Beautiful Creatures - Review

I have been waiting to read this one, since I first heard about it. It seemed everyone was talking about in the book world (at least the one I participate in most). I was actually re-reading Twilight when it got here, and I debated on weather to stop reading Twilight or to start reading Beautiful Creatures. (I wanted to read Twilight and New Moon before the movie came out.)

Anyway, I decided that since I had read the Twilight Saga 3 times...I would switch gears and pick up Beautiful Creatures. At first, I found it hard to sink my teeth into, though I really liked the way the characters developed, I think it had something to do with the story coming from Ethan's POV. It took me a bit to “get into it.” - However, once I did – Ethan's POV was one of the parts I loved best!

Now, I can't tell you to much about what makes Beautiful Creatures so amazing – with out spoiling it, I know I am SOOO glad I did not read the “spoiler reviews” before I picked it up, knowing would have really thrown off some of the beauty of this cleverly crafted, “gripper” of a book.

As such, here's my really crappy synopsis of this one – Ethan is a young man living in a small town, which, like many small towns in America (so I have heard) nothing ever changes. No one ever moves in, and very few people ever make it out...it's a place were you see the same people day after day, do the same things day after day...Ethan, is part of the “in crowd” however he is poised and ready to “break out,” to get away from these people, as soon as possible, and no amount of popularity is going to stop him!

That is until the summer before he starts his sophomore year – Ethan begins to have these weird nightmares - a girl, whom he's trying desperately to save; a smell, he's never smelled before; and an urgency, he can't explain. Ethan wakes up, scared, alone and wondering...what the heck is happening to him?

Once school starts, he sees her – Lena Duchannes – a new student, in a town that's not had a new student since Ethan was in elementary school, how could this be? It does not take Ethan long to realize that Lena, is the girl from his dreams, and Ethan's “small town” life does not seem so small. Suddenly this small town, becomes the one place he would never even consider leaving.

Beautiful Creatures is a love story, with a beautiful twist – just wait till you find out who the “beautiful creatures” really are! It's original plot, twists and turns, grab you by the back of the neck and will NOT let you go till your at the very last word of the very last chapter! The characters are so real, you can almost touch them.

Being one who's never lived in a small town, I often wonder what it must be like. After reading Beautiful Creatures, I could “feel” what this small town was like, what it looked like, with it's winding roads and it's old buildings, even the buildings I felt like I “knew” what they would look like.

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl have written one amazing book, one in which I will recommend over and over again! Once I was in 30 or so pages, I did NOT want to put it down, but I did not want it to end either...I read the book in 3 days, and I pushed myself to make it last that long...it was sorta like eating a favorite candy you only have one more of, enjoying it so much you want it to last but not being able to “chomp” down and taste all it's juicy goodness.

I give Beautiful Creatures a 5 star's and I can NOT wait for the next book!!! (I am praying it comes out soon!)

Beautiful Creatures
Written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
576 pages