Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1)

My rating:

add to my books

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles #1)

by Kami Garcia (Goodreads Author), Margaret Stohl (Goodreads Author)

3.79 · rating details · 29,618 ratings · 4,153 reviews

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 ...more

Hardcover, 563 pages

Published December 1st 2009 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!

Friend Reviews

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

Lists with This Book

Judge A Book By Its Cover!

17th out of 1,410 books — 3,355 voters

Books That Should Be Made Into Movies

62nd out of 6,086 books — 17,244 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 53,368)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Sep 09, 2010

Tatiana rated it

Recommends it for: fans of teenage male protagonists acting like 35-year old women a la Shiver's Sam

Recommended to Tatiana by: huge internet buzz

Shelves: 2009, why-the-hype, ya, romancelandia, series-dropped-or-bad

Ugh, another overhyped paranormal YA creation. When will I learn not to buy into hype? Just like so many readers, I gave into the favorable internet buzz and opened the book with an expectation of it to be something special. Unfortunately, "Beautiful Creatures" was just another painfully boring overlong dud.

Having finally finished this book with a high level of irritation and disappointment, I decided to check out the favorable reviews to see what people liked about the story...more

like 226 likes

· see review

Jan 18, 2010

Cara rated it

Shelves: 2010, fantasy, male-protagonist, paranormal, series, awesome-covers

"Mortals. I envy you. You think you can change things. Stop the universe. Undo what was done long before you came along. You are such beautiful creatures."
Doesn't that line just give you the shivers?!?!?!?

I doubt that they are people who will read this and not have a big impression. What am I saying?! I mean a HUGE impression. You know when you read a book and just immerse yourself in it? I'm sure most of you know the feeling. I kept reading into the night having n...more"Mortals. I envy you. You think you can change things. Stop the universe. Undo what was done long before you came along. You are such beautiful creatures."
Doesn't that line just give you the shivers?!?!?!?

I doubt that they are people who will read this and not have a big impression. What am I saying?! I mean a HUGE impression. You know when you read a book and just immerse yourself in it? I'm sure most of you know the feeling. I kept reading into the night having no semblance of sleep,and staying awake on interest alone. I could not believe my eyes when I looked at the window when I finished the book to see light peeking out. Suffice to say I'm hooked.

This book is told through our male protagonist Ethan Wate, which was refreshing. There isn't any real good way to describe him other than devoted I think. Ethan lives in the boring southern town of Gatlin, where nothing changes and the Civil War is called the war of Northern Aggression. Nothing of note happens and there aren't really any secrets but really nothing can be further from the truth. This town is hopping with secrets, really really juicy ones. Ethan doesn't come to realize this until a new girl, Lena, comes into town. Now this is where our story begins...

Gosh there is so much to say but I doubt I could get it all done. This book has mystery (a lot of it), Southern culture (a character in itself), magic (like you have never seen before), and one of the best romances I've seen lately (no joke). Can you tell I like parentheses a tad too much? Don't answer that. Any who I have to commend the authors of telling a story that I could no way tell it was written by two people. The writing is seamless and draws you in no matter what is happening. Reading this is a bit of an undertaking because it is a 500 some odd pages and has a lot of back story, but it's totally worth it. My favorite character would have to be Amma (Ethan's no nonense fill in parent since his mother died). What makes this story work is that there is such rich desriptions of the characeters, their lives, the surroundings, and even the minor characters jump out at you. One little teeny irk: I doubt Ethan would notice way too much about what everybody was wearing, but I guess how else were we suppose to know? The ending clearly indicates there will be a sequel, or there BETTER be one! I kept trying to guess how to solve it, but I didn't get it till the end. Some things I could see coming because you know it really could never end another way.

Basically this is a story of a boy who loves a girl but it's with the extra touch of magic.

Later note: Found out there is a sequel! Check out Beautiful Darkness (less)

like 64 likes

· see review

Oct 14, 2010

karen rated it

Shelves: why-yes-i-ya

oh my god, shusshify with all the loving on this book! this is another example of the world conspiring to tell me untruths. like, that sarah jessica parker is really hot.

"yeah, i don't know, she's kind of got a weird face, i am just not attracted to her"

"no! she is hot!! look at her dress!!! look at her shoes!!"

"yeah, no - i get it - her clothing is expensive, but she's just so oddly skinny and she has devil eyes."

"...more

like 87 likes

· see review

Feb 02, 2010

Heather rated it

Shelves: 2010, ya, loathed

It has taken me a small eternity to write this review. I was down a hand for I had to use my left index finger to clamp down on my left eyelid in order to stop the twitching that began around page 65 of Beautiful Creatures. Meet the culprit.

“As I lay down, she sat up, I sat up, she laid down, I laid down. Awkward.”

Hell, now the right one is doing it.

To quote Hawkeye, from the 1991 movie version of Last of the Mohicans, Beautiful Creatures is “a breed apart and makes no sense” th...more

like 99 likes

· see review

Nov 25, 2011

Kira rated it

Shelves: books-to-use-as-weapons, will-never-ever-finish, ya, train-wreck-romance, made-no-sense, lost-the-will-to-live, made-me-want-to-choke-myself

Poop! Crap! Garbage! Crap!

