Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1)

Jan 18, 2010 Cara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 no semblance of sleep,and st...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. It looks like the first one is being made into a movie! And on another later note here is a link to the trailer. Looks smashing!(less)

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Jan 23, 2013 Emily May rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Emily May by: Young Adult Book Club January 2013

Shelves: ya-na, pnr, 2013, annoying, bloody-awful, boring, insta-love

Phew, I am so glad that's over. I can't believe I actually made it through all those pages, I'm sure I wouldn't have done if I hadn't set myself the challenge of reading every monthly book club read chosen by one of my groups. Ugh. Seriously, just ugh. I have read some dismal books in the young adult paranormal genre, books that have been boring or annoying or have offended me, but I think I can honestly say this is up there with some of the worst books I've ever read. Everything about this boo...more

Phew, I am so glad that's over. I can't believe I actually made it through all those pages, I'm sure I wouldn't have done if I hadn't set myself the challenge of reading every monthly book club read chosen by one of my groups. Ugh. Seriously, just ugh. I have read some dismal books in the young adult paranormal genre, books that have been boring or annoying or have offended me, but I think I can honestly say this is up there with some of the worst books I've ever read. Everything about this book aggravated me in one way or another, from the ridiculous length of it to the male protagonist who's about as convincingly male as estrogen pills. I couldn't even concentrate on the story for the most part because I kept picturing Ethan as a thirty-something woman.

There are some things I'm going to rant about that may not have bothered me several years ago before Twilight came along, waving its cliche banners, and I appreciate that some people might find this slightly unfair seeing as this novel was released four years before the saga *. Well, unfortunately, I can only tell you what I thought of this book now, not speculate on what I might have thought if I'd read it a few years earlier. And, this fact aside, other things have nothing to do with when it was written or its similarities with other novels that have since been released from this genre. Like the fact that Ethan pisses me off and is a terrible attempt at writing a teenage male voice.

So, let's get the whole "this is like every other paranormal young adult book" thing out of the way. There were one or two additions to the witchy aspect of it that felt somewhat original but the general pattern of this novel with the romance and the carbon copy characters was predictable and, therefore, boring. No one likes a boring read and it's especially annoying when the book is nearly 600 pages long. Shall I check the usual paranormal YA criteria off for you? Small town... check. New girl... check. Boring holier-than-thou protagonist... check. Everlasting love after a very small amount of time... check. I don't know if this counts as instalove but it certainly counts as instaweirdobsession, full of laughable musings like "there's just something about her that makes me know it's meant to be" (hopefully, it's obvious that this is not a direct quote).

I thought that this book might be a little more original because of the uncommon choice to have a male protagonist, but everything is still exactly the same. Now, though, instead of a girl-next-door type, you have a boy-next-door type who sails along in his faultlessness, constantly comparing himself to the less intelligent and morally-questionable beings he must interact with every day. Ethan even treats us to a rare bout of what I can only call male slut-shaming; he criticises his male peers for having one-track minds and wanting to get off with girls when he is looking for something more meaningful... good for him, but why does that make him any better than the rest? He is actually an exact male version of many paranormal YA protagonists who criticise the popular girls for being more relaxed with their sexuality.

Not only that, but he also insults the other members of his Southern US town. The novel plays heavily on Southern stereotypes and portrays almost everyone but Ethan as being incredibly stupid. Ethan sneers at everyone, he is obviously smarter, has his morals in the right place and is just downright awesome in comparison. He makes it no secret from the very first chapter that he considers himself above them and it made me hate him before the story had even started going anywhere. He even goes so far as to announce that he doesn't have an accent because he was raised by intelligent people... I have two words for him: HATEFUL SNOB. Or FUCK YOU. Either works.

And predictable. This was Predictable with a capital P. We don't even need to meet Lena or even hear her name to realise that she is the one Ethan will end up with. As soon as one of Ethan's classmates asks "have you seen the new girl?" and Ethan begins to wonder if she'll be hot, we know from that point where the whole thing is heading. Sometimes, I'll admit, there's some fun to be had watching a couple angst it out together, even though you know they'll be together eventually, but before we even knew her name? I can't even say that I stopped caring because, truthfully, I never even started. This whole book was just... not good. Not good at all.(less)

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Apr 22, 2012 karen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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."

