Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

A Beautiful Evil (Gods & Monsters #2)

by Kelly Keaton (Goodreads Author)

4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 · rating details · 2,196 ratings · 256 reviews

A power she can’t deny. A destiny she’s determined to fight.

When Ari first arrived in the dilapidated city of New 2, all she wanted was to figure out who she was. But what she discovered was beyond her worst nightmare. Ari can already sense the evil growing inside her—a power the goddess Athena will stop at nothing to possess.

Desperate to hold on to her humanity and prote...more

Kindle Edition, 306 pages

Published February 21st 2012 by Simon Pulse

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

YA Mythology Series

40th out of 169 books — 150 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

May 25, 2013 Petit-lips rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://lectures-petit-lips.blogspot.f...

Je vous conseille de ne pas lire mon avis si vous n'avez pas lu le premier tome intitulé Le noir lui va si bien.

Si j'ai beaucoup aimé le premier tome, je dois avouer que j'ai encore plus adoré celui-ci !

Ari a découvert beaucoup de choses en arrivant à New 2. En effet, elle est la descendante de Méduse et est la proie d'une terrible malédiction lancée par Athéna. Lors du dernier affrontement avec la déesse grecque, celle-ci a emporté Violet, une petite fill...more

like · see review

Jul 10, 2012 drey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads

We start A Beautiful Evil with Ari learning to fight, because she can’t afford to get whooped by Athena. Again. Not when Athena already has her father, and Violet. So Ari learns to fight.

Then she decides that this waiting thing is for the dogs, she’s going to break into Athena’s domain instead of wondering when (& where) Athena’s going to show. So off she goes, along with Sebastian and Henri. Only, things don’t go quite as Ari imagined they would, and she gets whooped. Again. So now Ari not...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 23, 2012 Erica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton was a delightful book that really stood up to its predecessor, Darkness Becomes Her. With it's enticing plot and cool play on mythology, A Beautiful Evil is sure to be a favorite!

I enjoyed the book book in this series, Darkness Becomes Her, but I wasn't absolutely blown away by it. A Beautiful Evil builds upon the foundation Darkness Becomes Her sets and explodes into a story that was just awesome. The stakes are high, there is action, and there is so many piece...more

like · see review

Jun 12, 2012 Alice Liu rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You know things are bad when the heroine of a book wants to die and you want her to die too. I'm usually not too picky about cliched story lines or unlikeable characters in a book as long as something or someone stands out and excites or inspires. Unfortunately, Ari stands aside and lets the people she cares about suffer for her. Ari, who wants to rescue Violet and her father from Athena, charges into situations unprepared, unfocused, and unwilling to use her powers because they make her feel li...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 14, 2012 Chrislives4books rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: family-curse-or-secrets, favorite-authors, magical-creature, royalty-and-gods

I have to say this second installment in the Gods and Monsters series was truly awesome and I think it hit a couple of my expectations on the nose and some were truly and totally knocked out of the water. I liked the ending a lot and cant wait to hear of the next installment to the series to find out where Athena stands.

The story takes place after the first book ends when the people Ari should have held close were stripped from her because of the Goddess Athena's jealousy. In New 2 a lot of thin...more

like · see review

Mar 20, 2012 Pamela Kramer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

'A Beautiful Evil' is the sequel to 'Darkness Becomes Her' by Kelly Keaton about a fictional future New Orleans (New 2) and a young woman trying to find out about her roots.

In this well-written fantasy, Ari continues to try to save her friend, Violet, from the Greek goddess Athena's grasp. To help her in her quest are her friends. Sebastian, a warlock vampire, is her romantic interest, and the rest of the "elite" from New 2 play important roles.

It's not a bad idea to reread 'Darkness Becomes Her...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 26, 2011 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

OMG! Kelly created a more amazing book!! This book answers so many questions and then leaves alot more in its wake!

