Ultimately this book will have children wrinkling their noses and perhaps being vocally disgusted at where things like the worms are, laughing so much at the humour and wanting to run from the beast. I reckon this is an absolutely terrific book for reading for pleasure at home and in the classroom. It’ll certainly be a book that lots of fun can be had from anyone who reads it.

It happens very rarely, if ever, that you just hear one praise after the other from the members of your book reviewing community.

It happened with me for the very book that I am going to be reviewing here: (though not given to the use of adjectives much, I break the rules and.....) the hilarious, the fabulous, the must-read, the heart warming, the amazing.....DRUM ROLL.... THE BEAST AND THE BETHANY.

The book targeted for middle grade readers has been written by Jack Meggitt-Phillip and illustrated by Isabelle Follath. What a team have they made to bring us this delightful book!

I read it with both my kids-the12 year-old and the 5 year-old and we had some hilarious times. Let me start by giving you the blurb from Goodreads.

511 years. How, you may wonder? Ebenezer simply has to feed the beast in the attic of his mansion. In return for meals of performing monkeys, statues of Winston Churchill, and the occasional cactus, Ebenezer gets potions that keep him young and beautiful, as well as other presents. But the beast grows ever greedier with each meal, and one day he announces that he’d like to eat a nice, juicy child next. Ebenezer has never done anything quite this terrible to hold onto his wonderful life. Still, he finds the absolutely snottiest, naughtiest, and most frankly unpleasant child he can and prepares to feed her to the beast. The child, Bethany, may just be more than Ebenezer bargained for. She’s certainly a really rather rude houseguest, but Ebenezer still finds himself wishing she didn’t have to be gobbled up after all. Could it be Bethany is less meal-worthy and more…friend-worthy?

Now that you have seen/ read it for yourself, can you resist this modern day retelling of a favourite fairy tale? (I couldn't have and so hopped on to the blog tour organised by the very amazing Dave of The Write Reads. *Rubs hands gleefully*)

My elder daughter identified with Bethany (and was moved by her
back story) while my younger one ( who is already showing a penchant for the good life) aspires to pick up a thing or two from Ebenzer. The characters were fun and really well rounded and we loved imagining the way each one of the three main characters would speak.

The book also makes an everlasting impression on the reader because it is not always fun and games. Ebenzer's and Bethany's stories will warm the cockles of your heart and might just get you to shed a few tears. The Beast itself is a very enticing creature.

With their own unique quirks, which all the characters in the book bring to the story, The Beast and The Bethany makes for an engaging read for one and all. I personally loved the progression of the story as well as the storytelling

When you open this book, you enter a world full of macabre humor, a grisly, magical beast, and a spunky young girl who will win your heart.

What I Loved

I loved the story within the story of a young girl and an unusually older man who filled a need each had for friendship and love. Both characters changed as a result, and the effects are nothing short of magical. This story is very heartwarming at its core, and the characters are endearingly flawed to a point where any other ending to this story would not work.

I loved the illustrations found throughout the tale. They fit the story's tone perfectly, reflecting the humor and wit of the words surrounding them. I don't often get the opportunity to enjoy illustrations, much less talk about them, so that makes these all the more special.

I love the characters, especially Bethany, whose snarky wit accomplishes something that Ebenezer has been unable to do in over 500 years. As a parent, I just wanted to hug her and give her the love that a cruel twist of fate stole from her at a tender young age. Kids will laugh at her antics and delight in her bad choices as well as her smart ones.

The Beast is a magical blob of goo that will horrify and disgust readers and happily route for its demise. I can hear the screams of "Eew!" from kids paying rapt attention as the story unfolds. Don't let the gooey essence distract you from seeing the wily cunningness at the heart of this Beast lest you be his next victim.