"noooo - she is hot - here i made you a drink. you will like it, it is like haw...more

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Sep 09, 2010 Tatiana rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition 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-lost-steam

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. Turns out the most...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Kira rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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, so-boring-i-ate-my-own-face

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 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 pulled out an Uzi and splattered my brains fifty feet d...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Kelly-Jane rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: burn-baby-burn, i-haz-dis, it-hurts-like-i-can-t-even-tell-you, mmm-cheesy-cheese-cheese, oh-don-t-even-try, to-be-punlished

I ended up DNFing this, but I'm going to give you my notes from what I did read so you can get a feel for the book. Enjoy.

Only folks down here didn’t call it the Civil War. Everyone under the age of sixty called it the War Between the States, while everyone over sixty called it the War of Northern Aggression, as if somehow the North had baited the South into war over a bad bale of cotton. Everyone, that is, except my family. We called it the Civil War. Just another reason I couldn’t wait to get...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Sandra rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: don-t-like-the-main-character, horrible-bad-boring-beginnings, rolling-my-eyes, someone-put-me-out-of-my-misery, reviewed-books, dragging-like-a-snail

How the heck is this book turning into a movie?! I'm telling ya, reading this THING is like walking through mud that has some sharp stuff in it. It's slow and painful.

But, before i'm gonna go all ballistic, and talk about how much i didn't enjoy reading Beautiful Creatures, i'm gonna say what this book is about for those who don't know. So the main protagonist is Ethan, he dreams of this girl that he doesn't know ( more like has nightmares). Then one day he goes to school, and hears there is a...more

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Nov 16, 2009 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 that back story. You ne...more

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May 15, 2013 Valerie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Valerie by: Cara

Shelves: male-protagonist, fantasy

Paranormal has always been kind of sticky with me. Witches, 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, the town itself, to the caster world that is being presented. Ethan is...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Haleema rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: characters-are-half-troll, cheese-pizza, cover-marry-me-please, snape-disapproves, bull-shawarma, oh-not-again, its-so-stupid-it-hurts, what-a-joke

This was one of the worst books I have ever read. Even with two authors it failed to satisfy me. The story is overloaded with cliches. The characters are all... nothing. Ugh... I wish Goodreads had a "Hated it so much that a part of me just died" star. A "Didn't like it" star ridicules my feelings towards this... book.

Utter nonsense.

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Feb 02, 2010 Heather rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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” therefore making...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Alyson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teen-books

I'm really caught up in the plot, but having some problems with the age of the characters. They are all 15 or 16 but have been driving for awhile. I think they are all sophomores but they are the head cheerleaders, captain of sports teams...

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Feb 09, 2012 Jeann rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, witches, magic

It's not often that a book has me cringing, wanting to throw it down in frustration and never to return to it again. Unfortunately, Beautiful Creatures was written so badly and unconvincingly so that's what I would have done, if not for a reading challenge I was trying to complete.

You'd think such an interesting and unique premise about witches and warlocks would be difficult to get wrong. Unfortunately, the book was written in such a bland, boring manner that it failed to grab me at all. Not t...more

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Dec 25, 2009 Kasia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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...more 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 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)

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Apr 09, 2010 Alethea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition 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 novel: those who...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Bella Grace rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: YA newbies that dig fads: anything from vamps to other paranormal cliches

Recommended to Bella by: Some loser on GR, who I haven't found yet

Shelves: you-be-kiddin-me, brain-cell-death, so-disappointing, never-read-again, there-be-paranormal-activity, romance-y, boys-i-want-to-punch, blah-blah-blah, voila-the-insta-love, young-adult, authors-be-crazy, cover-disgrace, fantasy-worlds, le-miserable

The typical, expected, cring-worthy YA junk that makes me want to lose my hope in humanity and YA literature.

So. On that lovely, enlightening note.

I ~~fucking hated~~ really, really, really didn't like this book.

Reading this book gave me a nice ol' perspective on YA novels: some rock, some are okay, and some (like this lil' tidbit) need to be lit on fire and shucked off Mount Kilimanjaro for my (and other wonderful readers') sheer pleasure.

The originality of today's YA novels is getting worse and...more

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Jul 15, 2010 Annalisa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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,...more 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, 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)

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May 28, 2010 Ash rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 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 the days until he can finally escape his mundane life in the little Southern town of Gatlin. Nothing ever changes. Nothing ever happens. Until (yeah, you know you saw that c...more 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 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 the days until he can finally escape 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 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 lots of time to look back and nit-pick. First off I think if someone had realized that there's such a thing as backspace it 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”. So, 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 some weird "connection" to her. Maybe it’s just me, but that doesn’t seem like enough of a reason. It seems like an easy reason. Ethan talks about how she sort of saved him and how great she is. I saw 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 really feel it. 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 hard on it, but there's obviously stuff that I liked about it too. Ethan is obviously a really great guy. People complain that he doesn’t think like a normal 15/16 year old boy, but do I seriously want to know the thoughts of a typical teenage boy? No, not really. I admit, some of his interests are suspiciously close to that of a girl, but I still like him. I've always like books set in the South because of their allure. Some of the Southern stuff is played up and a bit exaggerated, but it adds lots of humor and charm to the book. The secondary characters are drawn out well. I thought some of the high school kids weren’t given much substance, but 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. I always appreciate funny characters. 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.