Obviously Ari is still kicking ass and taking names as she did before but shes even better at it now and getting the answers she needs! She is worrying about everything and still moving forward. Ari doesn't let somethings get to her but Athena knows where to hit, right at the heart! Ari was alone so much she isnt used to caring about people but she doesnt even worry about it, she kn...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 09, 2013 Elb4966 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It could be worth more than 2 stars, if not for the pure stupidity of the characters.

Ari is afraid to harness her power because she does not want to become a gorgon, so she always stops herself before they fully manifest. Understandable. But the one time she decides to let loose and turn someone to stone, does she attack her enemy who is within striking distance. No. She leaps to unleash her power on the one she loves turning him to stone. Pure stupidity.

Up into this point, this book has been a...more

like · see review

Mar 27, 2012 OpenBookSociety.com rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Review brought to you by OBS reviewer Annabell

Review: Upon receiving a copy of A Beautiful Evil, which is the next installment in author Kelly Keaton’s Gods and Monsters Series, I was very excited! I had really enjoyed the first one and was looking forward as to how the story would progress. I was not disappointed!

A Beautiful Evil begins right where the first book left off and Ari is undergoing strenuous training under the eye of no-nonsense Bran at Presby in the hopes of finding a way to defeat...more Review brought to you by OBS reviewer Annabell

Review: Upon receiving a copy of A Beautiful Evil, which is the next installment in author Kelly Keaton’s Gods and Monsters Series, I was very excited! I had really enjoyed the first one and was looking forward as to how the story would progress. I was not disappointed!

A Beautiful Evil begins right where the first book left off and Ari is undergoing strenuous training under the eye of no-nonsense Bran at Presby in the hopes of finding a way to defeat Atehna and rescue both her father and Violet. The first one-third of the book deals with Ari training and gaining knowledge about Athena’s past so the pacing in A Beautiful Evil is slower than the first one until the middle of the book. But I did like being able to see what kind of training Ari went through and I really loved Bran’s character having more of a role. He has a take-no-nonsense attitude tougher than Ari and never apologizes for it. He is rude, sarcastic, and sexy.

Ari is still kicking butt and spitting sarcasm right and left. I liked that Ari was more vulnerable and open in the second installment. She has grown as a character which is nice to see. She is still impulsive, distrusting, and hardheaded but she has also learned to trust the people she has befriended better and accept their love. Sebastian begins the book as strong, loving, and sexy as in the first one and undergoes many changes later on in the novel that somehow managed to up his sex appeal. I look forward to seeing what his new found gifts add to his character in the next book. I really liked that in the second installment the reader gets a chance to know Ari’s father, Theron, better as well as Michael and Henri. Henri is awesome is the second installment! I really love his character.

Athena as the villain is perfect. She is undeniably evil in every sense and truly enjoys playing with her victims. In this version, the reader gains more knowledge on Athena’s backstory and where her anger comes from.

The only other problem in A Beautiful Darkness, outside of the slower pacing due to lack of action and too much description, was the fact that so much of the book was spent on Ari and Sebastian being tortured by Athena. I had wanted a bit more action and Ari fighting back more. I do understand this version was meant to show the way Athena destroys her enemies which is psychologically, but I still wanted Ari to kick more butt than she did!

The ending was great. It’s not exactly a cliffhanger but sort of like one. You know you can expect another installment but you know the journey Ari and Sebastian just went on has ended, at least for the time being.

A Beautiful Evil was a nicely done follow up in the Gods and Monsters Series. I love being able to get to know many of the characters more and am very curious to see what happens to Sebastian in the next book. I am also very curious to know how his new gifts end up affecting his relationship with Ari.

If you have not become a fan of Kelly Keaton’s Gods and Monsters Series, it’s time to jump on!

