Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles, #2)

Apr 30, 2011 Cara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, series, male-protagonist, 2011

These books DO NOT disappoint. Every time I finish one I'm always a bit emotionally drained and the authors always dangle something in front of you, so you almost have to read the next one to keep your sanity intact.

Ethan and Lena just barely made it out alive from Lena's last Claiming, and things are not the same. Lena is grieving over the loss of Macon and Ethan can feel she is slipping away from him. She's starting to hang out with Ridley and this strange guy named John. Before Ethan can...more These books DO NOT disappoint. Every time I finish one I'm always a bit emotionally drained and the authors always dangle something in front of you, so you almost have to read the next one to keep your sanity intact.

Ethan and Lena just barely made it out alive from Lena's last Claiming, and things are not the same. Lena is grieving over the loss of Macon and Ethan can feel she is slipping away from him. She's starting to hang out with Ridley and this strange guy named John. Before Ethan can even take a real grasp of the situation Lena runs away and though things between them are strained Ethan will go and try to find her. With the help of the sarcastic, goofy but studley Link, the smart as a whip new character Liv, and the wise old cat Lucille, Ethan goes through a journey where his heart leads him to Lena and where he will try with all he has to bring her back to him.

Even though I did like reading this, I noticed the length of it a little too much. With the first one I was so enamored with the story I didn't notice it almost at all. I'm a little peeved that there are five books in the series because I believe everything could be solved in three, but I really enjoy Garcia's and Stohl's style and will read all of them. The southern setting always captures me, and doesn't let me out of its grasp. Unfortunately Lena was hard for me to swallow this time around. I literally wanted to take a frying pan and bang her head, but then I would be obliterated since she is oh so powerful. But then as the book progresses I did understand her better and where she was coming from. Only then I could mentally put away the cast iron skillet. I liked the change of Ethan being angry. We had to see that he had some gumption and a limit of what he could put up with. I also thought it was great that we got to see more interaction between Link and Ethan, and learn how their friendship worked. More secrets are brought to light in this one, and we are getting more pieces to see how the puzzle will be solved.

Pay attention to Ridley and Link because their character arcs are the most interesting. They will definitely bring lots to the table in the next book. You can tell things are escalating already and I'm hopping up and down with anticipation to see what the cast of characters will be up against in the upcoming sequel Beautiful Chaos.
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Mar 04, 2011 mark monday rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: teenworld, secret-histories

well, i am reading a paranormal romance written for teenage girls. so sue me!

i would love to give this book 1 star and just forget about it, for so many reasons:

- despite the potentially interesting role reversal happening (mysterious supernatural GIRL meets weepy, slack-jawed BOY), the dialogue between the two is just as mawkish and hand-wringy as bella & edward.
- my God, two authors and two pages of credits to supporters of this project, and they still don't know how to write? hello, ther...more well, i am reading a paranormal romance written for teenage girls. so sue me!

i would love to give this book 1 star and just forget about it, for so many reasons:

- despite the potentially interesting role reversal happening (mysterious supernatural GIRL meets weepy, slack-jawed BOY), the dialogue between the two is just as mawkish and hand-wringy as bella & edward.
- my God, two authors and two pages of credits to supporters of this project, and they still don't know how to write? hello, there is no need to follow an entire paragraph of description or torrential emotion with a one-sentence paragraph summarizing the preceding paragraph. over and over and over again. c'mon folks, this is Writing 101 stuff. repeat after me: repetition is bad writing. repetition is bad writing.
- the last third of the book should be completely pumped-up narrative excitement, but for every page of actual action there are two pages of ridiculously obvious exposition and eye-rollingly banal dialogue.
- new kinds of supernatural beings shouldn't just pop up to cause trouble or save the day or be the mother of the best character, John Breed. they should not pop up repeatedly. and they shouldn't all have corny little nicknames either. "evo", a special kind of shape-shifty witch...really?

but i can't give it the lowest rating because the novel had many enjoyable moments, mainly in the first half before things got sloppy & ridiculous. there's some charm there, particularly in the supporting characters and their eating habits. even better, this is a novel that is fascinatingly chock-full of extremely emotional dreams, hallucinations, visions, etc - practically every other page. at times the characters' emotions were so intense it almost felt like reading the equivalent of someone hyperventilating, or having a panic attack. that's kinda fun for a while, until its not. also: a network of magical tunnels. i'm always a fan of that.

and then there's a nifty plot device that stays true to the protagonists' so-very-intense, can't-keep-their-hands-off-of-each-other, you-are-my-life kinda love, while also adhering to the strict no-sex dictates of YA fiction: whenever Whiny the Witch & The Drama King get too hot & bothered while grinding away, THEY LITERALLY START BURNING UP! no need to even worry about condoms - with that kind of innate barrier, sex ain't even happening. i guess they'll have to stick to magical phone sex - which, in Beautiful Darkness, actually has a name: "kelting". sorry kids, looks like you're looking at a lifetime of fully-clothed snuggling and lots of, er, hot kelting action.(less)

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Jan 19, 2013 Krys rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: southern-gothic, witches-wizards-magic-themed, urban-dark-fantasy-paranormal, young-adult, long-length-book, own, first-person-narrative, demon-themed, mermaids-sirens-selkies, ghosts-hauntings, read-in-2010, series-i-love, series, read-in-2013, state-south-carolina-setting

Beautiful Darkness is a reread for me. I read it first in July of 2010, when I couldn't talk about the book because everything I might talk about could be construed as a spoiler. Sitting down to type this now, however, I realize that pretty much everything I can say about this book even now is an actual spoiler, and that makes it hard to write a review that will not offend someone.