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Jul 21, 2009 Kerry rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 created charac...more

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Jun 01, 2010 Thomas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Thomas by: Shilpa

Beautiful Creatures was a fascinating first novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The focus of the story was the romance between Ethan and Lena - a mortal and a Caster, two star-crossed lovers separated by their predetermined fate and a small southern town trying to tear them apart.

The last hundred pages or so of this novel were amazing. The writing was beautiful and the pacing was tight. I absolutely loved the descriptions and how everything prior to the climax came to a point; it pretty muc...more

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Feb 02, 2010 Stacy/GirlsInTheStacks.com rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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. I just want to frame i...more

15 likes · like · see review

Oct 03, 2012 Raeleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, movie-or-tv, 2012

Oh my lantern, that ending. I can't wait to read the next book!

14 likes · like · see review

Feb 15, 2013 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, 2013-challenge-leftovers, zz-swapped-ya, trifecta-of-retard, reviewed, reviewed-snarky

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. If pressed to condense my reaction in a single word, I'd choose overhyped.

As is the case with many YA paranormals, the concept has potential...but the execution falls flat. Sometimes it's a combination of factors (poor writing; flat world-building; uninteresting side characters; lack of page count), but I didn't take issue with these things in BEAUTIFUL CREATURES. The writing was (generally) okay, the southern small-town setting was okay, the side characters were okay. If anything, the page coun...more

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Oct 31, 2011 Jillian -always aspiring- rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 should have cut this book down to a more...more 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 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)

40 likes · like · see review

May 03, 2009 Margaret Stohl rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

:)

29 likes · like · see review

Apr 14, 2013 ♥ Lily (The Novel Nerd) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thought-would-be-better

Wow, what a helluva read!

So not going to pretend there werent some put down moments or anything like that, but overall a really nice story. Just a shame i guessed the ending a short way in.

So i actualy liked the main male character? He was just so genuine at times, i can actualy see the same behaviours i expect from my male friends. Not gonna pretend the soppy crap didnt get to me a little tho... that aspect just dragged its sorry butt all the way through the book!

The main girl Lena, well she wa...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Terri ♥ (aka Mrs. Christian Grey) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio

Quick review:

Cover: Interesting
Rating: PG-13
Thumbs Up: 3.5
Overall: Too long
Characters: Interesting
Plot: Certainly different but dragged a lot.
Page Turner: Hmmm.
Series Cont.? Probably not.
Recommend: No
Book Boyfriend: Ethan

SUMMARY (50 words or less)

This story had a lot of potential but failed miserably in the execution. There are a lot of interesting ideas and solid world building. This book needed more editing. There were a lot of things that didn’t add to the story that could have been r...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Corey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: southern-gothic, favorites

This is an emotionally charged, moody, and atmospheric novel that is very reminiscent of how YA fiction was in the 90's and early 00's, before Twilight came along. By that, I mean it is full of quirky, average, outcast-type characters who drive the plot line along through their unique and easily pictured personalities.

I've heard people complain that Ethan is unrealistic. That makes me upset because I relate more to Ethan than I ever have with any other male character in history. He tries his ha...more This is an emotionally charged, moody, and atmospheric novel that is very reminiscent of how YA fiction was in the 90's and early 00's, before Twilight came along. By that, I mean it is full of quirky, average, outcast-type characters who drive the plot line along through their unique and easily pictured personalities.

I've heard people complain that Ethan is unrealistic. That makes me upset because I relate more to Ethan than I ever have with any other male character in history. He tries his hardest to treat others with dignity and respect, doesn't use women for sex (gasp! You don't say!), has a strong sense of fairness and compassion, and a passion for old-fashioned things such as literature. You can almost call him an "old soul", in a way. I fail to see what's so unrealistic about him. Plenty of guys are like this! Everyone is different. You can't categorize people into little boxes because of their gender. I'm a 19 year old male and I found their portrayal of an insightful boy with good morals who was raised to be polite and courteous to be refreshing and realistic. Meanwhile, if I would dare to say that Katniss was unrealistic because girls aren't that tough and don't usually enjoy hunting, I would be called a sexist. But saying Ethan is "not a guy" because he likes reading and acts chivalrous isn't? Talk about a double standard!