To Read or Not to Read

I can easily see this book being a new favorite for kids and adults, though make sure the child is old enough not to be terrified of the Beast.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The Beast and the Bethany was definitely be an entertaining read, full of funny and silly moments. The book consists of a small cast of characters that I thought were great. Now how could you not like a 511 year old man called Ebenezer Tweezer, an orphan called Bethany and a beast that can give you anything you want. Well to find out more you’ll just have to read the book yourself to find out!!!

Oh, and you’ll definitely love the illustrations. My proof copy didn’t have all the illustrations but the ones that were included looked great and I can’t wait to see the finished copy.

I loved reading this book and I’m now reading it for the second time with my 5 year old nephew who is loving it so far. We won’t be getting through it quite as fast as I did the first time but that doesn’t matter, as I get to enjoy it for the second time at a slower pace.

Can’t wait to see what the next book has in store for us. Definitely a middle grade book that can be enjoyed by all ages. 100% recommend this book!!!

This review is part of #TheBeastandtheBethany #UltimateBlogTour hosted by TheWritereads, and I am so glad to be sharing my thoughts on this amazing book with you guys!
Thanks a ton, Dave from @TheWriteReads and the author- Jack Meggitt-Phillips, for giving me this opportunity of reviewing this amazing book! Thank You Netgalley for providing me a digital version of this book.

The Beast and the Bethany is a middle grade fantasy novel which, besides from being an extremely humorous yet a bit dark tale, is equally an emotionally influential journey of a man and a child.

Ebenezer Tweezer is a 511 year old man! Yes, you heard that right! 511! And what’s the secret behind such a long life? Well, he keeps a beast hidden in the attic of his 15 storeys tall house. This beast demands food of various nature from Ebenezer and in return the beast spurts out anything that Ebenezer wishes to have including an elixir which keeps Ebenezer young and charming.

We first meet Ebenezer and Bethany (briefly) at a local bird shop where Ebenezer buys a very rare and exotic Purple Parrot. Sadly, the parrot becomes a meal for the beast and this is where things starts getting a bit dark.

At the beginning, we follow a guileless and jolly plot, where we encounter the beast for the first time. The beast appears to be quite funny and gregarious (except the fact that it has a wobbly body, three eyes and two tongues, which makes it look gross) and the friendly Purple Parrot. However, things take a turn when a seemingly casual and chummy conversation between the beast and the Parrot suddenly snaps and the beast just gobbles up the parrot! That was something completely unexpected and sad!

Ebenezer is a kind of a man who seems to lack even the slightest bit of geniality, warmth or decency. He has no family, no struggle, no passion. Everything about the man is pretentious. His house and all his wealthy possessions, these are not things which he has passionately desired from the inner core of his heart. These are things which he has desired to possess only to prove himself to be superior, rich and unique compared to others. However, there is only one thing which matters to Ebenezer and that is the potion which keeps him young and beautiful. There is nothing in this world that he won’t do to have that potion. Fortunately enough for him though the only thing which he has to do to get that potion is to feed the beast whatever he desires. This time however the beast wishes to eat something different and something which might seem quite shocking- a child! Yes, the beast wants to feed on a fleshy and sweet human child this time! And that is when, for the first time we see Ebenezer getting a bit uncomfortable and reluctant, however not enough to stop him from his desire of having the potion at any cost.

And now Bethany enters! Bethany is like the most naughty and incorrigible child that I have come across in a book. She lives at an orphanage and constantly pulls out vile and dirty pranks on the other children at the orphanage. The head of the orphanage just wants to get rid of the girl however no one wants to adopt such an unruly child. Well, wouldn’t say “no one” because there IS one person who is exactly looking to adopt someone like Bethany and that’s Ebenezer. Yes, Ebenezer is looking for a child to adopt who is as notorious as can be possibly imagined!

Ebenezer and Bethany are such unlikable characters! One is downright selfish and the other one is an ill-mannered, impudent little girl. However, they do not remain that way throughout the story and THAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS BOOK! From the moment Ebenezer meets Bethany, Bethany acts in a churlish way as is her nature. Ebenezer doesn’t pay much heed at the beginning as his only goal is to take the child home and feed her to the beast. However, things are not that easy. Bethany is skinny and the beast wants some flesh and so it’s the beast’s order to feed the child to make her gain some weight. It is during this period of time that Ebenezer and Bethany get to know each other at a deeper level.

