Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles #1)

This book was so hyped, I may have gone into it with too much expectation. I think the bones of a good story are definitely there! But I had a hard time with the narrator. Ethan doesn't think or sound like a boy. I live in a household full of boys, and he just didn't ring true for me. However, he was very poetic and romantic so I'm sure there are many female readers who will respond to him. He just didn't do it for me. I like my boy characters to sound like boys.


I also had a hard time with the constant southern stereotypes (especially when so many of them were a mish-mash of stuff from distinctly different regions all over the south). I found myself rolling my eyes when EVERY southerner was a bigot who went to church, worshiped cheerleading and sports, and had a mile-wide prejudice about outsiders. The authors also mixed voodoo, uptight Baptists, and witchcraft into their small town. It felt like it was trying to be Louisiana, the Appalachian mountains, and rural Alabama all at once. It just didn't work for me.

I did love the backstory and the flashbacks. There's certainly a very compelling story here. And while the pacing, the narrator, and the setting didn't work for me, I'm sure there are many who will love this book and its sequels.

I know there are many readers who loved this book and will totally disagree with me, but I just couldn't get into Beautiful Creatures. I really wanted to and as I was reading I waited for the moment when I would start enjoying it but I just felt like reading this book was a chore.

One of my biggest pet peeves with this book was that it's so long and the action didn't even pick up until I was at least two thirds through the book. There was a lot of back history on the town and that's not the part that bored me. Rather, Ethan and Lena spent so many days doing absolutely nothing and instead of skipping that part and giving the meat of the story, I guess I was supposed to be excited about... nothing much.

Most of the townspeople and classmates like Savannah and Emily were too one dimensionally evil and I hate to say it, but I just didn't care about Ethan and Lena, especially as a couple. It felt like they talked more to each other in their heads than in real life, so I actually didn't feel a real connection between them. Like I said, I can't quite explain it but I just couldn't get into them.

When the ball finally started rolling towards the end, I was very indifferent to the whole thing. Was I surprised about the ending? I guess. Was it satisfying? No. The pieces just didn't fit together like I thought they would and I never had the "aha!" moment.

The reason I finished the book is because of what I did like about Beautiful Creatures. Amma and Macon were my two favorite characters by far and completely reminded me of a pulpy South: a superstitious seer and a Southern gentleman. I actually thought they would make a nice couple, you know, if they didn't disgust each other. Link, Ridley and the Sisters are also some of my favorites and they had very distinct and colorful voices. Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl definitely gave the supporting characters a rich depth that I felt the main characters were lacking.

Overall, I was disappointed with this book because of the good things I had heard, but I pushed through regardless. The book was clearly well written but I think it could have been shorter so that it had more of a punch. I am only slightly tempted to read the second in the series, Beautiful Darkness, because I am a little curious about where the story could possibly go. Meh, we'll see.

Reader reviewed by Paranormally Romanced

So this book was a litttle weird for me. It was not horrible writing or a horrible story but I found myself feeling very indifferent. At times while reading the book I didn't know what was going on maybe it could have been them overly describing or I don't know what exactly.

It took me about a month to read this book. I found myself leaving the book and not thinking about it much. I'm the type that reads a book in 1-2 days. I honestly didn't care what happened to the characters which is a bad sign when reading a book. I just didn't connect to these characters. I don't really find Ethen too amazing and Lena isn't very interesting.

I didn't really feel like it truly was a male's POV. From the descriptions of Lena she didn't sound attractive. It really wasn't realistic. I found myself just pushing through the book to finish it since I had invested so much time.

Don't get me wrong the story wasn't bad but it wasn't as good as all the hype. I wont read the sequel. I liked the dual lovestory and other things in the story. But the characters weren't believable. I'm upset that I read this book because I really wouldn't read it again.

Reader reviewed by john

                   Beautiful Creatures is a very good book.  I absolutely loved it!  Enough to read it a second time and I plan on reading it a 3rd and 4th time.  I just love the atmosphere of the book and the setting( same thing?) and it was just really good.  More than good. . Great!.  I loved Ethan, it was a good twist the authors, K&M, took with having a male as the teller of the story when most paranormal romance novels are told in a females point of view.  One of the things that was weird was how when Lena and Ethan were hanging out at Greenbrier and Lena started re-shaping the clouds and Ethan saw it and reacted like it was nothing.  Yeah. . . I notice the small stuff.  I don't know about you but I would of been like "How did you do that?!" and ran away.  Well, I wouldn't have run away!.  Hmm, maybe it takes a lot for Ethan to be freaked out.  I loved all the charecters, and yes!, even Ridely.  She's actually my favorite charecter.  You can kind of tell that she isn't totally emotionless and does feel remorse for some of the things that she does.  I hope she is in book 2 and the rest of the series.  Not to sound mean to the authors but I can describe this book as the paranormal version of To Kill a Mockingbird.  Seriously!  Both stories take place in the South, both stories have a town "creep" that nobody ever sees.  Both stories have a maid, but Amma isn't really a maid in Beautiful Creatures, but she does do all the cooking and cleaning and whatnot.  Not to compare books, though, I rarely compare books.  Beautiful Creatures  was one of those books that when you're reading the action scenes in the book you don't have any clue what's going on, and then you read it a second time and it's crystal clear!  Yeah, that was how the book was for me.  I love the magical powers that Lena and her family has.  The book was really original and creative.  For me, it was one of those books that you feel you've read a million times before ( in a good way!) and it just feels so right to read it and you can't really put it down because it's just so good.  I can't wait for Beautiful Darkness to come out in October!  I'm getting it @ midnight if possible!