Note: Thank you to publisher Simon and Schuster for providing me with an advanced copy of the book.(less)

like · see review

Mar 12, 2012 TheBookSmugglers rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Original review posted on The Book Smugglers

A Beautiful Evil is the sequel to last year’s Darkness Becomes Her and it picks up right where the previous book left off. Ari, our cursed-to-become-a-gorgon-when-she-turns-21 protagonist is training to be able to tap into her dormant powers so she can face the powerful Goddess Athena and rescue her father and her friend Violet. She has also been allowed by the Novem – the supernatural families that run New 2, this world’s futuristic version of New Orl...more Original review posted on The Book Smugglers

A Beautiful Evil is the sequel to last year’s Darkness Becomes Her and it picks up right where the previous book left off. Ari, our cursed-to-become-a-gorgon-when-she-turns-21 protagonist is training to be able to tap into her dormant powers so she can face the powerful Goddess Athena and rescue her father and her friend Violet. She has also been allowed by the Novem – the supernatural families that run New 2, this world’s futuristic version of New Orleans – to visit their secret library to research the way to Athena’s secret realm and how to break her own curse.

A Beautiful Evil was an extremely frustrating read. I was wary to begin with, given my conflicted thoughts about Darkness Becomes Her and unfortunately ALL of the problems I had with the first book make a return with a vengeance (to the point I could comfortably copy and paste my thoughts from that review). Simply put, this series has an awesome premise and world-building but flawed execution, lacklustre secondary characters and formulaic writing.

First the positives: I like the world building and the main character a LOT. The Greek Mythology reimagining is everything I want from my Greek retellings. By making Athena – the Goddess of Wisdom and Strategy – into a power-hungry lunatic who likes to play with the lives of those who serve her and who has horribly cursed Medusa and her descendants, it competently takes into consideration what immortality and the passage of years can do to someone’s frame of mind. I love this because more often than not, in Fantasy, we come across immortal beings that don’t seem to be affected at all by all the time they have lived and all the things they have seen or endured.

With regards to Ari, our main character, I love that she is a mix of vulnerable and kick-ass, that she lives on that line where she is adamant she doesn’t want to become a gorgon because she doesn’t want to become a monster but is inevitably attracted to the power she has.

That’s about it though, when it comes to the positives. Unfortunately, none of the aforementioned aspects is enough to hold this story together when the execution of the plot is so rushed as to make it ridiculous and even conflicting with what we are told. Athena is – supposedly – one of the cleverest strategists and yet, leaves quite a few things to chance. The location of her temple is – supposedly – one of the most well guarded secrets of the ancient world and yet Ari finds all the clues to find it after a couple of visits to the library with a thoroughly easy way to open its alter-dimensional door.

Although I understand that there is an element of urgency given how Ari’s father is undoubtedly being horribly tortured by Athena, Ari and her friends rush into danger with no back-up, no training (unless you count the couple of sessions she had) and no real plan. Repeat after me:

ONES DOES NOT SIMPLY WALK INTO MORDOR.

And if you do, there has to be real consequences. But in the end, I felt that every single plot point is addressed, Athena was defeated (for now), Ari is sort of comfortable with her powers and has the hope to fight the curse and Ari and love-interest Sebastian walk into the sunset even though Ari does something really fucked up to him when they are taken by Athena. The resolution of that conflict is so rushed and dealt with in such a hand wavy manner as to be problematic (although there are things still left open, I do wonder if this is going to be the last book?).

Furthermore, the secondary characters are one-dimensional including Sebastian – his character is only surface deep, his descriptions don’t go much beyond his looks and even the one thing that might define him in terms of emotional conflict is disregarded with no real consequences. The writing relies on shortcuts (adrenaline that runs through veins to convey excitement; blood pressure rising to convey anger and so on and so forth). Not to mention how weird is it that the book is extremely violent, with horrible, graphic scenes of torture – both emotional and physical – and yet strangely PG when it comes to Sebastian and Ari’s romantic relationship. They pledge themselves to each other but don’t do a lot more than…hold hands.

