Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
(Caster Chronicles, #1)
Release Date: December 1, 2009
Publisher: Little Brown Books; 563 pages

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.

We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.

At least, that's what I thought.

Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.

There was a curse.

There was a girl.

And in the end, there was a grave.

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.

My friend has been going on for probably as long as I've known her that I must read these books. Well, I finally listened and started BEAUTIFUL CREATURES. I really enjoyed this book but it frustrated me reading this book. It never takes me a week to read a book and yet, this book took me a week to read. But, don't think that's a bad thing. This was a big book with a lot of information. I was soaking it all up.

Ethan. What can I say about Ethan? Or rather, what can't I say about him? He's charming, different then the rest of the guys in this tiny, southern town, tall (total bonus, in my eyes), smart and wants to go places with his life. I admire him from the get-go and he only gets better as the book goes on. When he loves, he loves with his whole heart. What girl doesn't want a guy like that? Completely loyal and dedicated to you? The book is told from Ethan's point of view and I really enjoy it from a male's perspective.

Lena is the new girl to a town where no one new ever comes and certainly no one ever leaves town. So her coming to town is a huge deal. Huge is even putting it mildly. She's beautiful but she different. Her Uncle is the town's outcast, Macon Ravenwood, which automatically makes her crazy. It's unfair how people judge someone without knowing them but sadly, it happens every day. She is different. Very different but she's certainly far from crazy. I love Lena. She's strong. She has her breaking points, like any person does, but damn is she a strong person. Especially with what is coming up for her on her sixteenth birthday.

The characters in this book are so likable (except the ones that aren't made to be that way like Sarafine, Ridley (though, she has her moments), Mrs. Lincoln...but every other character is unique and enjoyable to the reader and the story line. I especially love Link; he is a great best friend. Ethan is lucky to have someone like him by his side, no matter what.

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES is full of southern charm and southern cooking. I just love how you feel like you're there with the characters, down in a small southern town. That's a great feeling, to actually feel like you're part of the story.

I recommend this series to anyone whose a fan of witch/magic books. This is definitely right up your alley. Though I have a feeling a lot of YA fantasy lovers have already tackle this series since it's not exactly new. Regardless, if you haven't - I suggest you check it out. I'm definitely going to diving in to the second book soon!