Reader reviewed by jedi145

This book is amazing. The characters were rounded and the romantic relationship was realistic. The plot was action filled and exciting.  It is from a male POV which is really different for a paranormal romance. It is really long, which I love. The town has a neat background. The authors did some research on the south and I always love authors that have done research for their book. The writing is really good and the plot is unique. 

Reader reviewed by Sarah S

I picked up Beautiful Creatures not really knowing
anything about it; I didn't really know what it was about or even what sort of
book it was. All I remembered when I saw the cover was that I had heard good
things. So I grabbed it off the shelf, cracked it open, and started reading.



It was excellent from the first page.



Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and shes 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 towns 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. From the
Beautiful Creatures website



Since I knew so little about the book and the back cover blurb (smartly)
doesn't say anything about paranormal element comes into play. I love that the
authors allowed the reader to discover that fact on her own (for those readers
who have yet to read the book I will not spoil this by revealing it here).
Slowly throughout the entire book we learn about Lena,
her abilities, and her family. This doesn't just happen in the first few
chapters; it continues to happen throughout the book.



I must say that the world- and character-building is wonderful. From the first
few pages I could picture Gatlin and the entire cast of characters. There are
quite a few different characters in the book, but it wasn't an issue to keep
them all straight, even the jocks and cheerleaders, because they were so well
written. Every character has his or her own little quirky things about them.



The plot twists and mini climaxes are excellently written and inserted at just
the perfect moments building and moving the story long quite nicely. Even
though the book is quite long -- well over 500 pages -- it doesn't lag in the
middle or feel overly long. Take note authors, this is how you really build up
a climax. This was an intense book with a potential horrible event always
looming on the horizon.



Beautiful Creatures is absolutely wonderful and I don't think I can say
enough good things about it. I can not wait until Beautiful Darkness is
released on October 12, 2010.



Add to the top of you to-read pile

Reader reviewed by Khadija

Summary: Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and shes 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 towns 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 Review: First off....GO BUY THIS BOOK NOW!!!

Sorry about all my outbursts but i mean it, if you haven't read this book you need to. Not a good enough reason? *sighs* oh well guess that was to be expected. OK here is my long drawn out reason why you need to read Beautiful Creatures .

Beautiful Creatures is one of those stories that you wait out in the rain for. It's one of those books that naturally become a phenomenon because of how utterly compelling and genuine the story is.

Thinking outside of the box. That is another one of those things i love about books, when there completely unpredictable. And Beautiful Creatures was just that. Bringing a whole new level and meaning to witches and magic (excuse me) in beautiful creatures their called 'Casters'.

I really loved how the story is told from a male point of view. It seems as if there are a million different young adult books but only a handful are from a guys point of view. (what's up with that?)

I read Beautiful Creatures in one sitting, it took me a total of four hours to read the whole thing and then i read it again. I just couldn't put it down and from the first sentence i was hooked.

Now, what you need to do is read Beautiful Creatures and see for yourself what an amazing story it is.

......highly anticipating Beautiful Darkness the second book in the Caster Chronicles as you can see over there -----> in my sidebar I'm counting the days.

Reader reviewed by The Bookshelf Sophisticate

Romeo and Juliet appear to have had it easy in comparison to Ethan and Lena in Beautiful Creatures. They not only have their families telling them to steer clear of each other, but they're also dealing with humans vs. casters (a.k.a. witches) in this struggle. Talk about your star crossed lovers tale, but how does this one end you ask? Are they to suffer the same fate as Romeo and Juliet? Or will they find a way to defy the odds stacked against them? I'm not telling of course...read on people! And boy was it ever a struggle! Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl know just how to write the twists and turns, joys and heartaches to keep their readers not knowing what to expect with every turn of the page. They had me hook, line and sinker without a clue as to what the outcome would be until the very end.
Our main characters were set in a small town in the south and one that has very old ways. We're talking extremely conservative here people. But Ethan and Lena weren't alone while trying to beat the clock and squeak out a happy ending for everyone involved. Lena's family was one of my favorite parts of the story. Her uncle Macon (the town recluse) was entertaining and mysterious of course, and he kept my attention throughout. Ethan's close but yet strange relationship with Amma won her a place in my heart - she was scary with her charms and voodoo, but her love for Ethan overpowered my fear of her. But that's not to say you should underestimate Amma, if Macon Ravenwood doesn't square off with her, what chance would I have? With the rest of the Ravenwood/Duchannes family making surprise appearances, along with our lovable librarian friend Marion Ashcroft, this book had a wonderful cast of characters to call it's own.
Although the story was slow in parts for me, I think the action scenes were very much filled with suspense and the right amount of thrills. I'm hoping the second installment in the Caster Chronicles, Beautiful Darkness will have more action and substance now that Beautiful Creatures has laid out all the groundwork for us. We've got the background now and we're ready for more of this world that Garcia and Stohl have created.

Reader reviewed by Alex (Tales of a Teenage Book Lover)

Reader reviewed by Rose

Beautiful Creatures

By Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Ethan Wate (who is desperate to escape his small town in the Deep South) has repeating dreams about a girl he has never met. When the girl moves into a mansion nearby, Ethan is determined to figure out what the connection is between them. Eventually, the girl (Lena) is going to be pulled to the dark side, and they have to find a way to save her&

Crappy description, but the book is good.

Likes

A.     awesome cover

B.     fast read

C.     gripping plot

D.     pretty good characters

Dislikes

A.    None