Lena is another intriguing character, as are her family. They're Casters, and many of them are full of life and zing. Like her time-traveling Aunt Del, or Macon, who behaves as if he belongs in a Tim Burton film. Link is also easy to like- I like how loyal he is to Ethan, and I also like his post-grunge personality & sense of style.

The story itself is steeped in Southern decadence and eeriness. At times, the story was slightly biased in its attitude towards Southerners and Christians, but I understand why the authors wrote the town in this way: they were trying to tell a story of what it is like to be an outcast, to be hated and feared for what you are. The Sisters are deeply religious and so is Marian, and they are all portrayed in a very positive light & are shown to have a profound influence on Ethan.

The only pet peeve I had was the way the authors sort of "threw in" Sarafine near the end without much of a warning as to what was going to happen. I would've appreciated if we were given more of a feel for her character.

Overall, Beautiful Creatures is tied with Mortal Instruments as my favorite YA series of all time. If you want to get lost in a story with vivid characters and powerful imagery with meaning, then I would strong suggest reading this novel and its sequels. Can't wait for Beautiful Redemption and the movie!!

"The right thing and the easy thing are not always the same."(less)

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May 30, 2010 (´*•.¸ღBexღ¸.•*´) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 like other popular "modern fantasy" forbidden love stories, but o...more 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 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)

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Jul 06, 2011 Laura Kreitzer rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-book, audible

*UPDATE* After much evaluation of the novel, I've decided to be truthful. It hurts. I suck. But I am honest, and that's all I care about.

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. This sucker is 563 pages of insipid crap. The authors have no idea what they were doing when they wrote about the south. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure they used every cliché in the book. No, not every southerner sits on their porch, drinking sweet tea, and licking their one and only tooth. The book i...more *UPDATE* After much evaluation of the novel, I've decided to be truthful. It hurts. I suck. But I am honest, and that's all I care about.

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. This sucker is 563 pages of insipid crap. The authors have no idea what they were doing when they wrote about the south. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure they used every cliché in the book. No, not every southerner sits on their porch, drinking sweet tea, and licking their one and only tooth. The book is written in a male's POV, but it's so obvious a male never read it before it went to print because it reads like a girl in a manly body. I'm sorry. Males and females DO have different ways of thinking. It's what makes us, um, different. Oh, and because there are TWO authors the book is twice as long. J.K. Rowling broke the rules because she was fabulous. Debut authors do not get to break the rules. Why, you ask? Because if they do, BEAUTIFUL CREATURES is the dreadful result. This book could have been cut in half and told the same story. Then it might have actually been interesting. If these two would stop telling us about how them there southerners live, then they could actually get to the plot. Instead they buried that little nugget. And to think, the cover gave it so much potential . . . then you saw the thickness. Pass.

Old review:

It took me 3 months to read this book. Somewhere in the middle I just couldn't get through it, but finally decided that I needed to give the book a chance because everywhere I go I see something about BEAUTIFUL CREATURES. The end was confusing as hell and the random switch in POV for two seconds also made me go cock-eyed. Regardless, I still think the writing was great. I had a few good laughs and some lines were just priceless. The character development was well thought-out and it made me understand Ethan. For some reason, though, I couldn't wrap my head around Lena's and Ethan's relationship. It just . . . lacked. Some books, every time the two love-bird characters interacted, my stomach would get the ol' butterfly feeling. Not a single time in this book did their interaction do anything for me. It was forced.

Not sure if I want to recommend this book or not. Everyone has a different reaction to it, so I'm just going to say . . . rent it at the library. Give it a chance and, if you like it, then go buy it.

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Is there any news about them making another movie?	32	235	16 hours, 45 min ago
You know you're a Beautiful Creatures fan when	98	223	19 hours, 9 min ago
whats the difference between the book and movie???	2	10	May 24, 2013 01:46am
Beautiful Creatures Word Game	12	35	May 23, 2013 01:38pm
Did you like how it was always Ethans point of view?	4	20	May 23, 2013 01:19pm
Hated The Movie?	16	53	May 23, 2013 01:16pm
We ♥ YA Books! : Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia	90	162	May 22, 2013 02:22pm

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Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles #1)

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