TITLE: Beautiful Creatures
AUTHORS: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
FORMAT: Hardcover, 563 pages
GENRE: Young Adult
SOURCE: Won from a fellow book blogger
AVAILABLE: Now
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 Thoughts:
When I picked up Beautiful Creatures from my bookshelf, I just wanted to feel it out to see if it was what I wanted to read next, to see if I was in the mood for it. Next thing I knew, I blinked and suddenly I was on page 73. This is the type of book that just sucks you right in, right into the page. There's a lot of buzz surrounding this book and I can clearly see why.
Ethan grew up in Gatlin, South Carolina. Gatlin (a character in it's own right) is a small town located in the deep South. Everybody knows everybody, and their business. This is the sort of town that is saturated in history. Pretty much everyone's family tree can be traced back as far the 1800s or even further. But Ethan can't wait to get out of Gatlin. He's been counting down the days until he can get the heck out of there.
There were only two kinds of people in our town. The stupid and the stuck. Ethan's been having dreams of a girl for months. They're both falling and he's trying to save her. He knows she's beautiful but he's never seen her face.
Lena is the new girl in school. She's not like anyone else. She has her own unique style and way of doing things. She lives with her uncle, the town's hermit crab whom no one's seen for years. Ethan and Lena are pulled together by their supernatural connection.
I didn't realize how long this book is until I got it in my hot little hands; It's almost 600 pages long. But don't let that shy you away. There is never a dull moment. There is always something going on, a new twist, a new discovery. Garcia's and Stohl's enthralling way of storytelling completely lured me in and kept me turning page after page. The collaboration of these two authors was so incredibly seamless, I couldn't tell where one author stopped and the other began. Beautiful Creatures is told from Ethan's point of view. Although the authors did a good job of depicting the story from a male's perspective, I would have liked to have seen a little more of the raging hormones that teenage boys possess.
This book is the first of a 5-book series. The second book in the series, which is rumored to be released late this year, will also be told from Ethan's point of view. The movie rights for Beautiful Creatures have been sold. It will be interesting to see who they cast.
Beautiful Creatures did leave me with some unanswered questions. I will post these questions at the end of this post. You will need to click the POSSIBLE SPOILERS button to see this part.
Brianna’s Rating:
Yet another person saying this book needs to be read! I've got my copy on the shelf; I don't know why I keep putting it off.
ReplyDeleteI had some of same questions too..
ReplyDeleteNice knowing already how many books in a series.I wondering for each year until adults..and whats in store for them
Reading your review makes me want to read this book all over again! I absolutely LOVED it! :)
ReplyDeleteI have many of the same questions! ;)
I, too, have this book on my shelf and want to read it and don't know why I haven't. I'm going to have to kick myself in the butt and get on it. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it! I really liked this one too! Can't wait for the next one! :)
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I am getting this book confused with another one...I totally thought this was a PNR book.
ReplyDeleteI loved the spoiler you put in was like a lil treasure for me.
I didn't read your spoiler because I am reading this right now but great review I will come back when I finish reading, if I remember.
ReplyDeleteI have an award for you http://trinsnook.blogspot.com/2010/02/and-award-goes-to.html
I have to got to read this! I have a copy and it looks so great! Wonderful review (and even though I haven't read it I even read the questions!). I can't help myself :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome review! I've added this to my TBR List... now I need to buy it! :)
ReplyDeleteYep, I do need to get this one and read it. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way about the book. Great review
ReplyDeletei have this on my kindle to read next. thanks for the great review! it just makes me want to jump in and read it even more, but i have to finish up some february challenge reading first!
ReplyDeleteLove this book its one of my all time favorites actually.
ReplyDeleteI tried to read this one but gave up about 100 pages in. It just wasn't blowing my dress up...I don't think books told from a male POV are for me.
ReplyDelete