But I'm going to try. Because I can. And because my previous boasty review of this needs to be stricken.

* Spoilers...more

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Oct 29, 2010 Joyzi rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Peeps who don't mind emo girl and gay boy

Recommended to Joyzi by: Goodreads

Shelves: 5-stars-or-more, fiction, e-book, reviewed, ya-books, book-series, author-american, favorites, paranormal-romance

MY WTB NON-SPOILER REVIEW

Seriously? This Book, three words honey---What The Buck!!!---(Can't bucking believe I'm using this pseudo-curse BUCK YOU! YOUTUBE)

what the buck fo show! Pictures, Images and Photos

Well what can I say O_o???

*speechless for a moment*

This book is totally bad-ass, awesome, epic, pawned, heart-stopping, hair-raising, spine-tingling, thrilling, electrifying, breath taking, totally wicked yada yada. I can go on and on but I think my limited vocabulary won't do it justice.

Stars speak for yourself. Ah Hello! Hi there Blindy! L...more

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Nov 05, 2010 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bea-2010, own-arc, signed-arcs, books-i-own

Oh, how I've missed you Gatlin. The one thing that really stands out to me about this series... isn't the incredible cast of characters or the engrossing story.... it's the setting. I LOVE GATLIN. I want to live there.... eat Amma's pies, ride in Link's Beater to the Dar-ee Keen, waft in the scent of lemon trees at Ravenwood. There is something truly addicting about Gatlin... and I often find it hard to withdrawal from the world within the pages.

Beautiful Darkness is one word is intense. So much...more

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Jun 23, 2011 kari rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. For gosh sakes, there are still two more books in this series??? Why? To what end?
Here's the plot, let me know if you've heard this before, a few thousand times.
Mortal teenager meets supernatural being of the opposite sex, experiencing instantaneous connection while supernatural being acts oddly and tells mortal that they must stay apart, that it's too dangerous, etc. Yet against all odds the two become a couple and after much drama and a battle, they are happily together.
So, we get to book tw...more For gosh sakes, there are still two more books in this series??? Why? To what end?
Here's the plot, let me know if you've heard this before, a few thousand times.
Mortal teenager meets supernatural being of the opposite sex, experiencing instantaneous connection while supernatural being acts oddly and tells mortal that they must stay apart, that it's too dangerous, etc. Yet against all odds the two become a couple and after much drama and a battle, they are happily together.
So, we get to book two, in which the supernatural being pulls away from the mortal teenager, again for the mortal's own good, because the supernatural being is too angst-ridden and just plain idiotic to actually discuss anything with the love of their life. Also, appearing in book two, is the required stand-in possible love interest that as a reader you can never quite believe in because if the mortal and the super-being are fated, star-crossed lovers, then adding in another one makes absolutely no sense and only diminishes the power of their love story. Are you following me?
So, I guess the third book will have more running around, trying to outwit the baddies while the supernatural continues to dither around about their exact nature, good or bad.
And the fourth book will create the way for them to be together, even though we’ve been told over and over and over that they cannot be together. There could be an impossible (per the autor's own canon) mutant child that will grow up overnight allowing the cast aside love interest to have a mini-version of their lost almost-love. Nah, that's too far out for anyone to believe. It will end with a major climactic battle in which all the baddies will be destroyed, the world made right, or else a small debate after which the baddies decide to walk away.
I AM BORED WITH THIS PLOT.
I enjoyed the first Caster series book, but this one is very flat and goes on far too long for no real reason. This whole five hundred pages could have been a few short chapters. Honestly, the first two hundred pages are Ethan moaning because Lena has pretty much dumped him. Yet he continues to follow after her and feel badly every time she treats him like dirt. After this, they spend the remainder of the book running about in the Caster tunnels and it seems as endless as the tunnels themselves. It goes on and on until the last fifty pages when things finally start to happen. This isn’t good.
I don’t know why we had to have Liv pushed into the story as someone Ethan constantly thinks ‘what if’ about. What if I met her first? What if I never met Lena? What if I just almost kiss her a time or two and we snuggle up and sleep together? Here’s my what if. What if Liv had been a guy named Leo and we were spared all of this nonsense? Liv’s being female didn’t add anything to the story and could have been left out. I’m sick of this triangle plot.
It. Is. Unnecessary.
The story in this installment didn’t draw me in and I couldn’t care about Lena. She became very unsympathetic and I don’t like her any more. And after all of this, this journey to save her, her involvement with someone else (which is overlooked), the pain she has caused Ethan, in the end, she chooses NOT to choose. She doesn’t claim herself, she claims nothing and does nothing. That’s it, for all of this waste of time, all the sacrifices everyone makes for her and they are monumental, she chooses not to be good or bad, to just be her. So we can expect that sometimes she’s going to do bad things and sometimes good? Not a character to whom I can feel any connection.
And what is with all the “L” names? Link. Lila. Lena. Liv. Leah. Lucille. Larkin.
This reason it gets a two instead of a one is because there were a few small things that I liked or that surprised me.
The Caster cat was a nice addition as was learning more about Amma and members of Ethan’s family. Finding out more about Ethan was interesting, but not enough to save the book. Macon. Ethan's voice and observations. The mystery of John Breed wasn’t really developed enough, but I guess that’s for one of the next books.
All in all, this book was very uneven and tough to get through.

