Nadaness In Motion: The Beast and the Bethany: Revenge of the Beast

The moment I learnt that the new Beast and the Bethany book has been published and is available for review, I jumped on the blog tour by @TheWriteReads!

And the new book doesn't disappoint!

In this blog post, I'm sharing my book review of The Beast and the Bethany: Revenge of the Beast.

Synopsis:

Lemony Snicket meets Roald Dahl in this riotously funny, deliciously macabre, and highly illustrated sequel to The Beast and the Bethany in which Bethany and Ebenezer try to turn over a new leaf, only to have someone—or something—thwart them at every turn.

Once upon a very badly behaved time, 511-year-old Ebenezer kept a beast in his attic. He would feed the beast all manner of objects and creatures and in return the beast would vomit him up expensive presents. But then the Bethany arrived.

Now notorious prankster Bethany, along with her new feathery friend Claudette, 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 vomity gifts. And neither of them are all that sure what “good people” do anyway.

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

Book title: The Beast and the Bethany: Revenge of the Beast

Author: Jack Meggitt-Phillips

Number of pages: 288 pages

Genre(s): Middle grade, fantasy, humor

Publisher: Farshore Books

Publication date: 30 September 2021

Book Review by Nadaness In Motion

"There was fear in their eyes, and that fear looked awfully like respect."

The Beast and the Bethany: Revenge of the Beast is the second book in The Beast and the Bethany book series by Jack Meggitt-Philips.

Revenge of the Beast opens with a flashback to Ebenezer Tweezer's life and when he first met the beast. The chapters alternate between the past and the present, where Bethany lives with Ebenezer in his 15-story house.

In the present, Bethany is on a mission to "de-beast" the house, her life, and Ebenezer's from all things beast-related. And it's going swimmingly!

"Why do we need to de-beast?" Ebenezer asked. "Claudette killed the beast, I'd say that's pretty thorough de-beasting already."

But things aren't what they seem. While Bethany is trying to get rid of all reminders of the beast, the beast is secretly alive and plotting his revenge...

And what a revenge it is!

"Throw me at the one with the unpleasant face, if you want to have some fun."

Like the first book, The Beast and the Bethany, Revenge of the Beast is filled with laugh-out-loud speech and events.

"I bought [these paintings] myself. If we got rid of them we wouldn't be de-beasting, we'd be de-Ebenezering!"

In addition to the old cast, we meet many new characters, all integral to the book's progress and to the characters' development.

Revenge of the Beast sees a lot of growth for the pompous, selfish, 500-year-old Ebenezer. There's also development for Bethany but since she's young (11-ish?), we see her become easily influenced by others and ignore her instincts.

There were moments where I was laughing, others when I wanted to hug Bethany, and then there were moment where I was "Noooooo" and "Focus, Bethany!"

If you're reading Revenge of the Beast, you'll likely be talking to yourself so make sure no one is in the room with you or they'll think you're crazy. And if they see the book you're reading, they'll probably get a confirmation of that craziness.

Overall, Revenge of the Beast is a 5-star must-read children's book.

Overall rating of The Beast and the Bethany: Revenge of the Beast by Jack Meggitt-Philips: 5 stars.

Note: I received a free copy of The Beast and the Bethany: Revenge of the Beast as part of a blog tour via The Write Reads Blog Tours. This has not, in any way, affected my review.

Note: Can't wait for book 3 in the series.

Add The Beast and the Bethany: Revenge of the Beast by Jack Meggitt-Phillips on Goodreads.

Purchase the book via Amazon.

Check out my review of book 1 The Beast and the Bethany

About the Author

Jack Meggitt-Phillips is an author, scriptwriter, and playwright whose work has been performed at The Roundhouse and featured on Radio 4.

He is scriptwriter and presenter of The History of Advertising podcast. In his mind, Jack is an enormously talented ballroom dancer, however his enthusiasm far surpasses his actual talent.

Jack lives in north London where he spends most of his time drinking peculiar teas and reading P.G. Wodehouse novels.

Connect with author Jack Meggitt-Phillips via Twitter.

Check out my review of book 1 The Beast and the Bethany

Looking for more middle grade fantasy fiction?

Here are a few titles I recommend: (Links will take you to my book reviews)

Looking for Dei by David Willson

Magora: The Gallery of Wonders by Marc Remus (Book 1)

Magora: The Golden Maple Tree by Marc Remus (Book 2)

Tales of the Forest by Johanna Aldridge

Ronaldo, the Flying Reindeer Academy by Maxine Sylvester