From the Bookshelf of 2015 Reading Challenge [Closed]…

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1)

Kami Garcia,

Margaret Stohl

Discussion: . Week 1: More Than 500 Pages

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Showing 2 of 156 topics — 1,597 comments total

. Week 1: More Than 500 Pages

* Week 1: Introduction
By Jessica · 102 posts · 1093 views

last updated Aug 11, 2015 02:06PM

* Week 1: Progress Post
By Jessica · 100 posts · 421 views

last updated Nov 06, 2015 06:29AM

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What Members Thought

Nov 09, 2010 KWinks rated it it was ok

In this story, we have poor stuck Ethan and wild and crazy Lena. Mix in some Southern Gothic, some rabid cheerleaders, some creatures of the night and two pinches of sparkle. I liked the story, I liked Ethan, and I loved Marian the Librarian. I did not love this book, and I didn't expect too. I thought it was a good, solid debut novel.
I had some problems, but they were minor. I was confused while reading, the wording was a little awkward, and I was thrown out of the story, and had to struggle In this story, we have poor stuck Ethan and wild and crazy Lena. Mix in some Southern Gothic, some rabid cheerleaders, some creatures of the night and two pinches of sparkle. I liked the story, I liked Ethan, and I loved Marian the Librarian. I did not love this book, and I didn't expect too. I thought it was a good, solid debut novel.
I had some problems, but they were minor. I was confused while reading, the wording was a little awkward, and I was thrown out of the story, and had to struggle to get back into it. The part that sticks out the most for me, was this confusing scene in which Ethan helps his dad over to friends? and then is climbing on a crypt? hanging off an angel statues ankle? How did he get from here to there? Were they that close? I think I could have used a map.
Another problem, Lena's family is well kind-of, loser-ish. They are the forces of good (of light), but they can't tell they have a baddy in their mist, they are easily distracted, and no one will talk to anyone else. Despite this, we have the greatest library in existence, complete with reference librarian at the ready, but we focus on one book and one book only (one that is not even IN the library). Hello, did no one think to grab "Castors for Dummies"?
As for the "originality" of the story I continue to see in reviews for this book, let me shed some light: The scene in which the wet snow hits Lena is a cleaned up (literally) version of what happened to Carrie in Stephen King's Carrie. The lollipop-sucking bad girl is very, very similar to Neil Gaiman's goth "Death" in the Sandman Chronicles. Marian the Librarian is a complete steal from The Music Man.
All of that aside, I like the escapism of the story. Let's face it, I am willing to give up a lot for a good story. If I gave up on the Sookie Stackhouse books after the first one (and, ho, boy, is that BAD), then I never would have gotten to good parts. I want to read Beautiful Darkness because I have hope that this is all going somewhere (besides Carrie-like prom incidences). I have faith.
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Feb 24, 2013 Adam Smith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Ethan Wate is an average teen living an average life in an average middle-of-nowhere town. That is until he starts having strange dreams of a mysterious faceless girl. The dreams haunt him, but there's nothing he can do about it. No point moping over a girl that doesn't exist. Life continues as normal for Ethan until strange new girl Lena Duchanne moves into the monstrous plantation house on the edge of town. Something about her touches Ethan to the very soul. Suddenly, Ethan finds himself drawn ...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Jessi rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fya-book-club

Friggin teenagers and their angsty love stories. This was a step above Twilight, at least as far as the writing is concerned. I can't really say any book that encourages this sort of obsessive, Romeo & Juliet-style "I can't live without you!" puppy love garbage is good, though. I enjoyed the gothic elements, but was seriously let down by the cop-out ending. I'll read the whole series, though, because my students love it and it's the literary equivalent of junk food. ...more

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Jun 02, 2013 Heather Lynn rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2013

I'm surprised I liked this book as much as I did, but overall this was a thoroughly engaging YA novel that I didn't want to stop reading. As a teen I would have been all over this book and even now it was quite easy to look past it's flaws and simply enjoy it, which I did. ...more

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