AND oh my goodness, it just occured to me. Marian the Librarian! Not even original. Anyone seen the Music Man?

*edit* I hve learned my lesson, it was difficult and I had to suffer extreme eye rolling and boredom but I have seen the light. I'm done with this series and don't care how it ends. I'm giving up on series that have so little to them that they shouldn't be serialized and don't have any growth in the characters and waste my time.

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Oct 22, 2010 Isamlq rated it 3 of 5 stars

id love an ARC of this book!

*************

Drama, drama, drama...

Everything that was good in Beautiful Creatures is used in Beautiful Darkness then magnified. I've said it before; I'll say it again: a lot of description/vivid. Does this make for a boring read? Nope. Some people say, there was a tad too much description that slowed the story down. May be so, but I still think the descriptions added to the gothic atmosphere. Also, BD picked up where BC left off, progressed as expected and answered...more

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Dec 14, 2010 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: cover-love, read-in-2010, mind-candy, honorable-mentions

Another enjoyable book from Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl! Yay!

I must admit, Beautiful Darkness took much longer for me to get into than Beautiful Creatures. Garcia and Stohl tend to throw plenty of description and information at the reader for the first three hundred pages, and makes you think, How is this all going to come together? However, they weave that into a heart-stopping climax that makes you regret ever doubting them in the first place. This novel is quite different that the last boo...more Another enjoyable book from Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl! Yay!

I must admit, Beautiful Darkness took much longer for me to get into than Beautiful Creatures. Garcia and Stohl tend to throw plenty of description and information at the reader for the first three hundred pages, and makes you think, How is this all going to come together? However, they weave that into a heart-stopping climax that makes you regret ever doubting them in the first place. This novel is quite different that the last book. For the most part, the setting is very different, and the romance between Ethan and Lena is no longer at center stage. No complaints here, since I loved the development of the Caster world and look forward to seeing more of it in future installments.

My favorite thing about Beautiful Creatures was its cozy, Southern setting and characters. In Beautiful Darkness, like I said, the setting may be different some of the time, but the characters are still there. I loved the development of some of the supporting characters. Ridley was probably my favorite character from the last book, so seeing her become one of the main characters in this novel was refreshing. And, even though they only seemed to be used for the progression of the plot, the additions of Liv and John were nice, too. Oh, and Lucille the cat is very present in this book, too. What's not to love about that?

Lena was absent for long stretches of this book, and I must admit, I did miss her. Some loathe her character, but I find her to be a refreshing change of pace from all the other YA heroines out there (-cough- Bella, Ever, Luce, Zoey -cough-). Also, I know some do not like Ethan’s point of view because they feel he is not a realistic teenager, but I don’t think he is terribly unrealistic.

Overall, these two authors fascinated me again; there’s a reason why this is my favorite YA paranormal series. The cliffhanger ending left me staring at the page blankly (and angrily), and I cannot wait for the next installment.
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Jan 01, 2011 CHris.T.o.S rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Caster CHronicles are going to be the next HArry POTTer Series,seriously.Amazing!!!!!Very colourfull characters,full of secrets,revelations,plot twists.Uhm...the new adds (wont say anything) are tremendous.I can't say anything because it will be full of spoilers.just get to the end.I am a huge fan,i believe that this can become a fantastic film.Du no..... fantastic writters plot. etch etch.Just amazing and much more better than the fantastic first one.In a few words:THUMBS UP!!!!

ps.Sorry i c...more

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Mar 06, 2011 I'm Your Ramen Eating Mate ~~~~ The Rogue rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who read the 1st one

Shelves: 2011-read

ugh. lena annoys me. seriously. shes so full of secrets and she never really lets Ethan in. get it?

EDIT:
Half way through this book.
I wish lena dies.But I know that will break ethan.
lena is so full of shit. goddamit. Im so angry i want to punch someone. I have to constantly remind myself it's only a book. I'm almost finished with this book, and i still hate lena. and annoyingly she's sort of the main character. ugh.

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Nov 10, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Joan Stradling for TeensReadToo.com

Lena and Ethan have survived the horrors of Lena's sixteenth birthday, but things are far from over. The question of Lena's Claiming is still unsettled. Will she be a Dark or Light Caster - and what will it mean for her relationship with Ethan?

