Review: Crazy Beautiful

Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pub. Date: September 29, 2009
Pages: 193
Age Level: 15+

Synopsis
In an explosion of his own making, Lucius blew his arms off. Now he has hooks. He chose hooks because they were cheaper. He chose hooks because he wouldn’t outgrow them so quickly. He chose hooks so that everyone would know he was different, so he would scare even himself.

Then he meets Aurora. The hooks don’t scare her. They don’t keep her away. In fact, they don’t make any difference at all to her.

But to Lucius, they mean everything. They remind him of the beast he is inside. Perhaps Aurora is his Beauty, destined to set his soul free from its suffering.

Or maybe she’s just a girl who needs love just like he does.

Review
Crazy Beautiful was an ingenious, modern day retelling of my absolute favorite fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. It was witty and filled with both lighter and deeper moments creating a totally mesmerizing prose that I'll never forget.

Lucius was cold, slightly arrogant about his intelligence, full of dry humor and also loads of guilt. I was surprised that he took full blame for what happened instead of trying to put it off on someone else. I loved watching him change throughout the book as he grew to be a more caring character and when he started opening himself up to others, it felt as though he was opening himself up to me as well. I absolutely loved him and have never come across a more dynamic character than Lucius.

Then there is Aurora, who is so nice but not in the, "So sweet I think I might get a cavity." sense. She was just a truly great person and a completely lovable heroine. She was genuine and real, with nothing coming off as phony or fake.

Crazy Beautiful was so unique, with such a beautifully crafted and carried out premise. It was fast paced but also well paced as I believed most everything to have occurred in a reasonable amount of time. I found it to be surprisingly funny at times, especially Lucius, though not a blatant funny hahaha. It was a more subtle and sharper brand of humor, which I personally love.

Lauren Baratz-Logsted's writing style was very impressive, keeping me engaged in the story fully and completely. I thought the alternating perspectives are part of what really made this book so wonderful and I confess I was surprised by how authentic and believably male Lucius' voice was.

The ending was a bit abrupt and I wish this book could have been longer, but overall, I was pretty satisfied with how it drew to a close.

All in all, Crazy Beautiful was an imaginative and enticing, though maybe too short, story that I'd recommend to anyone. One benefit to its short length is that it will just make it even easier for me to find time to re-read it in the future. :D

Grade
Characters: A-
Writing: B+
Plot: B+
Ending: B-
Enjoyment/Likability: A
Recommendable: A-
Cover: A+

Overall: A-