Beautiful Creatures |  | Authors: Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Category: Book
List Price: $17.99
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Seller: mateosbooks
Rating:  397 reviews
Sales Rank: 4055
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Reading Level: Young Adult
Pages: 576
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.7
ISBN: 0316042676
EAN: 9780316042673
ASIN: 0316042676
Publication Date: December 1, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
Ethan Wate is struggling to hide his apathy for his high school "in" crowd in small town Gatlin, South Carolina, until he meets the determinedly "out" Lena Duchannes, the girl of his dreams (literally--she has been in his nightmares for months). What follows is a smart, modern fantasy--a tale of star-crossed lovers and a dark, dangerous secret. Beautiful Creatures is a delicious southern Gothic that charms you from the first page, drawing you into a dark world of magic and mystery until you emerge gasping and blinking, wondering what happened to the last few hours (and how many more you're willing to give up). To tell too much of the plot would spoil the thrill of discovery, and believe me, you will want to uncover the secrets of this richly imagined dark fantasy on your own. --Daphne Durham
Amazon Exclusive Interview with Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, Authors of Beautiful Creatures 
What does your writing process look like? Is it tough to write a book together? Did you ever have any knock-down drag-out fights over a plot point or character trait? Margie: The best way to describe our writing process is like a running stitch. We don't write separate chapters, or characters. We pass the draft back and forth constantly, and we actually write over each other's work, until we get to the point where we truly don't know who has written what. Kami: By the end of the book, we don't even know. The classic example is when I said, "Marg, I really hate that line. It has to go." And she said, "Cut it. You wrote it." Margie: I think we were friends for so long before we were writing partners that there was an unusual amount of trust from the start. Kami: It's about respect. And it helps that we can't remember when who wrote the bad line. Margie: We save our big fights for the important things, like the lack of ice in my house or how cold our office is. And why none of my YouTube videos are as popular as the one of Kami's three-fingered typing…okay, that one is understandable, given the page count for "Beautiful Creatures." Kami: What can I say? I was saving the other seven fingers for the sequel. What kinds of books do you like to read? Kami: I read almost exclusively Young Adult fiction, with some Middle Grade fiction thrown in for good measure. As a Reading Specialist, I work with children and teens in grades K-12, so basically I read what they read. Margie: When I write it comes from the same place as when I read: wanting to hang out with fictional characters in fictional worlds. I identify more as a reader than a writer; I just have to write it first so I can read it. What books/authors have inspired you? Kami: "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, "A Good Man is Hard to Find & Other Stories" by Flannery O'Connor, "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury and "The Witching Hour" by Anne Rice. I also love Pablo Neruda. Margie: I think Harper Lee is the greatest writer alive today. Eudora Welty is my other Southern writer kindred; I was obsessed with her in grad school. Susan Cooper and Diana Wynne Jones made me love fantasy, and my favorite poets are Emily Dickinson (at Amherst College, I even lived on her street) and Stevie Smith. Did you set out to write fiction for young adults? Why? Kami: We actually wrote "Beautiful Creatures" on a dare from some of the teen readers in our lives. Margie: Not so much readers as bosses. Kami: Looking back, we wrote it sort of like the serialized fiction of Charles Dickens, turning in pages to our teen readers every week. Margie: And by week she means day. Kami: When we were getting texts in the middle of the night from teens demanding more pages, we knew we had to finish. Margie: As it says in our acknowledgements, their asking what happened next changed what happened next. Teens are so authentic. That's probably why we love YA. Even when it's fantasy, it's the emotional truth. A lot of us voracious readers like to cast a book after reading it. Did you guys have a shared view of who your characters are? Did each of you take a different character to develop, or did you share every aspect? Kami: We've never cast our characters, but we definitely know what they look like. Sometimes we see actors in magazines and say, "Lena just wore that!" Margie: We create all our characters together, but after a point they became as real as any of the other people we know. We forget they're not. Kami: I never thought of it like that. I guess we do spend all our time talking about imaginary people. Margie: So long as it's not to them… Did you always plan to start the book with Ethan's story? Why? Kami: We knew before we started that we wanted to write from a boy's point of view. Margie and I both have brothers—-six, between us-—so it wasn't a stretch. It's an interesting experience to fall in love with the guy telling