When Lena runs off with a mysterious Caster and leaves Ethan behind, he thinks it might be time to move on, but he soon discovers the only direction to go is after Lena. Ethan sets off with his trusty friend,...more

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Oct 03, 2011 Laurel (The Book Garden) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: bought-first-hand, books-i-own

Review from my blog The Book Garden: **Originally read October 2010***

What an excellent sequel! Beautiful Darkness steps to the next chapter of The Caster Chronicles, which started off with Beautiful Creatures.

Let's go right to the setting.........the best thing in this book. There is just something about it, and no matter how horrible the people in Gatlin can be, it's irresistable, gothic, and intriguing. The wonderful setting of Gatlin is back, and I was so happy to read more about it. It is...more

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Oct 25, 2010 Precious rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

See full review here.

The things that I really liked about Beautiful Darkness were the new characters, the answered questions, the wider exploration of the Tunnels and the twists and turns. These things made the sequel a satisfying read.

Liv, an adventurous Keeper-in-training, and John Breed, an Incubus who could walk in the sun, were new additions to the great cast of the Caster Series. Through Liz, some of my questions after reading Beautiful Creatures were answered. The supernatural experience...more

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Nov 04, 2010 Kt from A Book Obsession.. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: signed, hardcopy

After not being claimed for darkness like she feared, you would expect Lena to be happy to be able to stay with Ethan. However her guilt from her Uncle's death is threatening to consume her and causes Lena to pull further and further away from Ethan. When Ethan starts having mysterious visions again, this time without Lena, he knows she is in trouble, but he just isn't sure what the danger really is. When Lena really starts to take a turn for the worst, Ethan may just be the only person who can...more After not being claimed for darkness like she feared, you would expect Lena to be happy to be able to stay with Ethan. However her guilt from her Uncle's death is threatening to consume her and causes Lena to pull further and further away from Ethan. When Ethan starts having mysterious visions again, this time without Lena, he knows she is in trouble, but he just isn't sure what the danger really is. When Lena really starts to take a turn for the worst, Ethan may just be the only person who can save her from herself, but what happens when she doesn't want to be saved?

The teen love angst was majorly stepped up in this book. It really surprises me to say this, but I actually think the angst added to the story. Usually this is something that will turn me off of a series, but it was handled perfectly in this book. Everything between Ethan and Lena is thoroughly strained, ripped, torn apart. It's almost as if all of their differences grew together and formed an impenetrable wall between the two of them. However, while the issues between them made for a terribly nail biting read, if they can overcome those obstacles, they will only come out the other side that much stronger. I really enjoy these two together and I hope their relationship will stand the test of time despite the road blocks along the way.

A lot of questions get answered in this book. Many of those answers are ones you will never see coming. Things are really starting to come all together and the events in the past have woven a very intricate web to lead into the present. It's amazing to see how everything has led up to the current events, and its hard to believe there is still plenty we do not know. This book really has just the right amount of revelations to really keep the pace going, but it leaves plenty of mystery as well. This is a really fine line to follow, and can be one of my biggest pet peeves in a book. Too little information and the book is very frustrating, but too many revelations can become boring as there is no mystery left. I am very impressed with the way this series is progressing and handling the "information and mystery" issues.

If you thought the stakes were high in the first book, this one steps it up that much further. Be prepared to sit on the edge of your seat the entire book. I couldn't read it any faster! This book will definitely grip you every bit as hard as the first one. After the revelations in this book, I cannot imagine the direction the next book will have to take. If you enjoyed the first book, this one surely will not disappoint. If you are anything like me, as soon as you finish this book, you will be counting down until the next one.(less)

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Mar 15, 2011 Anastasia Hopcus rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm only a third of the way through and it's even more amazing than the first book! Which was perfect---so I'm not even sure what to call this. Perfect squared? Perfect to the nth degree?

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Mar 09, 2013 Sandra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reads

I have to admit Beautiful Darkness was not as amazing as Beautiful Creatures; in fact it took me 200-250 pages to really get into this book. I am so happy I stuck with it though because the ending just seriously wowed me!

The plot and writing was a bit unorganized. There were so many chapters where nothing was happening and then all of a sudden fifty things happened at once and then back to nothing. Don’t get me wrong, I love that this one focused more on the Caster world and how Ethan and Lena’...more I have to admit Beautiful Darkness was not as amazing as Beautiful Creatures; in fact it took me 200-250 pages to really get into this book. I am so happy I stuck with it though because the ending just seriously wowed me!

The plot and writing was a bit unorganized. There were so many chapters where nothing was happening and then all of a sudden fifty things happened at once and then back to nothing. Don’t get me wrong, I love that this one focused more on the Caster world and how Ethan and Lena’s family have more connections than I would have thought possible. But even though it was nice to learn more about the underground world of the tunnels and all of the creatures that are in it, it confused the hell out of me! I felt like everything new to us as readers was poorly introduced and explained in the book. Including the poor pacing, the adventure didn't really start until more than halfway.

