Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Review: Let me just say that since today is Thanksgiving, I am very grateful for Senfaye (Annie!!) @ A Maze of Books for telling me to purchase this. I don't think I have ever been sucked into a world as elaborate and enthralling as the one in this book. The characters were extremely well portrayed. You could even almost sense the presence of them because they were that real. The whole aspect of being a Caster and the Light and Dark side were made to be very believable--I don't even know when my eyes started gluing on the page.

The family trees, the librarian, the locket--they all made the story even more exciting and mysterious than it was already. Lena and Ethan are now two of my favorite characters (but I can't forget Link either!). The way each of their qualities and their actions are just made them feel so real you to that you can actually picture them in real life. The book will keep you on the edge of your seat will its alluring writing and plot. If this is merely just a debut novel, I cannot wait for what the two authors have in store for us in the sequel. If this book does not become a bestseller, I will literally scream my head off!

What I thought of...

The Beginning: I have to be honest here. The beginning wasn't very exciting for me, and while I do understand that this is where everything unravels, I just wasn't hooked until at least pg.90.

The Middle: I think this was the part where my eyes would not lift their gaze off the page I was reading. With each flip of the page, I found myself to the point where I just didn't want it to end, but was reluctantly reading. This is where everything came alive for me.

The End: Some people don't like the ending because of the huge cliffhanger, but I found myself enjoying it. It was a tad rushed, but it was where it belonged and I don't think I would have wanted it any differently.

I am very excited to possibly get my copy signed next Tuesday. Hopefully, I don't have any plans that day for school because I need to meet the authors!!

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And with that, I say HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I don't like turkey myself, but eat like pigs for me, will you?! :D

FTC: I bought this with my own money. No need to sue me.