In my review of the first novel, I said that it felt like reading a prequel. Well, this one reads like an entire series of 10 books condensed in 287 pages. Despite my misgivings with the first book, I still had hopes for the second book. I tried, I really did, to give this series a chance but I really don’t think this is going to get any better. It’s time to say goodbye. (less)

4 likes · like · see review

Feb 04, 2012 Bailey (IB Book Blogging) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I will be the first to admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of DARKNESS BECOMES HER. I knew the story had some serious promise, I just thought that Ari had a bit of growing up to do. I am so so so pleased to say that A BEAUTIFUL EVIL is an AMAZING sequel and far surpasses DARKNESS BECOMES HER in my opinion. The stakes are even higher for Ari and the romance between her and Sebastian even hotter! Even if you didn't like the first novel, you definitely have to at least give A BEAUTIFUL EVIL a shot....more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 29, 2012 Ashleigh Paige rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: could-have-been-so-much-better, fell-out-of-love-with-this-series, the-shameful-shelf-of-get-rid-of-it

Also appears on The Screaming Nitpicker.

My disappointment with A Beautiful Evil and most of the twists it brings to the story hardly surprises me, but it stings nonetheless, especially because reviewing this book would be as easy as copying and pasting my entire review from Darkness Becomes Her here. Sequels are supposed to offer some variety and improvements, not be more of the same in both the good and bad ways.

There are authors both professional and aspiring out there who would kill to have a...more

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 27, 2013 Cathy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mythology, romance, fantasy, urban, young-adult, paranormal, magic-users, twitter-author, read-in-2013, vampire

Well, where the last one was a 3.5 star that I wanted to round up to 4, this one I just have to round down. I still really like Ari, her voice is clear and I find her easy to relate to. I love the cast of kids supporting her, they really feel like a family. And the sense in the first book of too much of a good thing with all of the differently myths and creatures being pulled into one book worked more smoothly and naturally into this one once they didn't have to be introduced and explained const...more Well, where the last one was a 3.5 star that I wanted to round up to 4, this one I just have to round down. I still really like Ari, her voice is clear and I find her easy to relate to. I love the cast of kids supporting her, they really feel like a family. And the sense in the first book of too much of a good thing with all of the differently myths and creatures being pulled into one book worked more smoothly and naturally into this one once they didn't have to be introduced and explained constantly. The author's style is still smooth, and I liked the brisk pace and shorter length of the story for a change.

But. It was hard to feel bad for the kids in their predicament in the middle of the book. What did they think was going to happen? Just because they found a back door into the lair of the goddess of war didn't mean that a few barely trained kids would have any chance against her and her army of minions. It was so ill-conceived and ill-planned, it was kind of irritating. Ari could barely access her powers, their only real edge against Athena or any of her monsters or minions, so what was the point of trying to go up against her at this point? Desperation isn't an excuse for stupidity. The whole thing just felt so silly. At one point Ari even acknowledged how crazy it was, she said it was like a mouse going up against a t-rex. Yes, sure, there was a point, the plot moved on, things played out, but there was a lot of eye-rolling on my part during that whole middle chunk of the book. It's a tricky thing creating this situation where these kids are set up to battle the goddess of war and strategy, who even other gods are all frightened of, and somehow make it plausible. I think it might be more believable now that Ari and Sebastian have grown into their abilities more and gained more knowledge about what they need to do to move the fight forward. By the end I was starting to see where the author was going, and I like the way she writes and the characters enough to definitely stay along for the ride, but this book was a bit tricky for me. (less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 26, 2013 Tali rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: greek-mythology, young-adult, paranormal-fantasy

