Mar 24, 2010

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1), by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Summary (from BeautifulCreaturestheBook.com):

Some loves are meant to be…
others are cursed.

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
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.


My Opinion:

WOW. Just WOW. Do I need to elaborate?

I'm not sure there are enough words to explain just how wow-worthy this book is, but I'll try.

Know that I do not like to post two posts on the same day (this being a Waiting on Wednesday), but I'm making an exception here.

(FYI, this is going to be a review full of fangirlying)

I do need to say this, and I apologise in advance:

OH MY FREAKIN' GOD!
(In a Southern accent)
KAMI AND MARGIE, YOU ARE TRULY WRITING GODDESSES!
I LOVE BOTH OF YOU!
THANK YOU FOR HAVING WRITTEN THIS BOOK!

There, I needed to get it out of my system. On to the review.

This book is the longest I've read in a while, but I wish it would've kept on going, I didn't want it to end.

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.

Everything's been the same in old Gatlin for as long as Ethan can remember. He's gone to school with the same people every year, he's played with his best friend every day since he was little, he knows who's gonna win the election for Snow -I mean, Ice- Queen every time.
He always knows how the movie's gonna end.

At least, that’s what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

A nightmare haunts Ethan's nights. One where he's not alone. There's a girl with him, but he can't see her face, he can just smell her. She smells of lemons and rosemary. And they're falling, never able to come too close. She slips away from his grasp every time. Even his dreams never change. He's had this nightmare for months now.
But to Ethan's surprise, along comes a girl ready to turn his world upside down.

There was a curse. There was a girl.

That girl is Lena Duchannes. Dressed in all black, Ethan first sees her in the school's halls. And he's mesmerized by her immediately.
And when he goes looking for her, it hits him. The girl from his dreams -more like his nightmares- is here. She's real, and he can't believe she's so close to him, when in his dreams, they fell more and more apart.

But Lena's an outsider, she's seen as an intruder, and to top it all, she's the town's crazy shut-in's niece. Ethan doesn't care about this, about any of it, because she's the one he's been dreaming of all this time. And he has to know her. Even if that can kill him.


And in the end, there was a grave.

Ethan and Lena become fast friends, a friendship that'll later blossom into love. But she could leave him anytime, because the curse upon her is a very old, very powerful one. He tries to help her find the loopholes in this curse, but the closer they get, the worse it is.

Secrets and lies and spells and voodoo intertwine and it is up to Ethan to help Lena survive.


I loved everything about this book, I wouldn't change a single thing. Margie and Kami do a great job describing the town and its people. Their sacred traditions, and the rolls every one of them plays in their lives.

I think Amma was my favourite character; being Ethan's only parent (his mum died, and his dad is locked up in his study) she's taken upon herself the job to raise him well. But of course, like everything in this book, there's more to her than you would know.

I also liked how well characterised Ethan was. And Lena. And Uncle Macon. And Marian. Everyone, really.

Everything was there and done for a reason. Everything had a purpose.

I felt like Ethan a little, because I was able to guess some parts of the ending -in this case- of the book. Whenever this happens, I feel a little proud of myself. :D

And Oh. My. God, the kissing scenes! Ahhh! I just died a little every time I read them, I LOVED their description of how it felt like, it made me feel butterflies in my stomach.

The twists and turns this novel took were more and more exciting. I kept on reading until my eyes were closing at 3 a.m. It only took me three days to read this, that's how good it is and how much I loved it. Only a good book can keep me up at night.

And now, for the Monkey Rating, because I loved this book so much: 6 Monkeys!
(Please note that the highest rating is of 5 monkeys. Yep.)

I never reviewed Harry Potter because I read it before having started this blog, but I'd give it this rating too. I am a die hard HP fan, and now, a BC fan too. Can't wait until Beautiful Darkness, and, I have to say, I guessed its title right the first time Kami and Margie asked us what we thought it'd be.

Because there's something you don't know. I'm a Caster Girl too.
And I'll even tell you what I am. I am a Sybil, a face reader. So be careful when you're around me if you don't want me finding out your dirty secrets!


Link(s): Ha ;)

4 monkey thought (s):

Jess (The Cozy Reader) said...

Guess you'd be happy to know there's going to be a movie too! :)

Ella Preuss said...

I know, but not just one, like five!
So excited!

Gaby G said...

Everybody keeps saying I have to read this book....!!!!

Unknown said...

Such a great book, right?? :o) Love it.

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