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

Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Cover by David Caplan. Font by Si Scott. Photo courtesy of © Hachette Book Group 2011

When love is cursed before it even starts, is it worth the risk? Sixteen-year-old Ethan Wate dreams of leaving his small, sleepy hometown of Gatlin, but he also dreams of a girl whose face he cannot see. He’s already in love with her but has no idea who she is. So when the beautiful and mysterious Lena Duchannes breezes into town, his life, along with the townsfolk, changes forever.

Ethan lives with his father, Mitchell, and a housekeeper named Amma. Although Amma is more like Ethan’s grandmother than a housekeeper, she’s practically raised him. Amma is very superstitious, leaving dolls and sachets around the house, while Mitchell is a bit of a recluse, sleeping all day and writing all night. And Lena is a Caster. She’s not a witch. As Lena puts it, “The people in my family, and me, we have powers. We can do things that regular people can’t do. We’re born that way, we can’t help it. We are what we are.” Lena lives in Ravenwood Manor, the creepiest house in the county with her uncle Macon Ravenwood, who seems to have his own dark secrets.

The rich, vivid details of not only the characters, but of the town—right down to the eight streets before getting to Jackson High School—allow me to easily envision myself in Gatlin. I can hear Ethan’s best friend Link’s car (the “Beater”) as he pulls up to Ethan’s house every morning. I can taste the bacon and eggs Amma cooks up. I can even smell the lemons and rosemary near Ravenwood Manor. The cultural descriptions and emotions are so evocative I feel like I’m standing in the rain when Ethan pulls up to Lena as she walks along the road. Their sweet but complicated relationship is something that resonates with me. I’m originally from Georgia and have traveled all over the Southeast and, like Ethan, dreamt of leaving my small hometown. I lived in GA for over 25 years because, like Ethan, I, too, fell in love. Unfortunately, that story has a different ending.

“Beautiful Creatures” is well crafted and addictive. Although it’s listed as “Young Adult,” anyone who has an interest in the supernatural and mystical would enjoy this book. It’s a portal into another realm disguised as a sleepy southern town. Garcia and Stohl do such a wonderful job of telling the story without revealing too much about the characters immediately, letting the mystery suck you in. The writing is entrancing and will leave you wanting more. Luckily, the second book in the series, “Beautiful Darkness,” is already available so you don’t have to wait! It continues with Ethan and Lena attending a funeral. (I’m still reading this one so I’ll do a review when I’m done.)

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl – http://beautifulcreaturesthebook.com/

Southern Gothic Series – The Caster Chronicles:

  • Beautiful Creatures
  • Beautiful Darkness
  • Beautiful Chaos – coming October 18, 2011

And if you live in the Los Angeles area, both Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl will be at the Festival of Books held at USC http://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/authors/

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.