The characters made up greatly for the bad parts of this book though. Ethan, he is such an amazing character. The whole time I was reading I was thinking, “Lena is an idiot, who would treat Ethan like that? He is perfection!” And Liv, I was surprised that I loved her character so much from the very beginning. Her curiosity, intelligence, and overall personality made her someone I could picture as my own friend. Of course I also love how much Link and Ridley were in this book, and I am so intrigued to see what the future holds for them. Especially after the major events that happened to them at the end! I don’t even feel bad to say I did not like Lena in this book, she was acting a fool.

If the sacrifices everyone had to make to help Ethan and Lena don’t prove their loyalty then I don’t know what does.

(Side note: How adorable was Lucille? I found it so cute how she ended up being an essential part of the story.)

But omg the best part of the book was when Ethan figured out the secret of the Arclight. I legit squealed and wanted to jump up and down with joy!!!

Anyways, four stars! I’m so excited to continue with the series.
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Oct 20, 2011 Lyndz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mypod-audiobook, reviewed

I wanted to like this book so bad. I quite enjoyed the first one, I thought Beautiful Creatures was a much needed break from the tedious plots in YA fantasy fiction. This one, well, not so much.

Let me get my gripes out of the way right off the bat.

What’s it called when in a plot the protagonist is faced with an insurmountable problem and then all the sudden the author creates a seemingly random solution without any prior mention of the solutions existence? I know there is a name for this but I...more I wanted to like this book so bad. I quite enjoyed the first one, I thought Beautiful Creatures was a much needed break from the tedious plots in YA fantasy fiction. This one, well, not so much.

Let me get my gripes out of the way right off the bat.

What’s it called when in a plot the protagonist is faced with an insurmountable problem and then all the sudden the author creates a seemingly random solution without any prior mention of the solutions existence? I know there is a name for this but I can’t remember it. For example the protagonist is faced with a army of zombies intent upon his brains with his back to a cliff with no other option but to jump to his death or be eaten, and then all the sudden an eagle swoops down and saves him. Where this eagle came from or why he would want to save the protagonist has not been hinted to or mentioned prior to this point. Whatever this is called, this technique was way overused in Beautiful Darkness. It's called Deus ex machina. (thank you Chance)

One of my favorite things in Beautiful Creatures was Lena and her relationship/interactions with Ethan. In this installment in the Caster Chronicles Lena was a big (view spoiler) and her and Ethan were hardly around each other at all until the end, so 2 of the things that made this series great in my eyes were eliminated. (view spoiler)

On the positive side, There were some cool action scenes in this book, but not as many as I was hoping for.
Amma is still awesome, she is still one of my favorite characters. I want to try her pies! Of course there is Macon, who can say no to a book with a suave southern gentleman? And Link just simply cracks me up. I really do love the characters in these books. That, and because I liked the first one is why I am going to give it 3 stars instead of 2.

I don’t know if I will read the Beautiful Chaos. At least, I am not planning on rushing off to the book store or library to get it. I will wait and see if it is released in audiobook format at my library and then if I have nothing else to read, I will check it out.
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Jan 07, 2011 Rollie rated it 3 of 5 stars

New mysterious student.

Hot.

Pale.

Love story.

Crap. Aren’t we all tired of this formula at the beginning? Basically, from what I listed above, you could immediately think of twilight. Talking about it, it’s really sad that lots of writers do influenced by twilight that no matter how original the concept they have, you could still notice stain from twilight.

However, I’m guessing the authors’ references in making this book are the following:
Twilight. I mentioned it already.

Harry Potter. Remember the...more

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Nov 26, 2010 Sandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010, should-have-been-better

WHAT ABOUT LIV???

Like Beautiful Creatures, this sequel drew me in with the lush, vivid descriptions and fascinating characters. However, Beautiful Darkness suffers from the same problems that plagued its predecessor: uneven pacing and a confusing ending that solves few of the problems that have been building up for 500 pages. And who am I kidding--I'm knocking off a star for my favorite character, Liv, who really gets shafted in this book.

The delightful supporting cast is my favorite part of thi...more WHAT ABOUT LIV???

Like Beautiful Creatures, this sequel drew me in with the lush, vivid descriptions and fascinating characters. However, Beautiful Darkness suffers from the same problems that plagued its predecessor: uneven pacing and a confusing ending that solves few of the problems that have been building up for 500 pages. And who am I kidding--I'm knocking off a star for my favorite character, Liv, who really gets shafted in this book.

The delightful supporting cast is my favorite part of this series. These two authors can be masters of characterization. From Amma, Marian, and Macon to Link, Ridley, and Liv, this series contains an impressive supporting cast of witty, brave, and loyal characters. These characters come alive for me, and I look forward to any scenes with them. Where the book struggles is with the leads. Ethan is a sweet voice for the story but perhaps not particularly realistic for a 16 year-old-boy. And I admit--I've never been crazy about Lena. The authors did such a good job having Lena push Ethan away that I didn't WANT Ethan to go back to Lena. I understood he needed to help her and would always be there for her, but I thought a teen paranormal novel would finally break from the predicable relationship pattern and provide a fresh twist...and that brings me to Liv.

