Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1) in What's the Name of That Book???

Oct 12, 2010 karen rated it it was ok

Shelves: why-yes-i-ya

oh my god, shusshify with all the loving on this book! this is another example of the world conspiring to tell me untruths. like, that sarah jessica parker is really hot.

"yeah, i don't know, she's kind of got a weird face, i am just not attracted to her"

"no! she is hot!! look at her dress!!! look at her shoes!!"

"yeah, no - i get it - her clothing is expensive, but she's just so oddly skinny and she has devil eyes."

"noooo - she is hot - here i made you a drink. you will like it, it is like haw ...more

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Nov 16, 2009 Trin rated it liked it

Shelves: ya, american-lit, fantasy

This book is all about the setting for me. Yes, it’s a YA magical romance about people in high school in epic epic love—and, you know, whatever. I don’t particularly care about those parts. But the setting—the setting is just fantastic. The town of Gatlin seems so very, very real to me, in all its stuck-in-the-past small-town Southern glory. The community seems alive. The dynamics of high school are absolutely nailed—none of this Bella Swann “I’m the new girl and everyone LOVES me and wants to b ...more

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Jan 16, 2010 Wealhtheow rated it liked it

Shelves: ya, fantasy

Ethan can't wait to leave the little town of Gatlin. But then Lena Duchannes shows up, and he realizes he'd give up anything at all to keep her safe and happy. Ethan has no power to do so, however, because Lena is a powerful Caster and Ethan is just a mortal. What can he do against the dark forces seeking Lena's soul, or the fate that has tainted the Duchannes line for generations?

I loved the portrayal of Gatlin, with all its comforts and constraints and traditions. It felt like a real place. Et ...more

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Jan 18, 2010 Kate rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, age-ya, 2010, paranormal

I have heard a lot of buzz about this book, even librarians speculating that this will be a Printz Award nominee next year. The cover is quite beautiful so I was eager to read it.

Ethan Wate is bored by his small hometown of Gatlin. After his mother's death, his father spends most of his days hiding in his room writing, and Ethan feels like everyone in Gatlin is the same. When a new girl comes to school it's a big deal. Immediately Lena Duchannes causes a flood of rumors, both because she is beau ...more

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Nov 11, 2009 Emma rated it it was amazing

Only two kinds of people live in Gatlin, South Carolina: the stupid and the stuck. The others move on to better places. The Wates live there because they always have. They live there even though recent years have brought the family more bad memories than good.

Ethan Wate isn't stupid and he has no intention of being stuck. Gatlin isn't a complicated place. The neighbors keep watch from their porches in the unbearable heat, but nothing ever changes because there are no surprises in Gatlin County-- Only two kinds of people live in Gatlin, South Carolina: the stupid and the stuck. The others move on to better places. The Wates live there because they always have. They live there even though recent years have brought the family more bad memories than good.

Ethan Wate isn't stupid and he has no intention of being stuck. Gatlin isn't a complicated place. The neighbors keep watch from their porches in the unbearable heat, but nothing ever changes because there are no surprises in Gatlin County--the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.

At least, that's how it seems to Ethan the night before starting his sophomore year at Stonewall Jackson High.

Turns out he couldn't have been more wrong.

There was a curse. There was a girl. And in the end, there was a grave.

Ethan never saw it coming in Beautiful Creatures (2009) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

Change is in the air when Lena Duchannes arrives in town. Ethan is inexplicably drawn to the beautiful outcast, but nothing with Lena is straightforward. As Ethan gets to know the mysterious new girl they begin to unearth ages old secrets that could change everything for them and Gatlin County.

I'm not a big fan of Twilight (long story) and Swoon left me cold. But I finally get how the hardcore fans of those books feel because I feel the same way about Beautiful Creatures. Part gothic novel, part modern fantasy this book has everything a reader could hope for.

Garcia and Stohl have created an intricate and compelling story. Even at over 500 pages (hardcover), this book is a page-turner. Ethan's narration is honest and captures both the charm and horror of life in a rural Southern town.

Beautiful Creatures is also an utterly original and unforgettable book filled with haunting characters, excitement, and even some romance. The worst thing about finishing it is knowing there will be a wait for the sequel.

Possible Pairings: House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough, Swoon by Nina Malkin, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, Lirael by Garth Nix
...more

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Nov 16, 2009 Liz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star, young-adult, paranormal

I don’t think I have enough fingers and toes to count the number of people who have told me I should read Beautiful Creatures. The summary is quite cryptic, and doesn’t give much of an idea of what the book is about. However, once I saw the gorgeous book trailer made by Vania of VLC Productions, I knew that I needed to get my hands on a copy of this book.

If you told me to read this book, I confess now: you were right. The elaborate yet exceptionally well crafted plotline had me guessing with eve ...more

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Dec 02, 2009 Nadine in NY Jones rated it it was ok

Shelves: paranormal-romance, young-adult, paranormal, angels-and-demons-and-good-and-evil, multiple-authors

I kept seeing this recommended, and I would think: "I saw that movie already" and pass it by ... So. Let me tell myself for the last time here: NOT. The. Same. Story. as Heavenly Creatures. But you can understand my confusion, right?

There are some REALLY mixed reviews here for this book. I kind of HAD to read it, to see for myself ...

And, the end result: this is one of those YA books that doesn't really cross over into the Adult market very well. It's very ... Young Adult.

The plot is simplistic ...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Michelle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: award_winner, ebook, urban_fantasy, kids_and_y-a, witches_wizards, women-in-genre-challenge, there-s-a-movie-too, gothic

a solid 3.5 stars.

16 year old ethan can't wait to get out of his one-horse south carolina backwater town, and he's counting the days until graduation will set him free. nothing ever changes here (even the prom queen is the same girl several years running) until mysterious lena moves into her crazy uncle's ramshackle plantation house, and sets everyone's tongues wagging.

given a small-town setting with a hidden something supernatural going on with these high school kids, comparisons to 'twilight' ...more

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Apr 16, 2010 Sarah added it

If Stefanie Meyer knew how to write, read up on history and actually created characters I liked, then this would be the result. I will definitely blab about it to the teens that are looking for anything other than reading Twilight for the umpteenth time.

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Feb 15, 2014 Kelaine rated it it was ok

Shelves: teens, romance, vampires-witches, supernatural

Slow going. Cool librarian character and final graveyard scene raised it from a one star for me.

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Oct 30, 2011 Melissa Rochelle rated it liked it

Shelves: own, young-adult, read-2011, witches, scifi-fantasy

While this had a pretty clear ending, it ended with a little hint that there's more to come. I loved Lena, Ethan, and Link...for more Lena, I will read the next book in the series. ...more

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