Wow.

Like, wow.

I never thought I'd try reading this book again. Last time I made an attempt at it, I was a lot stupider and I kind of disgraced myself, so I tried to erase this book from my existence.

It worked fine, until a few weeks ago my friend Alicia came up to me and went all teenybopper on my ass, telling me how ZOMG amazing this book is. I told her I'd tried to read it before and thought it was absolute shit, so she ...more

like 30 likes

· see review

Nov 16, 2009

Kristi (The Story Siren) added it

Shelves: own-arc, books-i-own, signed-arcs, signed-books

Three words; unique, epic & addictive

Wow. I mean really, wow. I have no words. I really have no words. It's so much more easier for me to give reasons why I don't like something, rather than try to explain why I do. I mean, I don't know why I like something. I just do!

But let's see if I can explain this coherently. It took awhile for me to get into the story. Initially you get a lot of information, and I wasn't exactly sure where it all was headed. However, you needed tha...more

like 18 likes

· see review

Dec 25, 2009

Kasia rated it

Shelves: young-adult, southern-nostalgia, romance, urban-fantasy, 1st-in-series

Southern Gothic, huh? Haunted mansions, prejudiced folk and proper manners. Well it's all that alright. And makes a damn good debut, I'll tell you as much. It's being sold as the next Twilight and as of now it does too deliver on that front, although time will eventually show if it is indeed so. The prognosis is favorable with plenty of rave reviews, not as rave as the Edward-Jacob-fans, but still, rave enough to make me wary. I was a little suspicious of the buzz, not wanting to waste time on y...moreSouthern Gothic, huh? Haunted mansions, prejudiced folk and proper manners. Well it's all that alright. And makes a damn good debut, I'll tell you as much. It's being sold as the next Twilight and as of now it does too deliver on that front, although time will eventually show if it is indeed so. The prognosis is favorable with plenty of rave reviews, not as rave as the Edward-Jacob-fans, but still, rave enough to make me wary. I was a little suspicious of the buzz, not wanting to waste time on yet another over-hyped ya read. The plan was to hold of with acquiring and reading until one of my trusted sources over here on Goodreads reads and reviews it first. Well, clearly, that did not happen.

I guess advertising really works. They got to me after all. Not that I'm holding a grudge, I do not regret reading the book. But I do not love it, as I was promised I would. Even though for a moment there, as I just started getting into the story, I felt the tingly loving sensation*. The main causes for it were the strong mystery angle, and all the withheld information. I was intrigued, I was curious, I was excited. Up to a point. When you drag out one straight suspense story for over 600 pages without throwing in any twists, it will get old fast, long before the 600 page mark. Slowly releasing chunks of information, doesn't work either. When shit hits the fan, it should be hot, steaming, and juicy, otherwise the whole effect is lost. Dried out, crunchy dung is unspectacular, does not stain, and no longer has any impact.

In summary, the suspense went to pooper, so to speak. Fortunately, there's the love angle, for the romantics. The numerous references to renown literary works, for bibliophiles. Few jokes and quirky characters, for those like to laugh with/at people**. And all that is smarty stuffed into chapters, each ending on a clever note, so that every time you make a reading break, you're left thinking "Ooh, witty!"

Not that I oppose such strategy. It's slightly manipulative, but not a great offence. If only there was as much thought put into plot as into this chapter styling, I would be ecstatic. With young-adult-lit, typically it's all tension, pacing, tension, pacing... But even if I agree to disregard this dear to me ya-rule, even if I forget the unexciting middle, even then in my humble opinion, any 600 long build-up deserves a solid KABOOM. And I was given: only a tiny one, no resolution, and a possibility of sequel***. So yeah, I'm not ecstatic. But then I was never really ecstatic Twilight either (only a tiny little), so what do I know?

_______________________________________________
*Yet that died out.

**I myself am amused when an old lady whacks her sisters dog solid mistaking him for a wharf rat. And so I could have used more of that goodness, just saying.

***Which I could do without, but I might be tempted to read, dammit. Somebody stop me.(less)

like 13 likes

· see review

Apr 09, 2010

Alethea rated it

Recommends it for: post-Twilight YA readers

Recommended to Alethea by: Kristen Harvey

SUN, APRIL 18 at 2 pm - Meet Kami & Margie at Borders Glendale (CA)
RSVP here: http://bit.ly/grbeautifulc

Beautiful Creatures is exactly what I aspire to be as a human being: pretty, funny, and smart all in one package. Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl have written a seamless and utterly absorbing tale of a cursed romance: a Mortal boy who falls for a Caster girl in a small Southern town. Meaningful thoughts about love, loyalty, and prejudice unfold from this intricately parsed nov...more

like 18 likes

· see review

Jul 15, 2010

Annalisa rated it

Recommended to Annalisa by: Annie

Shelves: young-adult, romance, fantasy

From some of the reviews I've read, I was sure the writing was going to be atrocious. It's not. Sure there are times when it's repetitive and there's quite a few inconsistencies (where someone would say or do something and then contradict it a few pages later) and there were times when I had no idea what was going on (like where Ethan maybe almost had a heartache I guess and I thought it was some psychedelic love scene until it was explained at the end), but there are also moments of brilliance,...moreFrom some of the reviews I've read, I was sure the writing was going to be atrocious. It's not. Sure there are times when it's repetitive and there's quite a few inconsistencies (where someone would say or do something and then contradict it a few pages later) and there were times when I had no idea what was going on (like where Ethan maybe almost had a heartache I guess and I thought it was some psychedelic love scene until it was explained at the end), but there are also moments of brilliance, in writing. The description was often vivid and I appreciate that it isn't uber-cheesy. I liked the Southern goth thing, especially Uncle Macon and Boo Radley and the changing house. In the beginning, I loved the setting of a Southern town and some of the quirky humor with which it was described. By halfway through though, I was sick of the over-stereotypical Southern town and over Garcia's and Stohl's mockery of it. I wish they hadn't wasted so much of the book making fun of the South.