the story rather than the guy the story is about. Margie: We do kind of love Ethan, so we wanted there to be more to him than just the boy from boy meets girl. Kami: He's the guy who stands by you at all costs and accepts you for who you are, even if you aren't quite sure who that is. What is on your nightstand now? Kami: I have a huge stack, but here are ones at the top: "Mama Dip's Kitchen," a cookbook by Mildred Council, "The Demon's Lexicon" by Sarah Rees Brennan, "Shadowed Summer" by Saundra Mitchell, "Rampant" by Diana Peterfreund, and an Advanced Reader Copy of "Sisters Red" by Jackson Pearce. Margie: I have Robin McKinley's "Beauty," Maggie Stiefvater's "Ballad," Kristen Cashore's "Fire," Libba Bray's "Going Bovine," and "Everything Is Fine" by AnnDee Ellis. And now I'm mad because I know a) Kami stole my "Rampant" and b) didn't tell me she has "Sisters Red"! What is your idea of comfort reading? Kami: If given the choice, I'll always reach for a paranormal romance or an urban fantasy. I also re-read my favorite books over and over. Margie: It's all comfort reading to me. I sleep with books in my bed. Like a dog, only without the shedding and the smelling. Have you written the next book already? What's next for Lena and Ethan? Margie: We are revising the next book now. I don't want to give too much away, but summer in Gatlin isn't always a vacation. Kami: I would describe book two as intense and emotional. For Ethan and Lena, the stakes are even higher. Margie: That's true. Book two involves true love, broken hearts, the Seventeenth Moon, and cream-of-grief casseroles… Kami: Gatlin at it's finest!
Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 397
 An excellent read September 30, 2009
Dragon Quill (CA, USA)
213 out of 243 found this review helpful
I have never really liked romance plots, and most of the time I despise YA romance. I don't think I will ever much like either, and my track record will most likely show cynical remarks for everything from the movie Titanic to Twilight to Pride and Prejudice and especially Romeo and Juliet. But Beautiful Creatures is an anomaly on that review record. Because I didn't just enjoy Beautiful Creatures. I loved it. And not just because there's magic in it.
First I loved the return to 1990's modern fantasy! For anyone who doesn't know what that amounts to: witches. Not ones with a special, hidden school (under no circumstances, however, am I complaining about Harry Potter) but the ones who hide in plain sight. Sabrina the Teen Age Witch. Disney Channel's Halloween movies. TNT's Charmed. Casper the Ghost. Having grown up with books and TV shows such as those, the return to witches and curses and dark charmed objects is more than welcome. But even if you won't be on the nostalgia train with me, the witch element should be welcome to anyone even remotely tired of faeries/fairies, angels, demons, werewolves, and (dare I say it?) vampires.
Second I loved the incorporation of 90s fantasy with 21st century style--something I'm sure fans of the current YA will enjoy. What I mean is a first person story that moves quickly. This novel moves quick, sucking the reader right along. Yet, even when incorporating the 21st century style, Beautiful Creatures still manages to be different: it's first person, through the guy's POV. Kinda neat.
The third thing I loved is the length of this novel. Most YA these days is rushed, even if it is long, and it doesn't seem properly developed. Rushed, in musical terms, like things were cut out. But Beautiful Creatures has substance to it, but every scene still matters, and for once I wasn't saying, "I wish it had more to it." In other words, the novel feels complete, and it wasn't just a three hour read.
And the fourth (and grudgingly most important)thing I loved about Beautiful Creatures was the love story, which was beautifully done. The authors made fabulous choices. For one thing, it's first person, through the dude's POV, which cuts out all the fawning and whining and obsessiveness of the female's POV. For another thing, little time is wasted on the crush-developing stages. It just happens, rather than dragging the reader through months of "Does she like me? Does she hate me? Was that a smile at me?"
Most importantly in that important point is that Ethan and Lena's relationship IS special, where other YA relationships just claim to be special and "true." I'm not calling it true love or anything, just that their relationship feels genuine. And that the fantasy elements (with the witches and all) are integral to it all. In other words, rather than fantasy elements being slapped on to make it "cool," they serve a legitimate purpose in the story, and they make Ethan and Lena's relationship stronger and better.
In the end, I highly recommend this read to anyone. I enjoyed it immensely. I didn't roll my eyes like I usually do at romance 'stuff'. It wasn't cliche or corny. I didn't want to gag at two teenager's supposedly "true" love for each other. Rather, I enjoyed the world, enjoyed the setting especially (small town in the South?), appreciated the fact that high school wasn't portrayed as it usually is in books and movies. And while there will undoubtedly be those who disagree with me, this novel has my full stamp of approval, and I can't wait until the sequel...if there is one, which I hope there will be.
