Review: Beautiful Creatures

Title: Beautiful Creatures
Author: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Series: Caster Chronicles #1
Published: 2009 by Little, Brown and Company
Obtained: Library

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Alright. So, this book was good. It drew me in, I had no idea where it was going, and I adored the first person narrative voice (a boy! for once!). It was also long, and I love long books!

The characters were very unique. Ethan was a very relatable character, with his issues with peer pressure, and family problems. Lena was an amazing character, I loved her personality, how she wasn’t afraid to break the mold (although technically, she already broke it…), yet she really wanted to have a “normal” high school experience. The other kids at the high school were super annoying in their “high school-ish” ways.

I also loved the southern setting, because I live in the South, and it was refreshing to read a story set there.

The ending was…strange. I really have something against plotlines that include that kind of stuff… but I guess it kind of worked here. Still though, it gets to me. (You won’t know what I mean until you read it)

My only big issue with this book is how much it reminds me of Twilight. Switch the gender roles of Twilight, and you have a “immortal/magical/supernatural” person trying not to fall in love with the “mortal/normal” person who has already fallen, hard. This is not a very original plot in my opinion. Except, Beautiful Creatures has much better writing, and more likable characters.

If this story seems all supernatural and stuff, don’t worry. It is. It’s pretty hardcore “fantasy/supernatural.” But, as it’s weird, it’s also not that bad. However, if the weird-magical-creatures-curses-strange-magic stuff is not your preferred reading choice, you would probably want to skip this one.

I’m planning on reading the sequel (s), just because I really like the characters, and I’m interested in seeing where their story goes.

Rating: 7.5/10

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Content Ratings: Kissing.