Some issues I had with the book:
1. I didn't believe, not for one second, that Ethan was a guy. Forget a teenager (which I didn't see either), there was nothing masculine about him. I can appreciate the lack of male protagonists in YA fiction, but if you're female writing a guy, you better make him more male than a guy would. You can't make him distinguish the smell of rosemary and then go on for a page an a half about the dresses girls wear to dances and then all the decorations to the dance and make him overanalyze the behavior of the girl he likes. And you absolutely cannot make your protagonist disgusted that other guys appreciate a girl's body and want to distance yourself from such crude behavior. Whether you want to believe it or not, all guys notice those things, even the goody-goodies. Guys have this thing about being one of the guys and blending in. They don't like to stand out. And if they do (and if they're as well read as a college graduate who hangs out with his great aunts on the weekends), there is no way they would be popular. Even the way they described the way he packed away food sounded like the way girls are appalled that guys eat so much. The only way I could read Ethan was as a personification of the authors as a teenage boy with all their girliness. I know that doesn't make sense either, but it worked for me, except for those moments when I was surprised to remember Ethan was a guy. Sometimes he couldn't be anything but a girl.

A few technicalities about guy things: Basketball. Centers aren't the stars of a basketball team. They don't get fouled every few second and they aren't the ones making the bulk of the shots. Garcia and Stohl could have meant regular baskets instead of fouls and mis-worded, but even then a center wouldn't be shooting from the free throw line. They're the big guys in the center who get shots off rebounds, not the ones dribbling up and down the court and making shots from the outside. And a guy who is on a sports team is ultra-dedicated to his team and the game and the season, especially if he's the star of the team. Guys don't let girls get between them and their game or their friends like girls do. Bands. This was worded vaguely, but I got the impression that Link, who is a drummer, was the main vocals in his band. Never going to happen. Lead singers are guitarist, bass players if you want, or just vocals, but not the guy in the back on the noisy drums setting the rhythm for the whole band. Like I said, it was vague and Link could have just been introducing the band, but I always wondered where the vocals were coming from when Ethan heard Sixteen Moons play on Lena's viola or anywhere that wasn't his iPod. Mysterious, supernatural vocals.

2. I had trouble suspending my disbelief in this one. When it opens with Ethan waking from a recurring nightmare and his reaction is "oh, there's mud on my bed again from my dream," it was a little jarring. I wanted him to freak out that his dreams were something more than dreams. I wanted him to freak out that someone could talk in his head. I wanted him to freak out that all these weird supernatural stuff was going on around him. (Not girl freak out, guy freak out.) And if he's getting mud and water in his bed, why isn't snoopy Amma, queen of the superstitious, who is up in the night way too often realizing something is going on while he sleeps? Nobody really noticed how crazy their small town got. I wanted a reason to belief that all this crazy supernatural phenomena had been going on in the world and nobody noticed before. It was too much. But my biggest issue with the supernatural elements is that I'm not a fan of black magic, not a fan of people with too much invincible power (especially power that is hidden but obvious), and more than anything, I'm not a fan of stories where people don't have a choice whether they're good or evil (our ability to chose is about the only thing we can control in our lives, without it, what are we but robotic extensions of someone else?). This book had all three, so while the suspense ended up being decent by the end (after a lot of dragging), I wasn't crazy about where it was going.

Speaking of freedom of choice, I never felt that Ethan and Lena fell in love. It was this sense of "oh, you're the girl from my dreams that I'm supposed to be madly in love with. You're hot; that's cool, let's be intensely, maddeningly in love beyond what mere mortals experience." Garcia and Stohl tried to backtrack with this sense that they were taking it slow and just being friends, but the damage had already been done. They had already fallen irrevocably and eternally in love solely because they were destined to without ever getting to know each other. And from then on, Ethan automatically understood everything Lena was thinking and feeling, which had nothing to do with the supernatural element. He just described her facial expressions or body language and told us exactly what was going on in her head. She may as well have been a secondary POV.

3. Which brings me to my next issue, writing issues. There were several instances where the authors tried to take something back or add something that should have been happening as an afterthought or most annoying made Ethan play the stupid girl to keep the suspense going. This is most frustrating in the climax scene where it takes four pages after Ethan realizes something is off to figure out what the rest of us already have. I think we were supposed to be surprised by the revelation of who is waiting for them in the garden, but I don't see how you couldn't get it. And then Ethan makes this statement: "She had the power to destroy. I had only seen the power to love." Really? Really? All those broken windows and storms and pandemonium and he hadn't noticed the power to destroy? What story was he in?

