From the Bookshelf of Baltimore County Public Library Summer Reading BCPL SRC …

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1)

Kami Garcia,

Margaret Stohl

Start date: June 30, 2013

Finish date: July 12, 2013

Discussion: 2013 summer reading.

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2013 summer reading.

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Nov 20, 2012 A Book Vacation rated it really liked it

To see my full review:

http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...

Truth be told, I struggled to get “into” this novel in the very beginning. I think one of the most jarring things for me was that it’s told from Ethan Wate’s point of view, instead of Lena’s, and I wasn’t expecting that based on the synopsis. As the synopsis begins with Lena, and the story is really about Lena, I thought it’d be her point of view. Of course, as I thought about it, I realized that it’s fitting that we get Ethan’s point To see my full review:

http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...

Truth be told, I struggled to get “into” this novel in the very beginning. I think one of the most jarring things for me was that it’s told from Ethan Wate’s point of view, instead of Lena’s, and I wasn’t expecting that based on the synopsis. As the synopsis begins with Lena, and the story is really about Lena, I thought it’d be her point of view. Of course, as I thought about it, I realized that it’s fitting that we get Ethan’s point of view instead, and once I wrapped my head around that, I was fine, but initially, that wasn’t what I was expecting at all. And to add to that, the story seemed to crawl along for a fairly long time. It wasn’t until the dinner scene in Lena’s house, maybe about 100 pages in(?), that I actually became interested in what was happening. Up until that point, we’re given the background information needed, and the characters are fleshed out, but as little action went on, I wasn’t that enamored. Once the dinner scene came and went, though, I was very interested in the story, and I had a hard time putting the novel down. I loved the twists and turns, the time travel, the mystery and intrigue, and the struggle between light and dark, not to mention the love story. There are a ton of really great characters in the novel, and though this is a rather long novel, it was very well done. Garcia kept me guessing as I read, and I highly enjoyed the story she wove, using the deep South, both past and present, to knit it all together.

Both Lena and Ethan are great characters. Their fight to beat the odds in a town so set in its ways made me love them right away, and even though the adults in their lives weren’t always on their side, I enjoyed the trust and interactions between them all, even when the town went semi crazy over Lena’s presence. Ethan is a great boyfriend, and his connection to Lena and their past, as it is ever slowly revealed, was so much fun to uncover. Garcia did a great job on this novel and I definitely recommend it to readers of all ages.

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Now, the movie, on the other hand, well… if you’re not absolutely dying to see it, then don’t. My friend and I went to see this movie together, knowing that, as directors usually do, changes would take place, but I wasn’t expecting more than half the book to be cut out and changed!! That’s right, I’d say about 70% of the movie is different from the book, and that was quite depressing. For starters, the accents jarred me. Now, I know this is a book that takes place in the deep South, but I was pretty sure somewhere in the novel it stated that neither Lena or Ethan had southern accents. In the movie, they do. But that’s okay, no big deal (and I could be wrong, anyway). It was the initial 30 minutes of the movie that drove me nuts, though. Someone, the director perhaps, made a very bad decision regarding the length of the movie versus the length of the book. Now, I know that movies can’t add it all, or we’d be sitting in the theater for days, but you can’t very well take a 570+ book and turn it into a 2 hour movie. Nope. Can’t do it. Not without cutting out way too much, and changing way too much. And that’s what they did. Add in the choppy flow of events, a few sad special effects, some semi-decent acting, and you’ve got Beautiful Creatures.

What really irked me was that the movie cut out nearly all the school scenes, which make up such a huge part of the book. Ethan’s not a basketball player, and we barely see him, or Lena, interact with those in school. Never mind the choppiness and jumping from “hello” with Lena’s tattoo stating she had 104 days left, to the next scene of “hi again, instant love” with Lena only having 79 days… but everything that Garcia worked so hard to create in order to give the story backbone was missing. Characters were missing! In fact, the entire ending is different… I haven’t read the second novel in the series, but I’m not sure how they’re going to make the second movie align with the novel if the ending of the first movie didn’t align… ugh. But I think what really clinched it for me was the dinner scene. The special effects used (or lack thereof) made the whole dinner scene look like a children’s Disney ride. And… for such a serious scene, the comedic relief added to the movie irked me more than it made me smile. Not. The. Same. And that “comedy” ran throughout the movie. But it wasn’t funny. Not really, and it sort of ruined things for me. Overall, I found the movie to be too choppy, too short, and too different for my liking. Which is sad, really. So, if you don’t have to see the movie, don’t. Read the book. It’s a much better use of your time. One and a half stars for the movie.
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May 16, 2010 Katelyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites

Good book! I'm excited for the movie!
But, I am kind of confused about the ending.. And some other parts.
I felt like, for as long as the book was, we could have at least answered a few more questions. But, I'm glad all the books in the series are out, haha, so I don't have to wait to read the rest!
Though, I do hope Lena is less of a cry-baby in the next few books. I mean, I understand there's the possibility she could go Dark... But if its out of her control why not live life to the fullest NOW. ...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Rariny rated it did not like it

I thought this book would have been better. The love story has no real meaning. There were too many unanswered questions that could have been explained instead of waiting for the sequel. I don't see myself reading the sequel. Most YA novels leave the readers with a protagonist that is interesting and likable. Ethan is likable, but just too boring to keep me interesting in his fascination Lena. ...more

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Dec 20, 2012 Ellon rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: made-into-a-movie

I felt like this book was too long. The closer I got to the end, the more I thought "is this over yet?" instead of thinking "ohh I wonder what will happen next?" So much of what happened just felt like filler. I also felt like the ending was too open-ended. I wanted more things to be resolved in this book. Not sure if I will read the sequel as I dont really care what happens to Lena and Ethan.

I listened to the audio version of this book and it was somewhat weird because they added all these sou ...more

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May 15, 2013 Alli rated it really liked it

Loved it. It took me a while to get into but once I did I really liked it.

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Oct 16, 2016 Anna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

It's been a long time since I've devoured a book quite this quickly. The story-telling and character development were excellent. This is a Southern Gothic novel with YA sensibilities. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series. ...more

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