Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Jan 21, 2013 Vanessa Gayle ⚔️ Fangirl Faction rated it really liked it

Shelves: bookish-character, urban-fantasy-read, curse, psychic-abilities, quirky-eccentric-amusing-elders, dark, high-stakes, sigh-worthy, trigger-warning, dark-themes

10/18/2022: Reread on audiobook!
I first read this book almost ten years ago and I never posted a review. I wanted to finish the series so I decided that a reread was in order.

This is the only book that I have read by this author duo. I really like their combined writing style. It is smooth and relatable. It's not hard to put yourself in the shoes of the characters. I also really like the plot. It is compelling and interesting and keeps the reader hooked. The world-building is very atmospheric. 10/18/2022: Reread on audiobook!
I first read this book almost ten years ago and I never posted a review. I wanted to finish the series so I decided that a reread was in order.

This is the only book that I have read by this author duo. I really like their combined writing style. It is smooth and relatable. It's not hard to put yourself in the shoes of the characters. I also really like the plot. It is compelling and interesting and keeps the reader hooked. The world-building is very atmospheric. The book takes place in South Carolina and the book captures many southern attitudes very well. I thought that the representation of southern culture was handled with grace.

I really liked that the book it told from a male perspective. Most young adult fantasy and paranormal books circa the 2000s have female POVs. It was refreshing to have a male perspective. Even if the book is very much about Lena, the story is told by Ethan. I felt myself relating to the characters so easily. I thought that both main characters had some really great backgrounds and development. Each character experiences quite a bit of character growth throughout the book. All of the secondary characters were delightful as well. There is such a wide array of characters that take part in this story. They are so entertaining.

The romance in the book was very sweet. I loved how Ethan gravitated toward Lena. Ethan was a more open-minded person in his small town and he didn't judge Lena the way that everyone else did. He was compassionate and caring. I loved how he slowly won Lena over. They started spending time together and just got lost in each other. There were some paranormal circumstances at play as well but the romance was mostly two teens connecting and falling in love.

Overall, this book is a breath of fresh air. I loved the whole concept of the story and how the authors orchestrated everything. I am so eager to pick up the next book and see how things progress in this fascinating world.

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Feb 21, 2013 Charlotte (Buried in Books) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 25, 2010 Thenia rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, romance, paranormal, series, ya-na, reviewed, r-ab, magic, 2013

Interesting young adult book with a male protagonist living in a small southern town where things never change, until one day they do.

The narrator did an excellent job, both with the various accents and the interpretation of the different, colorful characters and he made the book a lot better for me than it would have been had I read it instead.

Many of the elements I find irritating in young adult books were present in this one as well, but the male main character was thankfully not as dramatic ...more

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Apr 08, 2011 Nairabell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star, teen-ya-paranormal, read-in-2011, borrowed-from-library

Ethan Wate lives in Gatlin, South Carolina and is counting the days until he can leave town. Gatlin is like most small towns - boring, predictable and totally lacking in surprises - that is until Lena Duchannes arrives in town. From the moment she moves in with her uncle (the town shut-in) in his massive supposedly haunted mansion Lena stands out. Ethan is inexplicably drawn to Lena, but he is about to discover she is hiding things from him - not just secrets, but mysterious powers and inescapab Ethan Wate lives in Gatlin, South Carolina and is counting the days until he can leave town. Gatlin is like most small towns - boring, predictable and totally lacking in surprises - that is until Lena Duchannes arrives in town. From the moment she moves in with her uncle (the town shut-in) in his massive supposedly haunted mansion Lena stands out. Ethan is inexplicably drawn to Lena, but he is about to discover she is hiding things from him - not just secrets, but mysterious powers and inescapable curses as well.

I'd seen this book everywhere, hyped to the point of excess so I decided to get it from the library as the last couple of overly hyped books I've read failed to meet my expectations. The first thing I must say about the book is that it has the worst beginning of any book I've read recently. I knew the book was written in first person present tense and from the perspective of the guy, but nothing prepared me for the yawn fest the book begins with. It got to the stage two chapters in that I stopped and checked in with friends who loved the book, and they encouraged me to continue. I'm really grateful they did because as soon as our two lead characters cross paths things begin to get interesting, and the plot picks up pace.

The prose is lyrical and descriptive, and the plot well thoughtout with lots of twists and turns. I ended up really enjoying the male narrator as it's unusual and added a new dimension. I really like both Ethan and Lena, and found their romance to be well developed and beautifully written. The plot develops gradually, and once the leads have met the pace picks up with revelations and plot developments coming quickly.

The supporting characters are also really well developed - especially Ethan's housekeeper/adoptive grandmother Amma who helps Ethan stay grounded despite the revelations caused by his relationship with Lena. I also really liked Ethan's best friend Link whose attempts at rock megastardom always seem just a little outside of his grasp. Lena's relatives are also great and once introduced really help to show Lena's world in a whole new light.

At well over 500 pages, this is not a light read but I encourage anyone put off by the length to give it a try. The authors have managed to create an incredibly detailed and fleshed out world, and Gatlin really seems to come to life on the page. The ending is clever and unexpected, and I can't wait to see where the series goes next.

All in all, I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading Beautiful Darkness.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 8/10
Cover: 10/10

Overall: 47/50 ...more

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Sep 20, 2010 Wendi rated it liked it

I enjoyed the first the full, but the second half was tiresome and predictable. The ending was to expected. I don't know if I will read the next book, as it seems that that is the only way to find out how this book ends. ...more

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