Going into the climax, I was annoyed with the book and the characters who were just sitting around waiting for the climax. Before that, I kind of liked the book, but I got so frustrated with the stilting of Ethan and Lena's characters that I almost closed the book. If they don't care about their destiny, why should I? Time is running out and they have the book that maybe has the answers they're looking for and what do they do? They go to a dance (where Ethan describes the dresses and decorations). Pages and pages of a high school dance with doom waiting at the door. And then, they go to school and do homework and make out and take on the town and ignore the big clue given to them a hundred pages before the climax. We're later told that they spent so much time pouring over the book that they're sick of it, but other than the one scene, I didn't see it. Even if they didn't get any answers, I wanted to see Ethan and Lena in a panic trying to stop the inevitable, not waiting around for it to show up. And I'm not even going to go into the tantrum Lena pulls on the big day. The authors wanted certain scenes in so they forced them on the characters and the story when they didn't fit.

I think the book was too long and the details focused on the wrong things. If it were an intense page-turner or the sexual tension powerful, then the 563 pages would have flown by. But it read like a book that was 563 pages. I can see why girls like the book, but not why anyone would give it 5 stars.(less)

like 27 likes

· see review

Jul 21, 2009

Kerry rated it

Shelves: teen, personal_collection, autographed, horror

I acquired a copy of Beautiful Creatures at ALA from a teen who was my super hero. She had an extra copy and gave one to me and so I have to say Thankyouthankyouthankyou to you (I'm sorry I don't know your name) for your random act of kindness that I will pay forward.

I haven't been able to put this book down. It's absloutely fantastic. The combination of tension, humour, mystery and the paranormal have made this a real page-turner. I love the style of writing and the authors have cr...more

like 12 likes

· see review

Feb 02, 2010

Stacy/GirlsInTheStacks.com rated it

listen to our discussion of Beautiful Creatures PODCAST at girlsinthestacks.com!

As I was browsing the stacks looking for my next great read, I came across BC. The book had lots of pre-release hype and has had lots of favorable reviews since its release. So, I picked it up and started reading immediately. I will admit it took me several days (think week) to read through the 563 pages. I am in deep like.

Can you say gorgeous book jacket? The black, the purple, the gray trees...more

like 13 likes

· see review

Oct 31, 2011

Jillian -always aspiring- rated it

Shelves: dropped-series

I know. You're looking at the many iffy reviews of this book and then looking back at me with eyes that are saying, "What can you possibly have to tell me about this book that others haven't already said?" Well, I want to clear the air a bit by saying that there are many flaws in this book, yes, but there's still an enjoyable story to be found in the dregs.

Some things that really would have helped this book shine more (in my opinion):

(1) An editor really shou...moreI know. You're looking at the many iffy reviews of this book and then looking back at me with eyes that are saying, "What can you possibly have to tell me about this book that others haven't already said?" Well, I want to clear the air a bit by saying that there are many flaws in this book, yes, but there's still an enjoyable story to be found in the dregs.

Some things that really would have helped this book shine more (in my opinion):

(1) An editor really should have cut this book down to a more digestible portion. There are too many dragging instances where the pacing just throws a reader off. A READER SHOULD NEVER WANT TO PUT DOWN THE BOOK. Keep it coming quick and snappy without letting the readers know what you're doing. Pacing is a tricky thing to do (as are scene shifts). What to leave in, what to cut out? It's all at the discretion of the editor. But, really, did this book need to be so thick? No, no, no. A book is only tome-worthy if the tale inside is going to wow its reader from beginning to end -- and, even though this story was likable, it didn't have that WOW factor.

(2) Ethan does not read like a male. Now, female authors have a hard time getting male protagonists, especially from first person, right (it must be a men are from Mars, women are from Venus kind of thing). Books like Shiver and The Replacement managed to convince me that the boy protagonists had deep emotions but still had male tendencies and thought. Did Ethan of Beautiful Creatures convince me of this? Uh -- no. Ethan sounded like a cross-dressing girl who was crushing on the new girl at school. Sorry, Ethan Wate. Your name is more masculine than you are.

(3) I'm not really convinced of the Caster mythology yet. It seems a bit too. . .wishy-washy. You should get to choose if you're good or evil. That's the way the world works. You decide to be a hero or a villain, as simple at that.

Now, did I hate the book? No. I like it enough to pick up the sequel, Beautiful Darkness. Do I think it's worthy of all the praise it's been getting? No, I'm sorry, it isn't. I had expected a champion and got a greenhorn warrior instead. Oh well. I hope the sequel delivers a bit more for my expectations.

(January 6, 2011: No, I haven't finished the book yet, but these are my thoughts thus far.)(less)

like 9 likes

· see review

Jun 06, 2010

Valerie rated it

Recommended to Valerie by: Cara

Shelves: male-protagonist, fantasy

Paranormal has always been kind of sticky with me. Withches, werewolves, and vampires aren't what I usually read but I decided to try this one after hearing such great things about it.

One thing that surprised me was the length of the book but then I found out it was written by two authors. I guess that could be a contributing factor.

