Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Creatures

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

563 Pages

Published December 1st 2009 by Little, Brown and Company

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.

Prior to this week I felt like everyone had read this series besides me - now I know why - this book was spectacular! If you want a story full of magic, intense family secrets and plenty of historical references, Beautiful Creatures is the right book for you!

Characters

I loved the characters in this book. Lena was very mysterious at first, as was her family. There were so many things even she didn't know about herself. She was shy and not the best with people, having been run out of a previous school. I liked how she was stronger than she used to be, trying to ignore the harsh words from almost the entire town. She wasn't backing down and she wasn't going to let them ruin her life. 

Ethan was a sweetheart for the most part. He gave up his previous life to be with Lena, even when she was trying to push him away. He wasn't a jerk like most teenage boys, not like most of the kids from his basketball team. He was strong and inquisitive, trying to unearth the many mysteries of the town. 

Plot

For me, the plot was the strongest part of this story. I loved all the twists and turns, the mysteries and intense shared secrets. I loved learning about the families histories through visions from the locket and trips to the library. History of the casters and the curse Lena's family is under really got my attention, leaving me turning the pages well into the night. and the ending - the song changing from 16 moons to 17.. sounds like the race to find an out is back on! I've already ordered the boxed set, I need to read more! :)

Writing Style

I simply loved the writing style in this book. With two authors you'd expect it to be choppy in some ways, but I couldn't even tell. Everything flowed smoothly from chapter to chapter and I loved the little bits of foreshadowing that were going on the entire book. Beautiful Creatures captivated me and left me wanting more!