I adore Liv. She's brilliant, loyal, and caring, and she could have been the sunshine Ethan needed after so much darkness. By half way through the book, I was completely cheering for Ethan and Liv. I thought, "Finally! We get a unique story where the guy and the girl (Ethan and Lena) DON'T end up together but everyone's still happy and the choices feel real." Nope. I thought for sure the book was establishing that you can find love again after loving someone you can't be with. Yeah, he'd always love Lena (like his Mom loved Macon) but he could find sunshine, warmth, love, and acceptance with someone else. I just loved how Ethan described Liv...how he said it felt like he'd known her forever, how easy and natural it was to be with her, how warm and caring she was. How could he throw that away to jump right back to Lena's cold, dark arms? I was beyond disappointed when in the wrap-up at the end, Liv was relegated to a few quick sentences after she sacrificed so much and had such a natural, healthy connection with Ethan.

Was it just me, or did this book feel like it could have been about 100 pages shorter? I remember feeling that way when I read Beautiful Creatures, too. The world created by Garcia and Stohl is rich, captivating, and original; however, the pacing is uneven with huge chunks of the book that slow to a crawl and delve into talking about the same problems again and again and again (you get the point). And after reading SO MUCH about the problems and conflicts, you expect a little resolution at the end. Nope. Just more confusing, vague endings that aren't really endings at all and more "choices" that aren't really choices. At the end, didn't you feel like you were back where you were at the end of Beautiful Creatures? After 1000+ pages, I really need a little resolution, here, instead of dragging out the same problem for two books.

Will I read the next installment? Yes, but I hope the authors provide a real ending at some point. There's a way to end a book (that's part of a series) where the reader feels satisfied and it feels like an ending, and yet the door is open for sequels. I hope at some point the books in this series can give readers this kind of a satisfying ending. (And here's to hoping Liv gets an ending she deserves.)(less)

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May 29, 2012 Rae rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-50-books

"We are given to the great, for the great, to great ends. We are given to the grave, for grave purpose, and grave ends." -Ethan Wate.

First off, I liked the first book, I was expecting something different and I did get something unusual but it wasn't exactly what I was looking for. Lena's character annoyed me so bad. Now, BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS surprisingly met some pretty high expectations.

THINGS I LIKED:

1. The fact that Lena was absent for at least 3/4 of the book. She is just so annoying. Like...more
"We are given to the great, for the great, to great ends. We are given to the grave, for grave purpose, and grave ends." -Ethan Wate.

First off, I liked the first book, I was expecting something different and I did get something unusual but it wasn't exactly what I was looking for. Lena's character annoyed me so bad. Now, BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS surprisingly met some pretty high expectations.

THINGS I LIKED:

1. The fact that Lena was absent for at least 3/4 of the book. She is just so annoying. Like in one part in Beautiful Darkness (Not a spoiler) Ethan and Lena are making out in the back of a ticket booth and Lena is all happy, five seconds later- "Ethan I'm a dark and powerful caster get AWAY FROM ME!" Also, around page 50 or so Ethan and Lena are making out by the lake, and Lena kinda accidentally hurts Ethan...not really? about three pages before that she was all "I LOVE YOU ETHAN!" 4 pages later "Ethan I can't be with you! I don't want to hurt you!" This is like New Moon but switched, Lena is Edward, Ethan is Bella, and then you gotta throw in all the magic and paranormal stuff and WALLA AH! Beautiful Darkness!

2. Liv. I don't know if I'm the only one, but if in this series there's like "team picking" (Which is very awkward because you are reading the series from a GUYS point of view, so it's like picking girl teams of you think is hotter and better...?) Anyways, Liv was SO much better than Lena and her weird PMS bitchy behavior!
3. How Link and Ridely stole some of the ‘romance’. I’m totally sick of Lena, I mean, she makes me whine and complain (I’m a hypocrite, I know!) whenever she jumps into the scene. But I LOVE Link! I don’t think I’m the only one :D And Ridely is just plain badass; I wanna read the rest of the saga about them and not stupid Lena and Ethan who acts like a girly boy.
THINGS I DISLIKED:
1. Some of the magical characters in the books. Not for their personality’s I mean I just don’t like their SUPERNATURAL aspect. For example, one of Lena’s cousins or Aunts (Another thing I dislike, How many relatives does Lena have?! I mean god damn!) Or whatever has this power that when she looks at people she instantly knows what they are thinking about, and their whole life story…? I remember when I was 11, I wrote a book about weird supernatural aliens (I’m not even joking, I swear on my right hand!) and wow what a coincidence one of the aliens had the same power! *girly gasp* Come on now, Margie and Kami, ANYONE can come up with that, I would love to see something super unique.