This is one of those occasions where I really would love Goodreads to have a half star rating as I really feel that I would prefer to give this novel, a sequel to Darkness Becomes Her, 3.5 stars rather than just 3. I did have to go away after I finished this book though and really think about my feelings towards it because they are somewhat mixed.
So here's what I liked about this story. I liked the characters. I think Ari and Sebastian are really great as the main protagonists. Their back storie...more This is one of those occasions where I really would love Goodreads to have a half star rating as I really feel that I would prefer to give this novel, a sequel to Darkness Becomes Her, 3.5 stars rather than just 3. I did have to go away after I finished this book though and really think about my feelings towards it because they are somewhat mixed.
So here's what I liked about this story. I liked the characters. I think Ari and Sebastian are really great as the main protagonists. Their back stories are engaging as are their struggles, and their relationship is nicely developed as it's more of a shy, paced romance with a certain sweetness as opposed to instances where the couple meets and falls in love almost instantly. Keaton has successfully avoided this trap and I applaud her for it. I would've liked to see more Violet in the story, especially given how often she was mentioned, but that's just because she was one of my favourite characters from the first in this series.
I also love the world building that the author has done and the twists in mythology that have been created around it. The world of New 2 and the Novem are wonderfully described and despite never have seen New Orleans, it really gives you a sense of the city while twisting what you already know about it. I also think that Keaton is really at her best when writing action scenes as this is where the novel came most alive to me, especially towards the end of the book.
So here's what I wasn't a fan of, the middle of the story. Whereas in the beginning, Keaton sets up Ari's training and what she learns in Pandora's Box brilliantly, the plot then descends into a kind of repetitive madness which I can only assume comes from either the writer or her editors thinking that there wasn't enough action. Instead of letting the pace of the story unfurl naturally as at the beginning and end of this book, the characters suddenly, and for no discernible good reason, decide to confront the villain of the piece, Athena, with no plan and no thought whatsoever. Not only is this jarringly out of character it also left me as a reader scratching my head as to what they thought they were doing. And not only does this happen once, but twice, each time with the same disastrous result. I almost didn't want to carry on reading the second time it happened. It just reads like a really cheap and badly planned plot device, and does Keaton's brilliant characters absolutely no credit.
Despite this, however, I still liked this book, although not as much as the first in the Gods and Monsters series, and I'm looking forward to the next novel. I just hope that it follows the example of the first book in plot style, rather than this one.
Veers off course in the middle, but push through that and the end is well worth sticking around for.(less)

like · see review

Jan 17, 2012 Damaris (GoodChoiceReading) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kelly Keaton really knows how to make her characters suffer. I thought Ari had it bad in Darkness Becomes Her, but what she goes through in A Beautiful Evil, if it were me, I would have crumpled into pieces and completely lost myself. Not Ari though. Even when she thought things were completely hopeless she never gave up. She would work her brain until she found a way.

A Beautiful Evil is just as action packed as Darkness Becomes Her and full of lots of twist that I did not see coming at all. My...more

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 28, 2012 Savannah (Books With Bite) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was so excited when this book came to my doorstep! Not only was it a surprise but I knew I would love it! Sure enough, this book captured me gluing my eyes to the pages.

What I liked most about this book is the characters growth in the book. I love it when an author can change a character so significantly right before your eyes. Ari is now in training and learning to use her powers. I loved that Ari had to be pushed, that so she can break that human barrier. I still love that Ari is so determi...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 28, 2012 Mitch rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review is a hard one to write - I guess I had a hard time connecting to the book. I had the same problem when reading the first one: the idea of dystopian mixing with mythology sounded like a good premise going in, but I don't think it worked for me. So anyway (previously in this series), the Greek goddess Athena destroyed New Orleans awhile ago, and the heroine, Ari, needed to go there to find out more info about her dead mother, and for some reason Athena's after her. Unfortunately, there...more

like · see review

Jun 20, 2012 Zabet The Dark Empress of Dark Chocolate rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-books, gods

This and other reviews can be found on Reading Between Classes

Cover Impressions: OOOOOOHHHHHH PRETTY! I love the colors and the transition from hair to snake reflecting Ari's pending transformation.

The Gist: Having survived Athena's attack, Ari attempts to learn about her enemy and formulate a plan for rescuing her father and friend, Violet. (Really. That's it. Can you tell that I am less than enthusiastic?)

