Thursday, March 17, 2011

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl Review

Title: Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles: Book 1)
Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Genre: Young Adult, 
Page Count: Hardcover 563 pages
Book Type: ARC
Publisher: Little Brown
ISBN: 9780316042673

Picture from Amazon

From Goodreads: 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.

*This post was originally written by me for College Lifestyles*

My Review: “Some loves are meant to be…others are cursed.”
If you haven’t read my story about how I came to receive this lovely book, take a look at my post about the books of ComicCon on College Lifestyles. Kami and Margaret have a blog which can be found here.  They also have Twitter pages (where they actually take the time to converse with friends and followers-plus they are always hosting or linking to amazing giveaways!).  Follow them at: @kamigarcia and @mstohl.  Now on to my review!
“There were no surprises in Gatlin County.  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.”
Have you ever wondered if there was more to your hometown than you knew? Ethan Wate’s life is about to be turned upside down in a town which he thinks never changes, Gatlin, South Carolina.  As the end of summer approaches, he has been having a recurring dream which he wakes up from breathless, wet and with the scents of lemon and rosemary lingering in the air.  The dream is always the same and includes a mysterious girl slipping out of his grip and into the darkness.  This is where Lena Duchannes comes into play.
Lena moves to Gatlin and into the oldest plantation which houses the town shut-in, Macon Ravenwood-their very own Boo Radley.  Strike one against Lena.  She doesn’t dress like the other girls in town.  Strike two.  There is just something slightly off about her… Lena never had a chance.
Ethan and Lena are drawn to each other and they embark on a journey that is definitely not an easy one.  They have their obstacles to overcome including Macon, Amma (Ethan’s extremely superstitious housekeeper/grandmother figure), the girls of Stonewall Jackson High School, Lena’s impending sixteenth birthday and the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution*) to name a few.
It is refreshing to read a story from a male’s point of view and Ethan turns out to be an extremely likable character.  I guarantee you will find yourself rooting for Ethan and Lena and trying to figure out ways for them to overcome the major hindrance to their relationship.  Every character has a distinct personality and I was instantly drawn into this debut novel.  When I was finished reading, I was sad to leave Ethan, Lena, Macon and Amma’s world.  This book will definitely been one of the ones I read over and over again.  Check out the trailer for the book!
*Side note: I couldn’t help but think of Gilmore Girls every time the DAR came up!




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