Chloe read and liked Vania's review of Beautiful Creatures:

"Truly one of the best Deb books of '09! "

Chloe read and liked Jackson's review of Beautiful Creatures:

"I started reading BEAUTIFUL CREATURES slowly, just a few pages here, another few there...and then all of the sudden, I was in. I plowed through the remainder of the entire book-- a hefty 600+ pages-- in about a day and a half. I couldn't put it down-...more I started reading BEAUTIFUL CREATURES slowly, just a few pages here, another few there...and then all of the sudden, I was in. I plowed through the remainder of the entire book-- a hefty 600+ pages-- in about a day and a half. I couldn't put it down-- I was reading at stoplights on my drive home.
I hate it when books are long for the sake of being long-- if I'm going to read about a character going through each step in the process of making cereal, there'd better be a point to it. What's fantastic about this book is there IS a point to it-- every word in the book is valuable. It's written with the succinctness of a short book, yet still goes on for 600 pages. Which means that's a powerful, beautiful, and well-planned 600 pages.
The characters are amazingly rounded and realistic; the love story doesn't go without angst/frustration, which makes it one of the best YA love stories I've read in ages. I LIVED for those romantic, sweet scenes that exist just often enough to keep me clambering for the next one. The magic aspect of the world is well built and heavily detailed in a way that makes it all the more believable. The real gem of this book, however, is the setting. As someone from the deep south, I'm always mixed on the way we're portrayed in books. BEAUTIFUL CREATURES simultaneously shows the grace, history, and beauty of the south along with the often irritating small-mindedness that infects some areas.
I will confess that I felt the power of the love story dropped a little in the final chapter, but I think this may just be my interpretation. There were also a few very minor unfulfilled character development moments. But it wasn't enough for me to not give this book five stars-- overall, BEAUTIFUL CREATURES is a glorious love story spun in the rich, mysterious, and magical world of the deep South. It's sure to be a huge hit-- how could it not be?(less) "

Chloe read and liked Margaret Stohl's review of Ruined: A Ghost Story:

"I am a sucker for these things: the south, graveyards, good writing, a well spun multi-generational yarn, a curse, ghosts, and tarot card readers. How could I not like this book? Different books fit into my bookshelf in different ways, and I have ver...more I am a sucker for these things: the south, graveyards, good writing, a well spun multi-generational yarn, a curse, ghosts, and tarot card readers. How could I not like this book? Different books fit into my bookshelf in different ways, and I have very few like this one. So happy to have it!(less) "