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

Title: Beautiful Creatures

Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Genre: YA Fantasy

Synopsis: Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone in 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 and murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever--Ethan Wate, who has been counting down the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by the dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the 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 no surprises in Gatlin County. At least that is what I thought. Turns out I couldn't have been more wrong. There was a girl....there was a curse... and in the end there was a grave."

Overall Review: GOOD BAD UGLY

Even though I had grown up in the Northeast, I was often obsessed with the South and knew that I wanted to live there one day. Ever since I first saw the movies, "Fried Green Tomatoes," "Steel Magnolias," and of course my favorite movie of all time: "Gone With The Wind," I have been hooked on all things southern. Having lived in the South now for for nearly 11 years, (4 yrs in South Carolina and 6 years in Georgia) I am still captivated by the world of sweet-tea, pecan pie, and y'all. So when I find a book written about my beloved, adopted home, I am naturally drawn to it. With a little something for everybody, and everyone of my favorite things, Beautiful Creatures does not disappoint. Any southerner, whether native or implanted, will identify with the subtle details of southern living that can only come from experience. On top of the beautiful descriptions of small, historic, southern towns, this book has history, specifically Civil War history-which is nearly as important church on Sunday here in the South. Lovers of historical fiction will find pleasure with Beautiful Creatures. In the South, there is also a rich paranormal world, where nearly every building built more than a hundred years ago is said to be haunted. Garcia and Stohl, draw beautifully upon the superstitious traditions of the South with a wonderful ghost story, along with the familiar favorites of us Urban Fantasy junkies, such as witches...ahem, I mean Casters and wolves, and vampires although in this book they are given different names. On top of these wonderful layers is the readers favorite part of the story....romance. The romance between, the fairly popular but extremely deep Ethan and the eccentric, outcast Lena is unoriginal in a wonderful way. We always love to see the hero break the mold and fall in love with the unlikeliest of girls, those of us who rode the fringes of high school dreamt of a boy like Ethan Wate to notice us. Readers, young and old will fall in love with this multi-faceted, story. Though it is not a quick read, commencing at 561 pages, it is one that you will not want to put down. (I read it through the night finishing in a day and a half). This is a MUST READ!!!! And then be looking for the sequel, Beautiful Darkness, coming out in October.