2. I read this back to back with AFTERLIFE by Claudia Gray, and that book had some problems for me, but then I read this book and I was thinking- well, it has as much action as Afterlife and the pacing is about the same so why the hell is this book so chunky?! It needs to lose weight, man! I have no idea HOW these books are just so big, but it really annoys me. Now, I am one for big books, don’t get me wrong, but the ‘Caster Chronicles’ series just sorta drags on and on and on. Some of the events that take place in the book is just basically taking an already used affair and making it more exciting! Boring…

3. The random ass characters that kept popping like the Duggar babies! When Liv, Link, and Ethan were in the Tunnel’s all these different characters I don’t give a rat butt about kept falling in, and it just slowed the pace. I would have loved to see more navigating through the tunnels, and to explore this weird and strange “Cast World”

Overall, good story, better than the first one, the ending was sorta dragged on but still great in my opinion.

(less)

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Oct 26, 2010 Thomas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-physical

I LOVE the endings to these books, they are the sole reason why I trudge through the three hundred or so other pages that make up the exposition. The accumulation of all the conflict and suspense and foreshadowing into about one hundred to two hundred pages is absolutely amazing.

Beautiful Darkness had the same problem as Beautiful Creatures - it was too long, at least for my taste. I felt like the plot was not as believable as the first book in terms of withheld information, and there were more...more

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Oct 14, 2010 Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

If the whole book had been like the last 80 pages, it might have received a higher rating from me. Unfortunately, I just didn't enjoy the fact that the two main characters were pretty much separated for most of the story.

Having to accompany Ethan on his journey to "save" Lena was a long, drawn out process. The group was searching, then back home, searching, then back home. I started skimming after a while.

The highlight of Beautiful Darkness was the complicated relationship between Ridley and Lin...more

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Oct 28, 2010 Krista rated it 4 of 5 stars

Beautiful Creatures dazzled me. A well-deserved 5 stars. Beautiful Darkness is also a very special book and a terrific read. What took BD down to 4 stars for me was that it took me the first 200 pages to really get into the story and take off flying to finish the rest. The story was not bad by any means, but Lena was kind of irritating in this book -- the girl is certainly dealing with a lot of issues. I adore the unique supporting characters. Loved the addition of Liv. Amma is the greatest. You...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Līga Ločmele rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: southern-gothic

Although I enjoyed reading this second novel in the series of 'Caster Chronicles', mostly because I have grown fond of the characters - apart from Lena, my sympathies went just the opposite direction of her, - I couldn't help but to notice:

- Most of the secondary characters (herein after referred to as 'they') tend to appear (literally) whenever the primary characters are in danger/lost/simply in trouble;

- They find time to chat (as in - 'To converse in an easy, familiar manner; talk lightly and...more Although I enjoyed reading this second novel in the series of 'Caster Chronicles', mostly because I have grown fond of the characters - apart from Lena, my sympathies went just the opposite direction of her, - I couldn't help but to notice:

- Most of the secondary characters (herein after referred to as 'they') tend to appear (literally) whenever the primary characters are in danger/lost/simply in trouble;

- They find time to chat (as in - 'To converse in an easy, familiar manner; talk lightly and casually' (Online 1)) during the said danger/state of loss/trouble;

- They possess unique powers each, which are notwithstanding believed to be common among their own kind, as indicated by the use of indefinite articles - a Siren, not the Siren, yet no other Siren is present or nowhere near the story (Locmele, 2013, available at: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... );

- There is a plot twist in almost every single chapter, and I strongly disagree with the usage of this device. The Free Dictionary defines plot twist as 'a change in the expected direction or outcome of the plot of a film, television series, video game, novel, comic or other fictional work' (Online 2) I believe the 'chapterly twist', if I may, denies the whole purpose of a plot twist, or to be more precise - the plot itself. Simply put, too many questions, too less answers - is it because, ultimately, all the background stories didn't add up?

- Oh, and yes. This. is. not. about. vampires. Just look: "...when I found out what he was. Not a vampire or some mythological creature..." (Location 64); "A Blood Incubus is a Demon. A vampire is something in a movie" (Location 4244); "He's not going to attack us, like a vampire in one of your lame Mortal horror movies where all witches wear black hats." (Location 7162) Ergo, it is not about vampires, except it is, under a different, less-Twillighty, more Nosferatu-like name.

- One last thing. So this started as the reversed "New Moon" (I don't want to give too much away), after 30% or so transformed into "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows" (without the tent!) and at one point, when certain hips were mentioned, it was dangerously approaching "Fifty Shades", though, of course, not there, in a book with sixteen-year-olds.

As I said, I enjoyed reading it. And I liked it. I liked it enough to notice and mention all these things that, from where I stand, would, perhaps, give the book one or two more stars from me.

References
1. (Online 1) Available at http://www.thefreedictionary.com/chat [Accessed February 20, 2012]
2. (Online 2) Available at http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary... [Accessed February 20, 2012]
3. Quotations from the Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl.(less)

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Jul 04, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, favorites, series, 2010

Reenter Ethan Wate and Lena Duchannes' world by joining them on another exciting journey.

