Beautiful Creatures Review

Monday, September 20, 2010


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.
Taken from GoodReads.

Beautiful Creatures follows the story of Ethan Wate, a sophomore at a little school in the middle of nowhere in the deep South - a tiny town called Gatlin. Nothing ever changes. In Gatlin, everyone knows everyone, and there are no such things as secrets until the new girl comes along. Lena Duchannes is unlike any person Ethan has ever met, and he's strangely drawn to the enigmatic girl, despite the warnings of everyone in town. As secrets begin to unravel and mysteries come light, Ethan discovers that he and Lena have a connection, and it's a connection with deep roots in the past.

I can't believe it's taken me this long to read Beautiful Creatures. I put it off forever because it's massive, and I was afraid I'd read it and it wouldn't live up to the hype. Let's face it - that happens a lot these days. Beautiful Creatures is a collaboration between authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl who wanted to create a story that combined the rich nature of Southern gothic history and a unique paranormal story. The result, Beautiful Creatures, is the epitome of everything they tried to create.

Beautiful Creatures is alive with detail and intrigue, and once the story gets going, there is action on nearly every page. The highlight of the book for me was the intense imagery that let me delve into the world of Beautiful Creatures. I also loved how the book incorporated numerous parallels and references to one of my all-time favourites, To Kill a Mockingbird. All that taken into account, I have to say I had a really hard time getting to know Lena in this book, and I often felt that Ethan's emotions were rather surface-level only at times. It took me a while to get to know them, but once I did, I really enjoyed the voice of the story.

All in all, Beautiful Creatures is a well-crafted story with an original idea. The heart of the story, once you reach it, is beautiful and well-written, and you won't be able to put it down. I give it a very strong 4 out of 5, and I would recommend it to fans of YA, paranormal, and historical fiction (weird, eh?), as well as those who love a good, sweet romance. The sequel, Beautiful Darkness, releases October 12, 2010.

24 comments:

  1. Awesome review, Melissa!! I've kinda been putting this one off for the same reasons (that and I have too many review books) I'm glad that this one lives up and hey, if's for fans of romance and historicals, it sounds perfect for me!

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  2. ohh, very nice!
    BC has been patiently sitting on my shelf all summer, and like you, I've been putting off reading it because of all the hype. But I'll have to get it on the calendar!
    Thanks for the awesome review, girl!

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  3. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed this. I can understand why you put off reading it - doorstop sized, huh?! I found Ethan completely believable but it is interesting to see another viewpoint.

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  4. Enjoyed the review! I too have held off on this one, but not for the length...just not enough time to work it in for a read! ^_^ From what I've seen of the reviews for this one...your thoughts echo loud and clear. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm with the title....and happy reading!

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  5. I've put off reading this one as well. Not really intentionally, it's just never made it to the top of my TBR. But it sounds great and I think I'll read it when we get closer to the release date for book 2.
    Happy reading!

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  6. It's great that you liked it! Unfortunately I couldn't finish it. =/ Anyway, great review!

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  7. I like that it lived up to the hype, cos yes, many sure doesn't.

    I saw it at my friend's library..so if I am ever in that town again, I will so pick it up

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  8. Thanks for the review!
    There are some positives to putting it off, you won't have to wait as long for the sequel.

    This was a gorgeous story and I think that to be done by two authors, it is seamless.

    Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog

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  9. My problem with Ethan was how perfect he seemed to be. Lets face it... no 15-16 year old boy is that amazing ALL the time! =) Haha (No offense to any boys that read this.) Great review!

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  10. I still have yet to get around to this book as well! I hear some fantastic things!
    And you're welcome for the Supernatural post! haha gotta love my Winchester boys ;)

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  11. Great review Melissa! This one wasn't for me...I couldn't get past 120 pages. But everyone else seems to love it...maybe I'll try it again later. :)

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  12. Great review - I also have yet to read this one, so will be on the look out for it! Glad it actually lived up to the hype. I hate it when books end up disappointing!

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  13. I've been putting it off too. Your review makes me want to pick it up soon :)

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  14. I find it interesting that one of the things you mentioned you loved was the imagery. I think this is particularly impressive because it was written by two people. Every time I know this, I try to look for where one voice ends and the other begins. Did you notice anything like this or was it smooth? Thanks for the review!

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  15. I like your review. Short and sweet. Plus you had the thought of it pulling some concepts from To Kill a Mocking Bird. Honestly, I never made that connection until I pondered it.

    Thanks for making me think. I know it doesn't happen as often as it should. J/K.

    Black Disaster Fairy

    http://literarydaydreams.blogspot.com
    http://wickedsexybooks.blogpsot.com
    http://ikissbooks.blogspot.com

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  16. I just saw the two authors at the Smart Chicks Kick It tour here in Houston! They seem really cool but I still haven't read this one :)

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  17. Ooh, Beautiful Creatures was great. The imagery was the one thing I really liked. Everything else was amazing too. I'm curious about Beautiful Darkness and I can't wait to read it :D Lovely review!

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  18. i have this on my bedside table and have been procrastinating reading it for the smae reasons you said (afraid it wont live up to the hype). i should probably just put aside a good hour and get into it, yeah?

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  19. I have not read this one either. Love the review though and it is making me think it is about time to get this one.

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  20. Glad you enjoyed this one! I can't wait until Beautiful Darkness! I loved the southern setting for this one! And the rockin' librarian ;)

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  21. I am glad you enjoyed this one! I absolutely fell in love with the characters and the setting! Am very much looking forward to the follow-up Beautiful Darkness! :)

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  22. Melissa,
    I just got this book, and met the authors, and I really, really can't wait to read it.

    They also said they wrote the book based on a dare from their daughters. How fun is that?!

    Great review. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

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  23. This is already on my wishlist. Now I'm really looking forward to reading it. Thanks for sharing a great review.

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  24. Wonderful review! It's been so long since I've read this book that I feel like I need to re-read it before Beautiful Darkness comes out. I have the audiobook though, so I think I'll give that a shot. Hopefully I enjoy it as much the second time around as I did the first.

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