I requested to read this one mostly for the title. My kiddo's half sister's name is Bethany and I thought this series would be fun for him to read to her. Of course, I had to read the first in the series, but I feel like if you read this one as a stand alone, you could fill in the blanks and make sense of it rather quickly.

Ebeneezer has lived a really long life thanks to sustaining a wickedly, life-consuming beast. The beast would reward his service by vomiting up all manner of wondrous enchanted items. When Bethany arrives, she pranks her way into Ebeneezer's life and heart, she vows to help him de-beast their lives and do good. But it's hard for a beast keeper and a reformed prankster to be trusted in town to do good.

Will Bethany truly be able to give up her prankster ways? Will Ebeneezer be able to adjust to a beastless life? And will Claudette make her singing debut a roaring success? And is the beast really gone?

This was a super fast-paced and witty read. I enjoyed how it was a redemption story with set backs to make it more realistic.

This book was received as an ARC from Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing - Aladdin through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Now this series is a clear reflection of why I loved reading, and how ti was an important part of my childhood. Recapping the first installment, Ebenezer is 511 years old, and the reason he stays so young is that he feeds this magical beast in his attic, and the beast vomits gifts for him to help him stay young. One day the beast craves a young child, so Ebenezer finds Bethany who is a prankster, but to Ebenezer dismay he ends up befriending Bethany, and their lives will never be the same. Now, Bethany has a new feathered friend Claudette, and Ebenezer is breaking away from the life with the beast. They attempted to do "good work," but to their dismay they don't know what good work is. Secretly, Ebenezer misses the beasts' gifts, and Claudette is not feeling like herself, which puts Bethany in a difficult position. I admired how humorous this book was, and secretly I wished I had a beast/animal that vomited gifts that way I did not have to spend money, but unfortunately that's life. You never knew what was ahead, surprising us all on every page. That was the magic the first book brought, and Revenge of the Beast was no different. This is a creative, fictional book about finding yourself and letting go of the past in a unique, fantasy way. Can't wait for their next adventure.

A humorous, inspiring story that reflects the brilliance of reading as a child. This book deserves 5 stars.

I couldn’t finish this book. The story was predictable and I don’t enjoy any of the characters. They don’t seem to have any redeeming qualities and I have a hard time relating to them or liking them. I couldn’t make myself finish reading this because it was pretty obvious how it was going to end up.

This is the second book in a middle-grade series and it picks up a short time from where the first story, The Beast and the Bethany leaves off.

I will say, I didn't enjoy this second one as much as the first, and I think that it is solely because I listened to the first one on audio and the narrator was AMAZING. While it has been clear from the beginning that Bethany and Ebenezer are no angels, I was a little tired of their attitudes about halfway through. It does turn around though by the end and their efforts to "be good" were humorous at times. I did catch on to what was revealed near the end VERY early on but also...I'm a lot older than the target audience for this story and the title really helps you along.

I think young middle school students and mid to upper-elementary school students would enjoy these books!

Great continuation of series, fun quirky read with some dark humor. This is the kind of book that gets reluctant readers to become readers. Enjoyed the starting with a peek into the back story of how Ebenezer and The Beast met. Bethany is really trying to embrace her new life from Book One and be a better more caring less prankster type. Even though Ebenezer isn't so sure how he feels about the new version, he might not miss the pranks, but he might not be enjoying the doing good either. 500 years set in one's ways won't be an easy change for Ebenezer, can he survive the new Bethany? A new girl from the orphanage brings some competition to Bethany and an angry Beast plotting revenge make for a fun new adventure. Hope we don't have to wait long for a third installment.

FTC disclosure: I received an unedited advanced reader copy of this book to from Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Aladdin. I was not financially compensated for my review. (via NetGalley)

The Beast is back in this sequel to The Beast and the Bethany by Jack Meggitt-Phillips. It was fun to return to the quirky, magical world of Bethany and, Ebeneezer Tweezer as they try to turn over a new leaf and become “do-gooders.” but find they have a major obstacle in their way— The Beast, who is sneakily returning and causing havoc in their lives. This middle grade book has just the right blend of creepiness, humor, and heart.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book for review.

I honestly had never read the first book in this series. I don't think that I needed to. I think this book was so well laid out that you could pick the second book, get enough background on what happened in the first story that you could just sit back and enjoy the story as it played out. Which I thoroughly did. I loved Bethany, I really loved Ebenezer, and Claudette was so fun as well. The characters are just quirky enough that you can't help but love them. Even the monster who I am not suppose to like I enjoyed. I am hoping there will be another book with the cliff hanger we were left with. I would love to read any future books as well. I will be highly recommending this book through reader advisory. This book is the perfect blend of darkness, humor, personality, and a great message.

Thank you Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy.

Continuing the story begun in "The Beast and Bethany", "Revenge of the Beast finds Bethany and Ebeneezer attempting to change their ways. Now that the Beast has been consumed by Claudette the singing purple parrot, life as do-gooders instead of evil-doers is the order of the day. Convincing the community about their change of heart however, is another story. When Claudette begins to behave strangely and the items previously provided by the Beast seem to have a mind of their own encouraging bad behavior again, one must wonder exactly what did happen to the Beast after he was consumed?
Written in the same droll voice as Lemony Snicket and Roald Dahl, kids who love quirky, off-kilter stories will be sure to flock to this sequel which hints at perhaps a third outing at the end. Let's hope one is in the making.

REVENGE OF THE BEAST continues this quirky UKMG series about greedy beasts, an 512-year-old man, and the girl he accidentally brought into his life. It's the sort of bizarre humour you just roll with as the extra-ordinary is treated as ordinary - and the ordinary is never quite as simple as you think. If you love some dark humour, silly fantasy, lots of pranks and a little bit of rudeness these books are heaps of fun! Recommended for older primary to early high school (8-14) kids who love writers like Roald Dahl, R.L. Stine (of Goosebumps fame), or David Walliams. The illustrations are spot on and really make the story come to,life.

I started off a little confused and quickly reviewed The Beast and The Bethany (the first book in the series) so I understood better what was going on. Old Ebenezer is 511 years old and has a beast that keeps him from aging and vomits up presents for him. Bethany is the child Ebenezer got from the orphanage to feed to the beast but in the end couldn't do it. In this adventure we first get the story of Ebenezer meeting the beast and secondly the reformed prankster Bethany trying to de-beast themselves. They want to learn to live normally and do good. But it isn't easy. This is dark humor with jokes about melting people, eating children and rare birds. But it is fun and clever. It is nicely illustrated with black and white drawings adding to the story. I think 4th graders up through middle school would enjoy this book and series.

This book was a delight! I was thrilled to see a second book in this series, and it seems like the ending lends itself to a third addition. I am excited to add this book to my classroom shelves as soon as I can.