Beautiful Creatures Top Reviewer

Monica @ The Bibliophilic Book Blog

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Here is her review:



Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Summary: 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. 

There were quite a few things that were different about this book, that were enjoyable. The POV in this book is from the main character Ethan, so it was different reading a YA novel from a male teen's POV. I liked it, it might not be completely believable, because Ethan is a 16 yr old male, but it was still different in an excellent way.

The length of this novel was also very nice, there was some over desciption sometimes, but most of the time the descriptions in the story were rich and vibrant, almost like textiles that you can reach out and run your fingers over each one. The gothic undertones of Lena's family were also very vibrant and excited to learn and read about, it was almost as if there needs to be a dictionary just to list each of her family members and explain more about them.

The fact that there are no vampires or werewolves in this story was refreshing, the retreat into witch lore is always intriguing, seeing as its always different and its a classic in literary terms; there is always more to learn about in regards to beliefs and how others perceive witch's. Might not be a great thing to be a witch in a severely southern "bible-belt" town. Definitely not.

This book was interesting, engaging, and after a slow start picks up tremendously, it drags the reader into a world of magic and love that is a bit Romeo and Juliet-esque. The frequent mention of different authors and their works was also refreshing and interesting because I myself have never read some of the authors mentioned and will now look into them. If I myself am intrigued by some of these classics maybe some teens that wouldn't give them the time of day before will look into them with a fresher perspective than mandatory reading. I would definitely recommend this book to others and will keep it on my shelf for future reads, after I mail it to my teen sister to borrow.

Received from: Purchased
For more information or for purchasing visit Kami Garcia or Margaret Stohl's webpage.

I give this book 4/5 stars. ★ ★ ★ ★

Discussion Questions:
1. All the lies and deceit that was occurring in the book to the teenagers seemed a bit much, right? Do we lie to our children to protect them, or brutal honesty? It seems like a reoccurring theme in Hollywood and literature, but is it a reoccurring them in real life?

I think once a child or young adult is old enough to grasp a concept of something then they should be informed completely about said concept and be able to act in a manor that befits knowledge instead of ignorance. If you teach a teen about sex, how to protect themselves, and why they shouldn't have it before marriage (or whenever) then they will understand it better than when you say "Just don't do it", and then when the time comes to make a decision, they will know the correct path.

2. Do you feel Lena and Ethan were too chaste, with only random kissing? With rampant teenage pregnancies and condoms being distributed in schools, do you feel these YA novels that stick to just kissing and no cursing aren't reality, or do you agree with their good show of morals?

Sadly, I think that no...teenagers face sex every single day. With hormones, peer pressure and pressure from the opposite sex sometimes even, its hard to remain an outsider as a teen in that sort of environment. Maybe though this situation is more normal for severely religious and small towns, but I doubt it. I am not saying there should be sex in YA romance...but, it shouldn't be hidden either, this goes with my answer to the first question.

3. Obviously the authors lean towards a very strong liberal political viewpoint...the story does a great job labeling conservatives as bible thumping, closed minded racists who burn books........in that sense how do you feel about censorship and do you feel its fair to label all conservatives this way?

Definitely not. I am conservative in my political views and such, but I am the opposite of a bible thumper, I am a card carrying Pagan, and I am definitely not racist or closed minded...so nope, don't agree with that view point at all.

4. Southern, small town close-mindedness is a big feature of Beautiful Creatures, did you find the towns reaction to Lena something that could really happen, or a gross Southern, small-town stereo-type?


Nope, unfortunately I think small-town close mindedness is a very prevalent thing in the South and even in the North...its still very much a real issue.