I enjoyed near every aspect of the book from the characters who are more than what they seem, to the town itself, to the caster world that ...more

like 5 likes

· see review

Jul 29, 2011

ηicolε rated it

Shelves: couldn-t-finish, the-underball-of-literature, witch-lit, young-adult-novels

That’s it. I’m done with this. I’ve heard it gets better, but when? I’ve made it half way, but I can’t deal with these characters anymore. I’m not usually a quitter, but this is ridiculous. I decided to read this book because part of me is still an idiot and follows the popularity buzz when it comes to literature. It’s taken me enough times, but I’ve learnt my lesson. Thank you, Kami and Margaret, for finally leading me off the edge.

By reading the prologue, I thought this book would...more

like 6 likes

· see review

May 30, 2010

(´*•.¸ღBexღ¸.•*´) rated it

Shelves: own

Beautiful Creatures, at its core, is a "forbidden love" story, with a healthy portion of "its a race against time" thrown in.

I'm not one to delve into the details of a book, giving away spoilers and secrets to try to convinvce people if the book is good or not. The real question - the one you want to know - is if the book is fun to read, holds your attention, and is "satisfying". And to this I would say "yes."

The story will seem l...moreBeautiful Creatures, at its core, is a "forbidden love" story, with a healthy portion of "its a race against time" thrown in.

I'm not one to delve into the details of a book, giving away spoilers and secrets to try to convinvce people if the book is good or not. The real question - the one you want to know - is if the book is fun to read, holds your attention, and is "satisfying". And to this I would say "yes."

The story will seem like other popular "modern fantasy" forbidden love stories, but of course Beautiful Creatures has its own twists and turns.

The story is set in a southern town that has a very strong sentiment toward the civil war. History buffs should not get too excited, its not close to being that historical. Its all just a "set" for the romance in the story. The civil war connection allows the author a surprising amount of opportunities to broaden the story without it coming across as being a historical book. I think it was a good choice, because its a bit unique and some of the story details are very fresh.

One thing that the authors really nailed was character development. Proper character development is important in any story. In this story, the authors have done an excellent job. The main characters have unique yet believable backstories, and the characters remain true to themselves throughout the story. Each character even has their own way of talking (well, within reason) and the dialogue is fresh and fun to read. Each has their own "world" of things thats important to them. For example, Link (the male friend of one of the main characters) has very specific and realistic goals, that unexpectedly help propel the story forward. Amma, the narrator's "hired help who is part of the family now" has very specific agendas and ideals. Even minor characters, like Ethan's 3 aunts, have their own set of values and goals which add to the story, without weighing down the story movement. The characters grow and mature, and have their own epiphanies and realizations about the events in the book. Superbly done.

The Plot is above average. Critical readers will spot only two or three areas which could stand some improvement, which is way above average in my opinion. There were a few places in the book I had to conciously suspend my disbelief, but I suspect the "juvenile fiction" crowd that this book is targeted to would not share my quibbles.

I will probably read the sequel. Oh yes, they left ample room for a sequel. It was written to allow a fluid transition. But, I felt that the transition was so "fluid" that it may have been at the cost of a completely satisfying ending. I did wish that the book had more of a sense of closure when I was finished. At least I can take some satisfaction in knowing that there are many unexplored details for the next book.

Overall, this book was a jewel to enjoy, with different facets showing different angles of the same beautiful core. I'm very pleased with it overall. I will be gifting it to some young adults who I know. (less)

like 6 likes

· see review

Aug 10, 2010

Grace rated it

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal, school-stories, young-adult

Unimpressed. This is a pretty formulaic book, spiced up with a Southern flavour. Just your usual blend of spooky dreams, mysterious connections, then paranormal whateverthehell. And as usual, the thing that really ticks me off is a lack of internal logic.

Never judge a book by its cover, I guess. I looked at the dark, tangled cover and title, read about the Southern setting, and expected to settle in for a novel that felt densely atmospheric, a real Southern-infused paranormal. I...more

like 8 likes

· see review

May 28, 2010

Ash rated it

I feel so guilty giving this just 3 stars. So many people seem to like it and I feel like maybe I missed something important that everyone else got. I've never really been into the paranormal type genre and I'm not really fond of books that weigh more than my dog so I guess that could be a reason.

Quick Overview: Ethan is counting down the days until he can finally escape from his mundane life in the little Southern town of Gatlin. Nothing ever changes. Nothing ever happens. Until (ye...moreI feel so guilty giving this just 3 stars. So many people seem to like it and I feel like maybe I missed something important that everyone else got. I've never really been into the paranormal type genre and I'm not really fond of books that weigh more than my dog so I guess that could be a reason.

Quick Overview: Ethan is counting down the days until he can finally escape from his mundane life in the little Southern town of Gatlin. Nothing ever changes. Nothing ever happens. Until (yeah, you know you saw that coming) a girl named Lena with curly black hair driving a hearse changes everything. She's different, that's for sure. And the people of Gatlin don't take kindly to people that are different. Ethan can't help but be drawn to her, like they have an unexplainable connection. Ethan soon finds out though that different doesn't even begin to describe Lena's life. She has powers. Not only that, but everything Ethan thought he knew about Gatlin and his place in the town is turned upside down. Not to mention that Ethan has been having some pretty crazy realistic dreams that seem to be telling him that he's going to have to deal something even more dangerous and terrifying than the mothers of the DAR and the resident Ice Queen (literally, she wins that title every homecoming), Savannah Snow and her adoring cronies.

