Beautiful Creatures
Authors – Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Publisher – Little, Brown and Company. Re-issued by Penguin
Release Date – 1st December 2009. Re-issued Date – 3rd January 2013
Lena Duschannes is a Caster who is living with her Uncle Macon Ravenwood in Gatlin, South Carolina, in the run up to her 16th birthday, the day she will be claimed either Light or Dark.
Ethan Wate is just an normal teenager living in Gatlin with his author dad who has been hiding away in his office since his wife, Ethan’s mum, died. They are both looked after by Amma the house keeper who is also a Seer.
At the start of the book we find out that Ethan keeps on having a recurring dream in which there is a girl he has never met. Then Lena starts at the school Ethan attends and he is quickly drawn to her and realises that she is the girl from his dreams. Ethan wants to get to know Lena but Lena doesn’t want to make any friends and pushes him away. Over the course of the first few chapters we feel Ethan’s pain as he desperately tries to get Lena to trust him, as for him it was love at first sight and he wants Lena to feel the same. Lena however is convinced that on her 16th birthday she will turn to the dark side and tries to block Ethan from her life, along with Macon and Amma’s approval as they want to keep the two apart as the two of them are old enemies.
Ethan tries to convince Lena that she can choose what she will become and that it is her choice whether she is turns light or dark and that she is a good person. Two dark casters show up to try to push Lena to the dark side and cause as much trouble as they can. Ridley, a Siren and Lena’s cousin who was banished from their home when she was chosen for the dark side and Sarafina, Lena’s mum and Macon’s Sister, who Lena was told had died years ago after she killed Lena’s Father. The two of them will go to any lengths to make sure that Lena will be chosen for the dark side, even if it means interfering in both Lena and Ethan’s lives.
Lena is a mixed up young girl who pushes everyone away as she doesn’t want anyone to get hurt by her as she is convinced she is going dark. She has a strong personality that shines off the pages but we also get to see a softer side to her and feel her pain. Ethan comes across as a bit of a love sick puppy who would follow Lena to the ends of the earth, but you find yourself rooting for the the two of them and enjoy the feeling that young love has to offer.
Ridley, although a dark caster who can make anyone do anything with the lick of her lollipop, has a witty, fun personality that even though she is causing trouble you can’t help liking her. There are a lot of strong characters in the book but they don’t over power each other. They all have their own traits and are distinguished from one another with each playing a vital role in the story.
Review
The book is about self discovery for both Lena and Ethan and about learning to face your fears head on and to trust people especially those that love you.
From Chapter One right to the end of the book, it was explosive and kept me gripped and absorbed in the life of Lena and a world where humans and casters live side by side. The story is captivating and immerses the reader into a world where magic is real. The plot takes hold quickly and the story is fast paced. It will take you away from reality and place you in a world where anything can happen.
Although this is deemed more of a YA novel I was fully engrossed in it. The story does something most books aimed at adults don’t do. It plays with your imagination and creates a world we know isn’t real but can visualise it just as vividly. I was kept on my toes throughout the whole book and the ending, which I didn’t see coming, had me downloading book two straight away as I needed to know what happened next.
This book is in my Top Ten Books.
My rating:
Five Stars
Buy Beautiful Creatures from Amazon, here.
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