As we approach with the story, we see the gradual change in their behavior towards each other. The inner turmoils and the emotions of each character come to light and we learn that a person cannot be defined by any one definite adjective. Human beings are an amalgam of adjectives and emotions. Some are expressed or displayed right away but most are hidden within, which can only be unraveled over a longer period of time, under the influence of certain circumstances or by developing a relationship at a deeper level with that person. We see how these two incorrigible characters who at first seemed so detestable, have much more to their life and thoughts than what is portrayed at a glance. We witness how beautifully these two characters, through their flaws, desire to change their ways of living for the sake of each other’s happiness. Bethany being a miserable prankster by nature, chooses to minimize causing troubles to Ebenezer and Ebenzer being a selfish, heartless person chooses to be compassionate to Bethany. I really got to like Bethany and Ebenezer towards the end of the story, although I did find Bethany’s character to be full of humour from the very beginning. Even though she’s a notorious trouble maker, she has something quite funny about her nature and her Frank way of speaking also sometimes impressed me and made me laugh!

I tremendously loved the concept of how two repellent beings, when they come together, have the inherent capacity to bring out the better part- that has remained dormant, hidden within themselves- without any definite intention. This is an obvious proof that conscience is something which a person can never lack, it is there always just obscured by a darker side sometimes. I just LOVED the thought behind this story and I really appreciate how the author remarkably through this children’s story let out a much profound message which even the elders oftentimes find hard to cognize or comprehend. And so a MASSIVE 5 STARS TO THIS BOOK!

Albeit this is a middle grade fantasy novel, the dark and vile portions we encounter in this story, especially the deeds of the beast, might even shock the elders! So be careful children! This might not be a regular fantasy bedtime story! Besides all these elements, I loved the illustrations, they made the story more vivid. Also, a big kudos to the author for putting these fervent thoughts in the story, a story which can be completed within a span of 3 hours! I mean that is amazing, you can just casually complete reading this book before going to bed and yet you will have this perfervid sensation of enlightenment before dozing off! Ah, amazing!

The ending though! Just when we thought everything will follow a happy course from now on, we find that we are not that lucky enough! Yes! And that makes me more eager to read the next installment and find out what else is up with these people!

What becomes of the beast in the attic? Does Bethany become the beast’s most desired meal or is there a different turn to the story? Is the beast even corrigible?

The Beast and the Bethany is my first 5 STAR read of the year! I couldn’t find no flaws with this book. It just amazed me and kept me hooked so much so that whilst reading the book lying on my bed, I had the same posture from the beginning to the end of this story, I didn’t move or even, for once, got my eyes off the pages of the book!

The book is set to release on October 1st, 2020. I highly recommend this fantasy novel to anyone who has children and even to those who don’t. Read it for yourself and enjoy!

What a fun book! Yes, it's geared for kids, but I think even kids' books should be entertaining and fun for adults to read too.
First, we have Ebenezer, a spry 511 years old who is very self-absorbed and completely at the mercy of the Beast in his attic. He is very comfortable with his life and how he is living it. He likes being beautiful and young. And, he's willing to do pretty much anything to maintain the life he has created.
The Beast. A fitting name. Not only is the Beast a monster physically, but the Beast has no morals or ethics to be bothered with. As it grows bigger and bigger, its appetite grows along with it. Each escalation demanding Ebenezer to challenge his own ethics and morals.
Bethany. Bethany is a terror in her own right. She is not a favorite at the orphanage. And, pretty much no one will miss her when she's gone. She picks on kids weaker than her. Steals what she wants. And pulls pranks, just because. So, she seems like the perfect candidate to feed to the Beast.
Find out what happens when these three unlikely characters get together. Pure magic!