Book Review: Crazy Beautiful

Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Released: September 2009
Copy Provided by: A Passion for Books
Summary from GoodReads:

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.

Crazy Beautiful has one of the most interesting twists on the tale of Beauty and the Beast that I have ever read. And to be honest, if I did not know that this was suppose to be a retelling, I would have never made the connection between the two tales. The novel was very well paced, and highly creative. Told in alternating points of view, the reader really gets to know each character, and it makes the romantic aspect that much more special. There is an emotional connection with the characters possible for the readers, which I find can be quite rare. Throughout the novel, I found myself cheering them on, and wanting things to ultimately work out for the best.

My only complaint about the novel is how realistic Baratz-Logsted tried to make the male perspective. For the most part, there was no doubt that she got Lucius figured out. His narration sounds like some thing a male would say. His actions were that of many males I know. Yet, there were a few scenes that I felt could have been left out completely. I felt like they had no real purpose besides the author trying to convince her readers that she understands the male mind. While not completely distasteful, I just did not see the point to them.

Due to a few questionable scenes, I would not recommend this novel to anyone maybe less than 14 years old. While they do not take away from the novel, I think that some parents might not approve of their children reading that material until they are a bit older to understand it. Despite a few issues, I really liked the novel. It was incredibly creative. I loved Aurora's character, and I felt like Lucius had a lot of redeeming qualities. I think that for a mature reader, this a great retelling that can be read and again.