Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Hardcover, 563 pages

Published December 1st 2009 by Little, Brown and Company
Source: Own
Buy the book: Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

"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.

There's a lot of "differences" in this book when compared to others. Love, love the different perspective taken on magic in this book.Another is the POV that it is written from, Ethan's, instead of the heroine's. That itself should tell you the thought that the authors put into this book. It comes from a male perspective in a period there were very few of them, even compared to today. 

There is A LOT of back story in the beginning of the book. Yes, it is somewhat long to a few people, but I see it as an essential tool. Otherwise, the rest of the story would not have the meaning that it did, especially Ethan's reason and purpose for his actions. The pacing in this book is awesome once you get the back story. You always want to just keep turning pages because something else is happening and you can't wait to see where it goes. The concept of Casters and other magical creatures in this book is eerie and utterly realistic. I've even had friends stop reading the book because they say it hit too close to home and they could see these events happening. It is that well written and reflects a lot of the southern aspects that I grew up in and love. Toss in the Gothic style southern POV on the setting and it is a fantastic foundation for magic.

The characters in this book are phenomenal, especially the villains. Ethan is a great example of a steadfast southern boy. He will absolutely make you laugh until you hurt and then melt your heart the next minute. I would like to keep him in a box just for safekeeping. Lena has so many layers to her that it takes the entire book to just begin to fold them back. It makes for long journey as you watch her spread her "magical" wings as the days to her claiming tick away. Even the supporting characters like Link and Macon are amazing. I could read books about either of them as well and be happy. Link is that friend that would not question you if you called him and said "I need your help, bring a shovel and a bag of lye." He would simply show up and nod his head. Macon is the parental figure that everyone wants growing up, but, be warned, he will break your heart by the end of the book. And the villains....wonderful. Creepy, mean people that makes you wonder and question if everyone has a side like that. You won't even look at your neighbor the same way again after getting to know these characters. 

Be prepared to be wowed and ready to crave more after this book. Actually, buy the set. You won't regret it.   

The movie is coming out on February 13th, learn more at IMDB!