I can’t even tell you how long it took me to read this. It’s looong. Long, long, long. I had to check it out twice and wait on a hold list of 13 so I could finish it. Maybe because of that I had a lot of time to look back and nit-pick at the story. First off I think if someone had realized that there is such thing as a backspace button then this book could’ve been at least 100 pages shorter. Seriously, 563 pages. For book one! Are you trying to kill me?!? Lots of stuff could’ve been paraphrased or shortened. I kept waiting for the actual point of the book to reveal itself. The last hundred pages are where all the actual action happens. Up until then, not much but a lot of back story. Lots of Ethan being confused and defending/loving Lena, or (yes my friends, you get variety here) Lena being very pessimistic about her future and telling Ethan that he “doesn’t understand”. Obviously lots of teenage-ry angst stuff going on. For the life of me I can’t tell you why, but I just didn’t like Lena. She’s not unlikable or cruel (sometimes annoying) and I don’t hate her, but I just didn’t like her. I don’t see a reason for Ethan initially liking her other than the fact that she’s different and he has some weird connection to her. Maybe it’s just me, but that doesn’t really seem like enough of a reason. That seems like an easy reason. He talks about how she’s sort of saved him and how great she is. I think I see that more at the end, but during the majority of the book I didn’t see it. He tells you why you should like her, but you don’t see many examples. And I just have to mention this last thing and I know it’s all me. Most people probably won’t care about this stuff but...what is with all the crescent moons? I know it’s a special symbol and all but does it have to be on everything?!? It’s like little girls with glitter. They think it looks pretty cool and sparkly so they go around sprinkling it on everything like fairies and all it does is make everything way too shiny plus the stupid stuff sticks to your skin like leeches.

I was probably kinda hard on it but there was obviously some stuff that I liked about it too. Ethan is obviously a really great guy. Lots of people complain that he doesn’t think like a normal 15/16 year old boy, but do I seriously want to know the thoughts a typical teenage boy? No, not really. I admit that some of his interests are suspiciously close to that of a girl but I still like him. I have always liked books set in the South because of their allure. Some of the Southern stuff is really played up and a bit exaggerated, but it adds lots of humor and charm to the book. The secondary characters are drawn out well. At first I thought some of the high school kids weren’t given much substance, but then someone told me that maybe it’s because they didn’t have much to start with. I like the humor that Amma and Link’s character provide. He’s one of those people who say the most hilarious, quotable things possible. Most all of the characters are funny though, which is something that I always appreciate. The last 100 or so pages of the book is what I thought a majority of the book would be like. More action, less explaining. Admittedly the end and other parts of the book are kinda melodramatic, mostly provided by Lena. The girl is turning 16 though, and at that age your life is over every other weekend.

So overall, not bad but it just didn’t capture me. I found myself groaning at the thought of having to read this ginormous book. Sometimes it felt like the never ending story of Lena’s cursed life. If you’re into paranormal stuff and don’t mind reading books that are slower pace than this is definitely worth a read. My nit-pickin’ self just couldn’t help it.

(less)

like 4 likes

· see review

Dec 28, 2011

Monica rated it

Shelves: monica, own, reviewed

There were quite a few things that were different about this book, that were enjoyable. The POV in this book is from the main character Ethan, so it was different reading a YA novel from a male teen's POV. I liked it, it might not be completely believable, because Ethan is a 16 yr old male, but it was still different in an excellent way.

The length of this novel was also very nice, there was some over desciption sometimes, but most of the time the descriptions in the story were rich and...more

like 3 likes

· see review

Jul 31, 2010

galleycat rated it

Your average, ordinary, overhyped debut.

For starters, too long. Coulda been a tighter, stronger story in half the 600-plus pages. Lots of backstory at the front end, so the story is slow to get going. And even then, it's not a page-turner.

I found myself skim-reading through much of the book to get to the finish, probably because 1) I didn't really care that much about Ethan and Lena, either as individual characters or as an 'item,' and 2) I had a hard time buying into E...more

like 11 likes

· see review

Dec 24, 2009

Natalie (Mindful Musings) rated it

I know what you all are thinking. ANOTHER review of Beautiful Creatures? But seriously guys, if you haven't read the book yet, you should probably pay attention to what I say next.

As you guys know, there's been TONS of hype about this book. And sometimes, the book is worth it, and other times, we're let down because we expect the book to be great and...well...it wasn't.

Beautiful Creatures has DEFINITELY lived up to the hype.

The writing is absolutely gorgeous--...moreI know what you all are thinking. ANOTHER review of Beautiful Creatures? But seriously guys, if you haven't read the book yet, you should probably pay attention to what I say next.

As you guys know, there's been TONS of hype about this book. And sometimes, the book is worth it, and other times, we're let down because we expect the book to be great and...well...it wasn't.

Beautiful Creatures has DEFINITELY lived up to the hype.

