This weekend I’m taking my sister out for her birthday. We’re heading out to see the movie Beastly because we love fairy tales (and Alex Pettyfer is pretty; I want to see if he’s decent enough to play Peeta in The Hunger Games, which he is apparently in talks for). Then we’re going to eat at her favorite place and I’ve got my fingers crossed for good times all around.

Here is the deal, though: I wanted to read the book before we saw the film. I just didn’t see when I’d have time, though I checked it out at the library. We had some tornados and a power outage last night, however, so I got the chance to read it. And it was definitely a disappointment.

It’s written for young adults, sure, but I guess I’ve just become so accustomed to reading such wonderful YA lit—from Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven to the incredible aforementioned Hunger Games, from The Underland Chronicles to pretty much everything by Rick Riordan, Gail Carson Levine and Obert Skye—that I’ve developed a higher standard. It’s true that I’ve simply closed several YA books lately, disgusted with their content—particularly the House of Night series, I think it was—but for the most part I have not been disappointed. And while this version of Beauty and the Beast has some interesting takes on the original, it really doesn’t differ very much from the original telling. While I did enjoy the take on the witch (which was apparent early on in the book, though I think it was meant to be a surprise) and the fact that the heroine is plain rather than a beauty, that’s where my enjoyment ended.

Holding a girl against her will, no matter a changed circumstance, is still a crime, and it would have been nice for another twist there instead. With all of Kyle’s prowling, could he not have met a girl that way that didn’t end with someone running away screaming? The need for coercion always ruined the romantic element for me.

And speaking of which, there wasn’t much of that here, either. Sure, Kyle basically moons over sleeping with his love interest, but there is zero chemistry between the two. Add that with some serious oversight in the overcoming adversity department—such as making it to where a blind man can’t get a decent job unless he regains his eyesight—and a ludicrous violent ending that was nowhere near believable and you’ve got a book that’s probably fun for teens who crave unbelievable drama and nobody else. I would have loved some more substance, though, since the author really had some great ideas—and sourced some other lovely tales, too.

At any rate, I still plan on seeing the movie, as it looks extremely different from the book from the previews alone. (I am disappointed that they didn’t go with the whole plain girl theme, though, instead of Hudgens as the lead; that was the most refreshing part of the novel.) If nothing else, it will be a chance to see a fantasy, and there are simply too few of those in theaters to begin with (preferably, there should be at least one each month!). I’m hoping that it will be a better experience, despite that we’ll probably be surrounded by teen girls when we see it.