"Beautiful Creatures" by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Garcia, Kami & Margaret Stohl. (2009). Beautiful Creatures. New York, NY: Little Brown and Company. ISBN: 978-0-316-04267-3

                Being the whimsical, southern lady that I am, I thoroughly enjoyed this book (and plan on enjoying the rest of the series). It takes place in Gatlin, South Carolina, home of the southern belle and where people are expected to act just so, (they often meet expectations). Ethan seems to be your average small town young man, full of the desire to get up and get out. He goes about his life feeling like he’s missing something and then suddenly bam, a new girl moves to town and he is inexplicably fascinated by her.

                We, as readers, get to follow along on their journey to be together despite the odds and familial input. The world is out to get them, literally, and they manage to stick together and save each other from what could have been an awful demise. They are kind of like Romeo and Juliet except on a more positive note. Family is one of the biggest hurdles holding back their love and, in the end, they just need each other.

                This book has it all: fantasy, love, dreams literally coming true, body snatching, witches, warlocks and best of all, a librarian who holds the key to all mystical knowledge! Lena is our strong, but lonely heroine and Ethan is her stubborn hero. I must admit that Ridley is my favorite character, though, because she is a firecracker. A man-eating firecracker, but interesting nonetheless. This is the story of what every wild-imagination-having teen dreams of! Fantasies come true, even the bad parts, and good triumphs over evil because of love! It seems predictable but is actually a pretty compellingly ambiguous plot that leaves much to the reader’s imagination before bringing the truth down heavier than a giant creepy mansion on top of a hill.

                Possibly the best part of this book is the fact that there is a decently cast, pretty well-done movie version of it! It is a little long and takes a while to read, but your efforts are rewarded with a visually rewarding film version.

Buy this book!

More from the authors

The movie!!

Interview with Teen Vogue