Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

So a week after starting Beautiful Creatures(for a second time) I finalllly finished it. It's quite a long read, a whopping 576 pages. Before I get into things let me start off by giving you the summary.

(Copy purchased by me)

Summary from Goodreads:

"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."

My review: ****1/2 = 4 1/2 Stars (Spoiler-FREE)

I started reading Beautiful Creatures at the beginning of January, and I put it down after the first two chapters. I had heard so many great things about it and after I started reading it, nothing really grabbed my attention. So it sat on my bookshelf, waiting for when I had spare time to pick it back up. It sat for a while. I later posted a poll on here asking which book I should read next. Beautiful Creatures won, so after I finished up a book for a blog tour I picked up BC again. Crazy, how right after I started reading it again, it started getting good. If only I had continued one more chapter that first time I picked it up. *hits head with hand* So I made a bad choice, we've all done it, yes even you over there cowering in the corner!

Needless to say, I spent most of this week reading when I could just so I could finish it. I don't know where to start this review, so I'll start with the pros. This is a very unique read, unlike anything I have read before and that's saying a lot. It has to be hard to come up with new ideas these days, hence why so many things like vampires and werewolves are overdone. Not only was it unique but it was genius. The way everything comes together, slowly, but surely. The characters, ah yes the characters. And some mighty fine characters they are. I love Ethan. You don't see leading male characters as much as you do female, at least I don't read as much with male leads, but it worked wonderfully in this novel. He's sweet, caring, strong, everything you would want in a man and perfect for Lena. I can't mention my love for Ethan without bringing up how much I like the character of Lena. I enjoyed misfit Lena and everything she had to offer to the story. She helped open Ethan's eyes and that was one of the best gifts she could have given him. One thing besides the slower beginning that I didn't really like was the length of the novel. Now that I'm finished it seems that everything has it's place, but while reading it I felt like I would never finish. I don't know if I would want anything cut out though, so i'll take it just the way it is and i'll be happy with it. There's so much more I want to say about it, I really want to gush about the awesomeness that BC is, but I don't want to include any spoilers so just know that I love this book!

Don't be silly like me and read this book if you haven't yet. It is wonderfully written and is definitely something that will remain on your favorites shelf. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys paranormal type books!

The cover is perfect for this, it is dark and mysterious. I love the purple lettering and it shows up beautifully against the black!

Hope you enjoyed the review! Now join me in anticipation for BC2!!!

Sherry <3