Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles #1)

Let me start by saying that I didn't get my hopes up for this one, and because of that I was pleasantly surprised. I found myself enjoying this story even though at certain parts it is extremely slow. I think the thing I enjoyed most about the book was the fact that it was told through a guy's point of view. It left me as confused and lost as Ethan was and I had to discover the truth about Lena right along with him.

I loved that the story was set in the South. Because of this you can really see how poorly Lena is treated by the people in this town especially since they go by Southern hospitality. Where was it for her? Just because she was different all pretense was dropped and she was treated like a pariah. When Ethan begins to hang out with Lena, he begins to lose everything as well even though the town still claims him as their own since his family has been there for years. He begins to be shunned just as much as Lena, the only difference is Ethan is perfectly okay with it.

The fact that the story is about magic is what really held my attention. I love stories about witches, though in this case it's Casters. It was even more enjoyable due to the fact that the one telling the story wasn't the Caster but a Mortal. So we get to see the magic through the eyes of someone who isn't used to it and that really brings a whole new level to the story.

I really liked Ethan. He was loyal and kind and didn't put up with any of the crap the other kids in his class did. He stood up for Lena even though he was the only one doing it and never even thought twice about it. Lena was another great character, though her constant worrying did get old pretty fast, she was strong as well and when it came to Ethan there was nothing she wouldn't do to save him.

I recommend this for anybody who enjoys having a male point of view in Young Adult fiction. If you're a fan of magic and mystery as well as adventure then you should definitely check this book out.

Why did I let this series sit on my bookshelves so long before I read it? WHY?! This blew me away. The setting, characters, and plot were phenomenal. Loved every page.


I'm a Southern girl, so when I find a (good) YA book set in the South I get giddy. Plain and simple. Some of the descriptions were spot on, but some were a bit cliche. I was able to overlook the insulting depiction of Southerns since the authors are not from the south. I figured, what do they know really? I mean, we aren't all ignorant an incapable of putting a grammatically correct sentence together. Unlike the "Southern Belles" in Beautiful Creatures. I'm just going to tell myself that the authors made them over the top to make a point. I'd also like to know what small town in South Carolina have a rich voodoo culture. Seems like the setting for this book would have been better in Lousianna somewhere than in South Carolina. I was also a little surprised by the point of view of the narrator. It was told from Ethan's perspective. Now, I love a good male narrator, but this didn't feel like a typical teenage boy. It felt more like a highly emotional girl was telling the tale. Not believable at all in my opinion. That was a drawback. But, like I said... I was able to over look all of this because the descriptions and amount of detail that went into building the setting was so fantastic.


The characters were also great. Ethan and Lena were interesting, even if they fell helplessly in love right from the start. I really have problems with that type of story, but that's for another time. It actually worked in Beautiful Creatures since their love story was based on a family curse from long ago. I would be wrong though, if I said they were my favorites. I really enjoyed Macon and Amma. They were my true favorites. I loved Amma's quirks and the mysteriousness surrounding Macon. I also loved the dog named after Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird. Priceless.


If you love a good paranormal romance/mystery, then this is for you! It has all the spooky elements of a paranormal read with just the right amount of mystery to keep you turning the pages.

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 Jessica

Beautiful Creatures is a southern gothic story with a paranormal twist. The book is presented from the view of a teenage boy, which is something different when it comes to many of the young adult paranormal books that have been published lately. Ethan has lost his mother, is losing his father, and being raised by a woman that practices voodoo. He is part of the "in" crowd at a school in a town that is set in its ways and he is struggling to become his own person.

The story twists around when a new girl comes to town and strange things happen around her. Things that cant be explained by anything other than her being a witch. Ethan gravitates towards her and realizes that shes the one hes been dreaming of. Literally dreaming of. He knows that something big is going to happen with her and he wants to protect her from it.

Its a story of a first love, one that can overcome all of the ridicule of a small town. Teenagers find their own way without giving in to the pressure of their friends and doing whats deemed normal. Ethan and Lena find out about their family trees in ways that make me want to start researching my lineage to find out where I come from. They realize that where they came from plays the most important part in where they are going.

Wonderful characters fill up this novel even straying from people to include a wolf masquerading as a dog and a house that is ever changing depending on the mood of its inhabitants. A lollipop addicted girl is just as bad as she looks, but having visions of death and destruction can actually be a good thing.

Reader reviewed by Melyssa

Nothing changes in the south, at least not in Gatlin, South Carolina, at least not for Ethan.  His family has lived in that same small town, many generations, on back to the civil war.  In fact the most interesting thing that has happened to him as of late is a repetitive nightmare, involving a girl he has never seen beyond his dreams.  But all of that is about to change, when that same girl shows up at Ethans high school.  Lena is different from any girl that Ethan has ever met, but she has a dangerous secret, a curse that becomes the focus of both of their lives.

 

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl was quite a ride, with an end that you just dont see coming.  One of my favorite aspects of the story was the psychic connection between Lena and Ethan.  How cool would it be to always have a link with someone you loved?  I also really liked the Lenas Uncle and Amma.  They added to the richness of and vividness of the story.  My only complaint is that the story is a little long.  While interesting, it could have be a teensy bit shorter and still achieved the same affect.  Lover of gothic, vampire, werewolf, angel, and/or mystical tales, will especially adore this book!