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Beautiful Creatures
| Beautiful Creatures | |
|---|---|
 Beautiful Creatures Book Cover, written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl | |
| Author(s) |
Kami Garcia Margaret Stohl |
| Series | Beautiful Creatures |
| Publisher | Little, Brown Books for Young Readers |
| Publication date | September 14, 2010 |
| Media type |
Hardcover Paperback eBook |
| Length | 592 Pages |
| ISBN | 978-0316077033 |
| ASIN | B002WAUV7S |
| Followed by | Beautiful Darkness |
For other uses of the word Succubus, see Succubus (disambiguation).
For other uses of the word Incubus, see Incubus (disambiguation).
Beautiful Creatures is a novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. It is the first work in the Beautiful Creatures series by this author. In this work Incubi and Succubi appear and play a major role in the development of the main characters.
Overview
- Title: Beautiful Creatures
- Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
- Published By: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Length: 592 Pages
- Format: Hardcover, Paperback & eBook
- ASIN: B002WAUV7S
- ISBN-10: 0316077038
- ISBN-13: 978-0316077033
- Publishing Date: September 14, 2010
Other Works in this Series on SuccuWiki
Plot Summary
Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.
Book Review
The following review is from the Amazon.com listing in the External Links below:
- 5 out of 5 stars
- An Excellent Read
- Reviewed On: September 30, 2009
- Reviewed By: Dragon Quill
I have never really liked romance plots, and most of the time I despise YA romance. I don't think I will ever much like either, and my track record will most likely show cynical remarks for everything from the movie Titanic to Twilight to Pride and Prejudice and especially Romeo and Juliet. But Beautiful Creatures is an anomaly on that review record. Because I didn't just enjoy Beautiful Creatures. I loved it. And not just because there's magic in it.
First I loved the return to 1990's modern fantasy! For anyone who doesn't know what that amounts to: witches. Not ones with a special, hidden school (under no circumstances, however, am I complaining about Harry Potter) but the ones who hide in plain sight. Sabrina the Teen Age Witch. Disney Channel's Halloween movies. TNT's Charmed. Casper the Ghost. Having grown up with books and TV shows such as those, the return to witches and curses and dark charmed objects is more than welcome. But even if you won't be on the nostalgia train with me, the witch element should be welcome to anyone even remotely tired of faeries/fairies, angels, demons, werewolves, and (dare I say it?) vampires.
Second I loved the incorporation of 90s fantasy with 21st century style--something I'm sure fans of the current YA will enjoy. What I mean is a first person story that moves quickly. This novel moves quick, sucking the reader right along. Yet, even when incorporating the 21st century style, Beautiful Creatures still manages to be different: it's first person, through the guy's POV. Kinda neat.
The third thing I loved is the length of this novel. Most YA these days is rushed, even if it is long, and it doesn't seem properly developed. Rushed, in musical terms, like things were cut out. But Beautiful Creatures has substance to it, but every scene still matters, and for once I wasn't saying, "I wish it had more to it." In other words, the novel feels complete, and it wasn't just a three hour read.
And the fourth (and grudgingly most important)thing I loved about Beautiful Creatures was the love story, which was beautifully done. The authors made fabulous choices. For one thing, it's first person, through the dude's POV, which cuts out all the fawning and whining and obsessiveness of the female's POV. For another thing, little time is wasted on the crush-developing stages. It just happens, rather than dragging the reader through months of "Does she like me? Does she hate me? Was that a smile at me?"
Most importantly in that important point is that Ethan and Lena's relationship IS special, where other YA relationships just claim to be special and "true." I'm not calling it true love or anything, just that their relationship feels genuine. And that the fantasy elements (with the witches and all) are integral to it all. In other words, rather than fantasy elements being slapped on to make it "cool," they serve a legitimate purpose in the story, and they make Ethan and Lena's relationship stronger and better.
In the end, I highly recommend this read to anyone. I enjoyed it immensely. I didn't roll my eyes like I usually do at romance 'stuff'. It wasn't cliche or corny. I didn't want to gag at two teenager's supposedly "true" love for each other. Rather, I enjoyed the world, enjoyed the setting especially (small town in the South?), appreciated the fact that high school wasn't portrayed as it usually is in books and movies. And while there will undoubtedly be those who disagree with me, this novel has my full stamp of approval, and I can't wait until the sequel...if there is one, which I hope there will be.