Ethan, is just trying to grab hold of the one he loves who seems to have already slipped away. Confused and determined to get her back, Ethan travels into the underground world of tunnles called the "Luna Libri"; a caster library underneath the entire town of Gatlin.

Meanwhile, Lena is excperiencing troubles of her own. after what happened on her 16th birthday; she has herself convinced that she has alread...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Fernanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Y como a veces pasa, la segunda parte, ha sido mejor. De alguna manera las autoras lograron llegar más profundamente a la psique de los personajes. Por fin se han dado a conocer y la historia te introduce más en las vidas y los sentimientos de cada participante.

La historia ya no se centra en el amor incondicional de los protagonistas, si no en algo más importante "Cast World", en este libro llegamos a conocer más a las circunstancias y hechos que envuelven el mundo de la magia, vemos más histori...more

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Dec 02, 2012 ☪ℒiℱ ☚☠☛ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Ethan'in annesinin sırrı,Ridley ve Link'e olanlar,olaya yeni dahil olan kişilerle birlikte baya heyecan gelmiş kitaba.Ama Lena&Ethan hikayesi geri planda kalmış gibi geldi bana.Lena belirlenecek mi belirlenmeyecek mi konu bu kısaca.Güzel ama 'muhteşem' değil;)

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Nov 21, 2011 Lissa & Alexa The Novel Lasses rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Lissa & Alexa by: Books 4 Review Club

3 Better Stars

I am still having a hard time reading this series… and an even harder time reviewing it…. However, it is getting better…[

[book:Beautiful Darkness|7842288](Caster Chronicles #2) BY Kami Garcia

Lissa’s Second Hardest Review Ever

As hard as this series is for me to read I have to admit that book two was much better than boon one. I managed to finish it in 15 hours verses the 21 hours it took me to read book one. Just like the first book as things started to escalate the author wou...more

3 Better Stars

I am still having a hard time reading this series… and an even harder time reviewing it…. However, it is getting better…[

[book:Beautiful Darkness|7842288](Caster Chronicles #2) BY Kami Garcia

Lissa’s Second Hardest Review Ever

As hard as this series is for me to read I have to admit that book two was much better than boon one. I managed to finish it in 15 hours verses the 21 hours it took me to read book one. Just like the first book as things started to escalate the author would slam on the brakes and fill the pages with repetitive hints of chapters past. Apparently, the author think people reading her books are idiots. After reading the first two books I think it would have been better if the author cut most of the weight out of both books and combined them into one. Just as in book, one I had a hard time keeping myself focused on the book. The story line was better drafted and tried to draw me— almost successfully. However once again I found the authors slamming on the breaks. I also had a better time seeing some of the characters and feeling for them. I was shocked to learn that Macon’s Janie was Ethan’s mom. However, I expected to find out that Ethan was Macon’s son due to Ethan’s abilities and was elated to find out I was wrong.

None of the characters captured me whole heartedly thus far. I am not even sure half the time if I have, their names correct without having to check back through the kindle. Nevertheless, if I had to pick one favorite character it would be the sister’s. I know they were just a filler part but they had me cracking up. I love it when old people are funny.

None of the characters captured me whole-heartedly in book one that changed for book two. The way the authors weaved the love story of Macon and Janie left me puzzled; asking will there ever be a way for them to be together again with magic? In addition, Link and Ridley grew on me and with the changes both of them will be facing in book, three has me speculating where the story will lead.

Which is what I think, the author was hoping for her readers due to the ending. That said, the series is getting much better. I honestly can’t wait to see where the authors are taking the story.(less)

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Jun 17, 2010 s-hastings rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-m-in-love-with-the-main-dude, best-books, fantasy, have-an-advance-reading-copy, favorites, my-fictional-heroines, the-top-twenty-best-books

I loved this book. Definitaly worth the wait. There were parts where I laughed, parts where I cried, parts where I screamed. This book has it all!

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Feb 02, 2013 Aneeqah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: magic, other-supernatural, paranormal-romance, urban-fantasy

You can find this review, and more, at my YA blog My Not So Real Life!

The sequel to Beautiful Creatures was equally enchanting as the first book. Now that I finally got used to the strange idea of this series, it was easier for me to enjoy the book, and to embrace the weirdness. With fantastic plot twists and such an intriguing plot, Beautiful Darkness certainly didn’t disappoint from its predecessor.

The plot twists in this book were breathtaking. I honestly can say that I saw almost nothing com...more

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why is it beautiful darkness?	1	5	8 hours, 3 min ago
Addicted to YA: Beautiful Darkness	17	57	22 hours, 7 min ago
Will there be a second movie?	10	62	May 18, 2013 02:05pm
Who's on Team Liv? Yeah... so cliché.	30	171	May 13, 2013 09:44pm
The Page Turners: * Beautiful Darkness	3	14	May 11, 2013 06:17am
Should I read on?	21	91	May 04, 2013 07:27am
Bookworms, Nookwo...: How did you like Beautiful Darkness? (SPOILERS)	2	7	Apr 03, 2013 05:52am

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Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles #2)

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