Book Review: The Beast and The Bethany: Revenge of the Beast by Jack Meggitt-Phillips

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Feeling grumpy? Feeling lost? Feeling happy or just planning on having a do-good day?

Whatever you might be going through, Jack Meggitt-Phillips' The Beast and The Bethany: Revenge of the Beast, will put you in just the right spirits. This is a sequel to the amazingly well written book The Beast and The Bethany (obviously!) in which we meet both these characters and other important members of the cast and crew like the 511-year-old Ebenzer who has a penchant for a good life and kept the Beast in his attic.  He would feed the Beast all manner of objects and creatures and in return the Beast would vomit up expensive presents for him. But then the Bethany arrived.

But after the arrival of notorious prankster Bethany, along with her new feathery friend Claudette, they finally managed to get rid off the Beast. Now Bethany is determined that she and Ebenezer are going to de-beast their lives and Do Good. But Bethany finds that being a former prankster makes it hard to get taken on for voluntary work. And Ebenezer secretly misses the Beast’s gifts. And neither of them are all that sure what “good people” do anyway!

Then there’s Claudette, the parrot, who’s not been feeling herself recently. Has she eaten something that has disagreed with her?

Can you already see me clapping my hands with sheer excitement? May be this time around again I got more excited than my now 14 and 7 year olds who had earlier read the book with me in 2020. Also I am honoured to be part of the first day of the ultimate blog tour for this fab sequel with the very fantastic Dave and gang of The Write Reads.

So back to the book!!

I loved the first one and i loovvvvedddd this one. AND so did my kids. Both of them. Both the books. What are the chances!

The story was full of twists and turns. It kept us hooked right through the freezing nights here in our part of India which has got the worst winters in years. Phillips writes with a flair for the dramatic ( NO wonder his work has been performed at The Roundhouse and featured on Radio 4! I can almost imagine him doing a pirouette as he writes one engaging scene after the other. Don't ask me why. I am told that in his head he believes himself to be a ballroom dancer. Yes I know pirouettes are associated with Ballet.)

Err...maybe its just an after effect of de-beasting but I am not feeling like myself!

So on with the review.

Hmmm it was very interesting to learn Ebenzer's back story and how he came in possession of the Beast. The next very interesting thing was Claudette's evolution. Into what you ask. Well for that you will have to read the hugely entertaining The Beast and The Bethany: Revenge of the Beast.



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