Review: I love re-tellings of the Greek Myths. I am particularly fond of the Medusa myth...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 28, 2012 Amanda (GoodChoiceReading) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3.5 Stars

Darkness Becomes Her captured me. The story and the main character, Ari, both had this grittiness that I adored, and that remains true for Ari’s character in this second installment. The story, however, I didn’t find as interesting. There really isn’t much going on in A Beautiful Evil, although the few major scenes that are there definitely pack a punch. The book isn’t very long at just 285 pages, but I still felt like nothing was happening for most of the story. I didn’t even consider...more

like · see review

Jan 22, 2013 Florentina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-will-read-again, fev-ya, i-have-with-me, books-i-love, gods, funny, immortals, kelly-keaton, myths, paranormals, pyschic, shapeshifter, sorcerer, souls, werewolves, vampires, witches, action-packed

O ma gosh AM ADDICTED!!!!! Kelly Keaton is good... i really dnt know where to start i jst finish reading this book i cnt even wait for the next one. I actually went to her website and it said the next one is coming this year September CAN'T WAIT....this book is a page turner i couldn't put it down, gosh am so giving it 5 stars it deserves, Kelly Keaton deserves it am not gonna spoil it for anybody but its a book i will sooooooo recommend to anybody. Gosh i love Ari nd Sebastine,this book is a mu...more

like · see review

Jul 07, 2012 Jenni Arndt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You can read all of my reviews at Alluring Reads.

A Beautiful Evil is the much anticipated follow up to Kelly Keaton's A Darkness Becomes her. I read the first installment in the Gods & Monsters trilogy recently and immediately rushed out to get the second. I was blown away with the setting as well as the imaginative blend of dystopian/mythological elements and while I did feel that a lot of that was a bit lacking compared to the first it is still a worthy follow up. I do think that this one...more You can read all of my reviews at Alluring Reads.

A Beautiful Evil is the much anticipated follow up to Kelly Keaton's A Darkness Becomes her. I read the first installment in the Gods & Monsters trilogy recently and immediately rushed out to get the second. I was blown away with the setting as well as the imaginative blend of dystopian/mythological elements and while I did feel that a lot of that was a bit lacking compared to the first it is still a worthy follow up. I do think that this one suffers from second book syndrome a bit and was definitely not as impressed as I was with the first.

A Beautiful Evil starts off immediately where A Darkness Becomes her ends as Ari is faced with attending the Novem school Presby in order to harness her gift and utilize the not-so-secret library within. We are treated to her intense training sessions with the vigorous Novem Bran and enter the illusive library within Pandora's Box. Of course she finds out all sorts of useful information and becomes quite strong so she heads off on her quest to save her father and Violet from the evil Goddess Athena.

One of my favorite characters from the first, the essence of the city of New Orleans definitely took a back seat in this novel. There were minor street names in this but I felt like, where the first one flourished in the rich descriptions of the landscape this one definitely held back. But all of the other characters that I came to love were back in full force. Ari was still as strong and kick ass as ever (although a bit whiny and desperate at times, but I'll look past that.) Her love with Sebastian goes to a whole new level in this one and makes for an intense story arc that really spiced up the novel. The family dynamic created at their delapidated house in the Garden District is also escalated in this novel and something that I enjoyed very much.

While I definitely have a lot more issues with this one I still really enjoyed it. I think it could have stuck to its roots more but I will definitely be back for more in the next one.
(less)

like · see review

May 20, 2012 Kerri rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, e-book, young-adult, read-in-2012

Hm. A light, enjoyable read, but I wanted more from it, and at times the characters frustrated me.

The book picks up pretty much where the first one left off, which makes it easy when you're reading the books back to back like I was.

