Thursday, June 6, 2013

Beautiful Creatuers by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl



Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl is a fantasy, romance YA book.  I enjoyed this book.  I listened to it years ago and it was a great audiobook, but decided to actually read it this time because the movie recently came out on DVD.

This is a love story about Ethan and Lena set in a small town in South Carolina.  This is a town where they don't take to outsiders or people who are different than everyone.  Ethan has lived there his entire life and can't wait to escape.  Then, Lena Duchannes comes to town.  Lena is the niece of the town recluse, Macon Ravenwood.  Lena and Ethan have an almost instant connection, which puts him at odds with his friends and town members.  Saying they don't like Lena is an understatement.  Parents and class members go to great lengths to try and remove Lena from the school.

Weird things, like mysteriously shattered windows, occur around Lena and she warns him to stay away, but of course he doesn't.  What kind of story would that be?  We come to learn that Lena has magical powers and is part of a family of what are called Casters and on her 16th birthday she will be claimed for light or dark.

There is a lot that happens in this beginning book of a 4 book series.  There are some very interesting characters that really come alive in the writing.  The love story is sweet.  Some of the story and characters may seem a bit stereotypical of what we expect a small, southern town to be like, but overall it's a good story with some complexity.

Now, just as a warning, the movie is very different than the book.  If you are or become a fan of this book at all, I would stay away from the movie.  Characters and plot points are combined or omitted from the movie.  Other parts are added that were never in the books.  It was somewhat confusing and disappointing for the book lovers.

You can find Beautiful Creatures in the YA section under Garcia.  For more information on this title check out:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6304335-beautiful-creatures

Liz

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