Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1) in Once Upon a Twilight blog

Aug 19, 2009 Pixie/PageTurners Blog(Amber) C. rated it it was amazing

Excellent. I can not say enough about this book. Read it, you will love it. Unfortunately I did not get to review Beautiful Creatures for our blog, Stacey did, and you can read her review here . I added my 2cents at the bottom. ...more

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Sep 22, 2009 Katieb (MundieMoms) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arcs-i-own, books-i-own, 2009-100-book-challenge, signed

I fell in love w/ this book the moment I got an ARC for it. I've been dying to post a review, but have been asked by Little Brown to wait until it's official release day to do so. This book is full of everything from southern history, love, romance, witty, mysterious and it leaves you on the edge of your seat as you try and figure out exactly who everyone really is and what is really about to unfold in Gatlin County South Carolina. Nothing is what it seems.

You can see more of our talk about Bea ...more

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Aug 30, 2009 Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: socal-author, ya, fantasy

In my eyes, there are books and then there are BOOKS. Every time I crack open a book, I wonder if this will be the one. The book that whisks me away to a new place, consumes me, calls to me, and lures me away from other things. Is it a book that haunts my thoughts? Does it make me believe that I am there in its world vs. being in my world? And most importantly, when I finish the last page, does it make me want to go back and read it over and over again?

Beautiful Creatures is definitely one of th In my eyes, there are books and then there are BOOKS. Every time I crack open a book, I wonder if this will be the one. The book that whisks me away to a new place, consumes me, calls to me, and lures me away from other things. Is it a book that haunts my thoughts? Does it make me believe that I am there in its world vs. being in my world? And most importantly, when I finish the last page, does it make me want to go back and read it over and over again?

Beautiful Creatures is definitely one of those books that meet the criteria for “stand out” book in a genre. After reading about 15 pages, I found myself being consumed by the story. If I hadn’t needed to be a responsible adult, I would have just kept reading and finished it in one sitting. However, by the time I got up to 300 pages, my ability to be a responsible adult was quickly taking second place to my need to finish the book.

Garcia and Stohl have created a story that is gorgeous, haunting, and addictive. There is a bit of a risk that an author(s) take when a debut novel is 563 pages. Either you better be able to capture the reader right from the beginning or risk losing them after 200 or 300 pages. Never once did I have the sense that the story was taking too long or why hadn’t it ended yet. The writing is rich and well-crafted. What is also amazing to me is that the writing is also seamless. There is no sense that this is a novel written by two people. It is written as one authorial voice with both authors being deeply in-tune with one another.

One element that I was drawn to in the story was the sense of place and history that is evoked by the plot and characters. I could imagine myself in Gatlin, seeing Amma make biscuits or pie, feel the humidity, or hear the southern drawl of the characters. I was fascinated with how Garcia and Stohl used the past and tied it into the present. And there was a community feel. Most YA fiction seems to leave out adults. However, Ethan and Lena were surrounded by adults – some who cared, some who got in there way, some who were dangerous, and some who assisted them.

Finally as I read through Beautiful Creatures, I was also struck by how Garcia and Stohl balanced tension, conflict, and mystery throughout the story. I didn’t just feel like the characters were solely in love with one another and caught up in their own world. Instead the challenges faced by both Lena and Ethan kept them solidly grounded in real life issues even whilst dealing with supernatural ones.

I am so glad that there will be a second book...now what to do as I wait.
...more

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Jan 08, 2010 Ashley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ebook-shelf

Short and Sweet

Oh my goodness! This book reminds me of why I love YA! It is such a great story of romance, supernatural and the days of being different in a high school full of replicas.

The Juicy Details

It was an amazing story of two very special teenagers, Ethan and Lena. Ethan was always apart of the popular crowd. He enjoyed it and the simplicity that he thought it offered. Or so he thought. That was his life before the frighteningly beautiful Lena Duchannes moved to Gatlin. She was dark, be ...more

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Aug 18, 2010 Jennifer Provost rated it liked it

I liked this book, but I think what draws me to the book is its quirky aspects, rather than the story. The story can be boiled down to boy + girl = forbidden love. Actually, he's a Mortal and she's a Caster, so we're talking forbidden for hundreds of years. But the lovers persevere in their quest to be together.

The story is pretty good, but like I said, I liked the quirkyness. For instance, it's told from the boy's point of view. Aslo, this is set in the South - and it's the Ral South! They spe ...more

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Dec 30, 2009 Stacie rated it it was amazing

My goodness did I ever enjoy this book. Beautifully written, incredibly fleshed out characters, and a unique plot that made me want to devour the book in one sitting. A MUST READ!

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Sep 27, 2009 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Beautiful Creatures got my attention right away. It has lush descriptions, eccentric, captivating characters, and an excellent ending. The narrator is a boy, which is a nice change from all the female-driven stories I've been reading lately, and his relationship with Lena is very tragic and sweet. There is a feel to this novel that reminds me of The Witching Hour by Anne Rice, and I loved this story as much as I loved that one. ...more

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Nov 14, 2009 Heather rated it liked it

I wanted to like this book because it had the elements of history, the South, mystery and first love...so I kept reading. It was just okay for me.

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Feb 24, 2011 Patty rated it liked it · review of another edition

I found this book a little too hard to get into. There were times where the plot just kept dragging. It wasn't until the end where I got to see some action. This book wasn't all bad, but there were some things that could have been cut and the story would have been fine. ...more

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Dec 24, 2009 Sonya rated it liked it

Beautiful creatures is a beautiful story! Southern char, love, mystery, and supernatural all blended into a fascinating story. Characters you will miss when you finish!

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