One thing I did like, though, was (view spoiler)

Once again I felt that t...more

like · see review

Dec 27, 2012 April rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Good job for book two... I wanted more of a connection with Ari at times...I felt like their was lots of information not pertinent to this book...and while I enjoyed Ari's fascination with the Garden District (who wouldn't -google images, it's beautiful) I felt like there should be a connection or a significance which wasn't given in this book..also a lot of back and forth with plot building. That being said, I really did enjoy the story. I gave four stars for a reason...It is a new and fresh ta...more

like · see review

Jun 18, 2012 Selen ozleyen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sonunda bitti. Telefonumla bu kadar ilgilenmeseydim belki daha önce biterdi. Neyse, mitolojik bir hikaye. Biricik tanrımız Athena kötü kadın rolünde. Ben onu hiç böyle düşünmezdim. Sırf seri bozulmasın diye almıştım. Çok sıkıldığımı itiraf etmeliyim. Okunacak daha güzel kitaplar var!

1 like · like · see review

Feb 12, 2012 Jodie (Books for Company) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

4.5/5
www.booksforcompany.com
In Short
- A Beautiful Evil is definitely action packed with lots of twists in
- I love how Kelly challenged her characters
- The characters and their relationships grew stronger in this book
- I do feel that this could have been rounded off nicely without needing a 3rd in the series
- I would have loved for Kelly to just go over what happened in Darkness Becomes Her

In Long
I have to admit that I sadly didn’t remember much from Darkness Becomes Her but I did remember that...more 4.5/5
www.booksforcompany.com
In Short
- A Beautiful Evil is definitely action packed with lots of twists in
- I love how Kelly challenged her characters
- The characters and their relationships grew stronger in this book
- I do feel that this could have been rounded off nicely without needing a 3rd in the series
- I would have loved for Kelly to just go over what happened in Darkness Becomes Her

In Long
I have to admit that I sadly didn’t remember much from Darkness Becomes Her but I did remember that I loved it so I was very excited to read A Beautiful Evil. A Beautiful Evil didn’t really recap much from Darkness Becomes Her which sadly meant it took a while for everything to come back to me. But it did! Slowly I started to remember things and the more I remembered the more I got into the book.

The main thing I love about this book is the twists and turns throughout it. Keaton did an amazing job at keeping my attention throughout most of the book and I was surprised constantly by twists which I didn’t expect. I also love how Keaton doesn’t seem to hold much back. She puts her characters through a very hard time and it left me feeling shocked and very sorry for poor Ari. But I really liked that Kelly dares to go that little bit further than most authors do and push her characters to the limit.

The characters got stronger in this book as well as the relationships. I enjoyed getting to know Ari more in this book although I didn’t find myself becoming any fonder of her. I can’t really say much about any of the other characters as I sadly couldn’t place them due to not being able to remember them from the previous book. I would have loved for Keaton to just go over who they are in a subtle way.

I don’t know if there is going to be a third in this series, the ending makes me think there is but this kind of puts me off this book. I found that although I enjoyed this book a lot the actual story could have ended after A Darkness Becomes Her and it can definitely end with A Beautiful Evil. I feel like Keaton has took her characters as far as they can go and has tested them as much as possible.

Final Thoughts
I did enjoy A Beautiful Evil, it’s action packed with twists throughout the book which will keep you guessing what’s going to happen next for the whole book. I do feel that this book could have been rounded up nicely but I am guessing it’s been left open for the 3rd in the series. I don’t feel too excited about reading a 3rd in the series as I feel everything has happened that needs to. I am sure I would read the 3rd though and hope that Keaton would blow me away. (less)

like · see review

Mar 16, 2012 Leann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ari is an unusually beautiful teenager, with an unusual family history. Ari is attending a private school in New 2 (formerly New Orleans, before the hurricanes) however, this school teaches not only education basics but also how to fight and use various weapons. She is allowed to study in the private library, really Pandora’s Box. Ari must learn how to harness her skills ( from her ancestor, Medusa) in order to go back and fight Athena in order to free her father and a young girl. She is assiste...more

like · see review

Apr 10, 2013 Teri rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a DEFINITE must read! This sequel is even more exciting and intense than the first book. There are places in this story that break my heart! But I LOVE the ending. Sooo romantic! I hate spoilers, so not going to go there, but I will say that everyone has things they don't like about themselves. Ari could give us all a lesson on acceptance and learning to like even those things none of us find especially attractive.