The writing is absolutely gorgeous--some of the best I've seen. It's been awhile since I've felt that the setting has jumped off the pages and dragged me into it. Beautiful Creatures does all that and more. The characters are unique and identifiable and aren't one-dimensional. For those of you who know me, that's big praise coming from me, as I tend to harp on characterization in at least half of the reviews I write.

I know I mentioned that I loved the writing style, but I have to go into a little more detail. It flows well and has an almost lyrical quality to it. Not to mention all the little literary references thrown in! I loved them.

I've read a few reviews that complained about the first 200 pages or so of the book, saying that it was extremely slow-paced. I'll agree that the first 150ish pages are not as exciting and dramatic as the rest of the book, but I enjoyed them and think they served a purpose: to develop the characters, settings, and background for the book. I know a lot of my readers like to read books that are jumping right into the action by page 20, but I think the authors did an excellent job of setting up everything. And don't get me wrong, the first part of the book isn't just endless description and background--it has some action and interesting moments as well, but the book as a whole kicks it up a notch later on.

What else can I say? Beautiful Creatures was great. It was worth every penny I paid for it. If you guys haven't read it, I'd HIGHLY recommend doing so soon. It's not often that I give books a 5 star rating. (I think the last one was City of Glass by Cassandra Clare, which I read during the summer.) Move this book to the top of your piles, guys. It's definitely worth it!
(less)

like 4 likes

· see review

Jun 20, 2011

kari rated it

Shelves: ya, 2010

This is a good read that pulls you in and makes you want to keep reading to find out what's going to happen. Will Lena turn into a monster or not? Will she and Ethan ever figure out where the bond between them comes from? What will happen if Lena does become a Dark Caster?
I was intrigued that this story was told from the male point of view and the way Ethan described people, aka 'Ethan-hating Emily' and the various friends and enemies at his school.
My biggest complaint and the reaso...more

like 3 likes

· see review

Mar 02, 2010

Michelle Flores rated it

The Original Review - Here!

Duos … Greatest Duos …

At the comics, we’ve got Batman and Robin, from whom have been written lots of adventures. At sports, who does not remember Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen bringing home six NBA championships. At movies, John Travolta and Olivia Newton John revolved an entire generation with the musical Grease. And at the Young Adult literary division we’ve got Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, who have joined their talents in a f...more

like 7 likes

· see review

Apr 22, 2009

Steve added it

This is a great YA southern gothic read - you can practically feel the dampness and smell the magnolias - these two ladies can really write! And for a real change, it's told from the viewpoint of the boy, not the girl.

like 18 likes

· see review

May 18, 2011

Patrick Marvin rated it

Shelves: favorites, books-i-own, young-adult, 2011-reads, bought

Three words: Thrilling, Exciting, ADDICTING!

Yes. This is the first book published from authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The story is about a boy, Ethan, who befriends and falls in love with a girl, Lena, whom Ethan eventually discovers as a powerful witch. Well, not clearly a witch but a supernatural being who can cast spells and have unique powers. Other main characters include Ethan’s housekeeper, Amma, and Lena’s uncle, Macon, who is a dream incubus. The characters were gre...moreThree words: Thrilling, Exciting, ADDICTING!

Yes. This is the first book published from authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The story is about a boy, Ethan, who befriends and falls in love with a girl, Lena, whom Ethan eventually discovers as a powerful witch. Well, not clearly a witch but a supernatural being who can cast spells and have unique powers. Other main characters include Ethan’s housekeeper, Amma, and Lena’s uncle, Macon, who is a dream incubus. The characters were great, a little slow but not entirely. They are written perfectly by the authors that I always assume that maybe the authors based the characters from true persons. They were credible and vivid.

The story? Ethan and Lena discovers that they have a curse which was bound to them when Lena’s ancestor tried to do a spell to bring her love, Ethan’s ancestor, back to life. They embark on a quest to stop Lena from being a Dark witch. There were many problems, including Lena’s mother, and a couple of cousins.

My favorite character was Link, because he was hilarious, and his personality was quirky, ambitious, and a really good friend. Even though he learned that Ethan’s love, Lena, was a witch, he fully supported the two especially the lover’s most trying times. I could relate to Lena, the times when she was bullied by her classmates. We both felt the same, and we both ignored and just do what we do.

The book is one of my favorites, and the story, the characters, and the setting was bold. I mean, it was plain brilliant. My favorite part of the book was the confrontation of Lena and her mother. The tension was there, it heightens as it comes to the climax. If you ask me if there were any part of the book I don’t like, I would say nothing. IF there was something I would like to change, it would be the P.O.V. (The P.O.V. was written from Ethan’s, and he sounded pretty much older than his age.) But, overall, it was a really, really, great book to read. I recommend this to people who love to read Fantasy-Romance YA novels, and those who wouldn’t mind that this is written from a male’s P.O.V.

Originally posted on: http://somebooksandcoffee.tumblr.com/pos...
(less)

like 2 likes

· see review

Mar 07, 2010

Brooke rated it

Shelves: i-own-a-copy, favourites, paranormal-supernatural-psychic, scary-scary, multi-pov

Ethan Wate has dreams. Dreams that feature a mysterious girl. He doesn't know her name, but he knows her face.

Lena Duchannes. She is that girl. The girl who's sixteenth birthday is coming up and she's worried. She knows she will be claimed, but will it be the outcome she wants?

