Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

 



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About the book:

Book One in the Caster Chronicles

 

Rating: Really Good  

Pages: 592

Released: September 14 2010

Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

 

-Information from Goodreads

 

 

Synopsis

Ethan Wate has been haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he's never met before. He is shocked to discover the girl from his dreams has moved to Gatlin and has enrolled in his school. That girl is Lena Duchannes. But Lena has a secret one that could upturn her life if it were discovered...Against the odds, Ethan and Lena find themselves bound together by a deep love. But they are running out of time. Lena has a curse - on her sixteenth birthday her fate will be decided for her. In the end, thre is a grave...

 

First Line:

"There were only two kinds of people in our town."

 

Review:

This is another series that I'm seriously late to the party for but again it's one that I'm so glad I've read. Yes, it's another boy meets girl story with paranormal elements thrown in...but it's so much better then the others on the book market. The plot (even though it mimics others in basic structure) is unique in its way. There's mystery, intrigue, adventure, romace and an unexpected surprise that's been mixed together and the result is Beautiful Creatures. The ratio of romance to action is well porportioned - I don't like to be slapped in the face with gooey, cheesey romance only to have my mind blown by a wave of action that can't be followed. (Actually that's a lie - I love cheesey romance...authors slap me in the face with romance as often as you like!!!). What I mean is the romantic aspects don't over power the plots action/adventure. It's well balanced. I found the plot intriguing and I enjoyed the story immensely. The characters were as interesting as the plot. Even the characters that weren't seen/spoke as much in the book were well presented throughout through the main characters narrative. Normally I don't like books with a male narrative (I'm not being sexist I just think girl's narratives are more romantic!). But I found Ethan's to be surprisingly enjoyable. Overall, this book is a joy to read and I'm looking forward to reading the next one!

 

Recommended Audience:

Anyone who loves Young Adult Fiction. Especially paranormal romance.