The only downer was the swearing, but I was greatly relieved that it had c...more

like · see review

Apr 19, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teen-action, teen-adventure, teen-apocalyptic, teen-dystopian, teen-fantasy, teen-foster-adoption, teen-girl, teen-gods-and-mythology, teen-paranormal-romance, teen-vampire

Kelly Keaton's first book in this series Darkeness Becomes Her broke paranormal ground, and captured the imagination with it's luscious macabre atmosphere, refreshing spin on the paranormal, and the strong female lead. A Beautiful Evil picks up the tone perfectly, with Ari struggling through a brutal self-defense class at Presby, her new high school, filled with the Novem's powerful heirs. The plot line is a bit predictable with Ari charging into battle before she's ready, a la Harry Potter or...more

like · see review

Mar 06, 2012 Octavia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kick-ass-heroines, i-m-addicted-series, fan-girl-rant, awesomeness, best-i-ve-read-in-2012

So I read this right after I finished Darkness Becomes her and I can honestly say this one was a lot better to me. I did like the 1st one but there were to many instances where Ari got on my nerves. A Beautiful Evil had enough action in it to make me want to just jump straight to the end but I was also more wrapped up in the characters this time. I do think it was paced a little fast, but I don't know if I can honestly log that as a complaint. Sebastian just keep getting yummier by the page. I w...more

like · see review

Feb 22, 2012 Michel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Pretty good. The second book made a better impression on me than the first.

What I liked about the book:
Gorgons! Whew, a new mythical creature. Although the book has vampires, witches and lycanthropes, the main character is one I haven't seen in alot of young adult books.

Minor characters that you can't get enough of. Ms. Keaton wrote in characters that you get invested in. I cannot wait to find out what happens with Michel, Henri and Violet (what is she anyway?!) and even Athena.

The book flowed...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Teen and YA Book ...: 2) A Beautiful Evil	1	4	Apr 17, 2013 04:01pm

combine
Other Editions (8)

More editions...

Genres

Young Adult

82 users

Fantasy > Mythology

80 users

Fantasy

54 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

53 users

Paranormal > Vampires

39 users

Mythology > Greek Mythology

22 users

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

21 users

Romance

20 users

Paranormal > Witches

20 users

Fantasy > Supernatural

18 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Embers and Echoes
by Karsten Knight
A Touch Morbid
by Leah Clifford
Sweet Shadows
by Tera Lynn Childs
The Wood Queen
by Karen Mahoney
The Nightmare Garden
by Caitlin Kittredge

About Kelly Keaton

Kelly loves ancient history, fantasy, and mythology. She dreams of one day attaining magical powers, discovering the secret to immortality, ridding her home of pet hair, and being crowned Mardi-Gras queen. As Kelly Gay, she writes the popular adult urban fantasy series, Charlie Madigan, for Pocket Books. While she calls Raleigh, NC, home, she can also be found chatting about books and life on Face...more

More about Kelly Keaton...

Books by Kelly Keaton

Darkness Becomes Her (Gods & Monsters, #1)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About A Beautiful Evil

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from A Beautiful Evil

“There is power within great sacrifice, within noble deeds. There are moments... brief, shining moments when the impossible becomes possible.” — 17 people liked it

“Sebastian's eyes were the color of smoke and silver. His pale skin, raven hair, and naturally dark red lips, paired with a rebel attitude and a poet's soul, pulled me in like a dark, magnetic force.” — 14 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: A Beautiful Evil
avg rating	preview: A Beautiful Evil Goodreads rating: 4.14 (2196 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11719946-a-beautiful-evil?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328302987l/11719946.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11719946-a-beautiful-evil?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton[/url]

A Beautiful Evil (Gods & Monsters #2)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website