When Ethan meets Lena, the connection is undeniable. He knows she is the girl from his dreams, and he is drawn to her. Little does he know that her uncle is 'crazy' Macon Ravenwood. The guy who no o...more

like 3 likes

· see review

Jun 27, 2010

Penny rated it

Shelves: reviewed-books, ya-fiction, paranormal-romance, witchy-woman

This book has a good prologue, it's intriguing, which is why I purchased this book. After the prologue however... let's just say I rolled my eyes a lot (I'll get into the reasons why later). When I was approximately one-fourth of the way through Beautiful Creatures I gave up on trying to read it, even contemplated taking it back to the store.

I never got around to returning it, and about a month or two later I picked it up again out of sheer boredom. And having just finished Fallen ...more

like 11 likes

· see review

Jul 07, 2010

Kimberly Derting rated it

It took me longer than it should have to read Beautiful Creatures, mostly because I kept re-reading passages (and sometimes entire sections) just to savor that southern *feel* that the authors captured so incredibly well. From the language to the characters to the settings, I felt like I was part of Ethan and Lena's journey as they navigated their way toward her 16th birthday.

I relished every moment I spent with this lush gothic tale.

like 12 likes

· see review

Jan 02, 2012

Terry rated it

What a complete waste of time. The writing is generally adequate, but that is about the only favorable comment I can come up with for this one. On every other level, this book is codswallop.

Normally, I wouldn't devote much effort chivvying such a trifle. Flat characters and mud-bog pacing are a sad fact of some books. So what if the title isn't connected to the story it names? Anachronisms (all the kids listen to iPods but the winter formal DJ is playing records? A teen refers to 'af...more

like 1 like

· see review

Nov 17, 2011

Kathleen rated it

When I started reading this book, I thought it was going to be really good and exciting based on the summary.My favorite part of the book is the day of the Claiming, which is the event that everyone has been scared for that applies to each child of the Duchannes family. It was definitely the most surprisng part of the book. I didn't like how the author made the book so dark and gothic. There weren't really surprisng parts or events which occurred, and everything was basically in a continuous rou...more

like 1 like

· see review

Mar 25, 2011

Lisa rated it

Recommended to Lisa by: book club.

Shelves: fiction-fantasy, dnf, fiction-mystery

Not sure this is my type of book, but the young ones from book club have spoken!
I got through a chunk of this book (what a build up!) However, once I found I could not go to book club this month, and considering the weirdness of this book, I couldn't bring myself to go further than returning it to the library.
I am not the right person to judge this book because it not my type. If you liked Twilight, you might like this book. In Twilight cute girl falls in love with a vampire--in this...more

like 2 likes

· see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 1778 1779 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Ridley	14	36	1 minute ago
Ridley and Link?	8	23	Feb 05, 2012 05:59pm
Amazing Young Adu...: Beautiful Creatures!	22	10	Feb 02, 2012 09:25pm
Is this book good...and what about the second one, Beautiful Darkness?	31	104	Jan 29, 2012 06:59pm
do you hate it or loved it?	79	181	Jan 19, 2012 08:04am
Reading log #3	3	22	Jan 19, 2012 07:50am
Who would you pick to play the characters??	11	23	Jan 18, 2012 07:34pm

combine
Other Editions (38)

More editions...

Videos About This Book

14 comments

3 comments

Genres

Young Adult

947 users

Fantasy

606 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

367 users

Romance

314 users

Fantasy > Magic

164 users

Fantasy > Supernatural

149 users

Romance > Paranormal Romance

153 users

Paranormal > Witches

123 users

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

102 users

Young Adult > Teen

99 users

See top shelves...

Readers Also Enjoyed

The Dark Divine
by Bree Despain
The Body Finder
by Kimberly Derting
Nevermore
by Kelly Creagh
Shade
by Jeri Smith-Ready
Prophecy of the Sisters
by Michelle Zink

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Pin It

About Kami Garcia

Kami Garcia is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly & international bestselling author of UNBREAKABLE, the first book in THE LEGION series (Little, Brown 2013), which is being developed as a major motion picture by producer Mark Morgan (THE TWILIGHT SAGA & PERCY JACKSON AND THE LIGHTNING THIEF).
She is also the co-author of THE BEAUTIFUL CREATURES NOVELS (Beautiful Creatures, Bea...more

More about Kami Garcia...

More quotes…

Groups That Shelved 16 Lunes

Paranormal Romance & Urba...

11006 members

last activity 5 minutes ago

shelf: read

Romance Readers Reading C...

4360 members

last activity 1 minute ago

shelf: read

YA Paranormal and Fantasy...

2187 members

last activity 05 fév. 00:47

shelf: read

title link	preview: Beautiful Creatures
avg rating	preview: Beautiful Creatures Goodreads rating: 3.79 (29618 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6304335-beautiful-creatures?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327873282m/6304335.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6304335-beautiful-creatures?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia[/url]

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles #1)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (38)

Videos About This Book

Genres

Readers Also Enjoyed

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

About Kami Garcia

Books by Kami Garcia

Trivia About Beautiful Creatures

Quotes from Beautiful Creatures

Groups That Shelved 16 Lunes