Forbidden Love October 8, 2009
Truth and Justice (USA)
44 out of 49 found this review helpful
Beautiful Creatures, at its core, is a "forbidden love" story, with a healthy portion of "its a race against time" thrown in.
I'm not one to delve into the details of a book, giving away spoilers and secrets to try to convinvce people if the book is good or not. The real question - the one you want to know - is if the book is fun to read, holds your attention, and is "satisfying". And to this I would say "yes."
The story will seem like other popular "modern fantasy" forbidden love stories, but of course Beautiful Creatures has its own twists and turns.
The story is set in a southern town that has a very strong sentiment toward the civil war. History buffs should not get too excited, its not close to being that historical. Its all just a "set" for the romance in the story. The civil war connection allows the author a surprising amount of opportunities to broaden the story without it coming across as being a historical book. I think it was a good choice, because its a bit unique and some of the story details are very fresh.
One thing that the authors really nailed was character development. Proper character development is important in any story. In this story, the authors have done an excellent job. The main characters have unique yet believable backstories, and the characters remain true to themselves throughout the story. Each character even has their own way of talking (well, within reason) and the dialogue is fresh and fun to read. Each has their own "world" of things thats important to them. For example, Link (the male friend of one of the main characters) has very specific and realistic goals, that unexpectedly help propel the story forward. Amma, the narrator's "hired help who is part of the family now" has very specific agendas and ideals. Even minor characters, like Ethan's 3 aunts, have their own set of values and goals which add to the story, without weighing down the story movement. The characters grow and mature, and have their own epiphanies and realizations about the events in the book. Superbly done.
The Plot is above average. Critical readers will spot only two or three areas which could stand some improvement, which is way above average in my opinion. There were a few places in the book I had to conciously suspend my disbelief, but I suspect the "juvenile fiction" crowd that this book is targeted to would not share my quibbles.
I will probably read the sequel. Oh yes, they left ample room for a sequel. It was written to allow a fluid transition. But, I felt that the transition was so "fluid" that it may have been at the cost of a completely satisfying ending. I did wish that the book had more of a sense of closure when I was finished. At least I can take some satisfaction in knowing that there are many unexplored details for the next book.
Overall, this book was a jewel to enjoy, with different facets showing different angles of the same beautiful core. I'm very pleased with it overall. I will be gifting it to some young adults who I know.
One of the very best books I've read in 2009! November 10, 2009
Anastasia Hopcus (Austin)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
I have read several books this year that I really loved---but this one stood out above even those. It would actually be easier to say what I didn't like about Beautiful Creatures, but I'm pretty sure Amazon frowns on completely blank reviews. :)
If you've read any of the other reviews here you have an idea of the basic plot, so I'm going to jump straight in with the superlatives.
Things I adore about Beautiful Creatures:
1. The Writing Style: It is so smooth, fluid, and consistent that it's hard to believe it was written by two authors. It doesn't have that disjointed feeling where it's obvious one section was written by Author 1 and the next section was written by the Author 2. (I wasn't surprised when I learned that the authors work together the whole time.) My favorite thing about the style was that it was poetic and full of meaning without having that `purple prose' quality. The writing never felt forced.
2. The Characters: I love characters that are not only real, but really likable---and Beautiful Creatures has them in abundance. I liked how depth was given even to the villains. I may not have l agreed with what they did, but I could tell where they were coming from, and that made them more real.
Link was a great character and I loved that he was steadfast in his friendship with Ethan. I get so annoyed when (supposed) friends in books don't have any loyalty.
Ethan's dad was not physically in the book much, but his grief was palpable and understandable. He was always at the edge of Ethan's thoughts---so much so that you felt like you knew him. One of the most poignant scenes of the book takes place in his office, and it made me cry like a baby.
Also, the secondary characters like the Sisters (Ethan's great-aunts) are incredibly fun, but if I listed all the characters I liked it would take forever, so I'll move onto what I loved about the main characters. They are both so fully realized, it's amazing. The conflicting feelings they experience are extremely realistic. Like how Lena's dislike of the cookie-cutter cheerleaders wars against Lena's own need to be liked and to fit in. Often you have characters who are outsiders but they're so `cool and tough' that they don't care that no one likes them. I just don't buy that. I think Lena's portrayal is much more accurate---she doesn't want to be like the other girls, but she wants to be accepted by them. And both Ethan's claustrophobia about living in Gatlin and his fear of losing his friends and the place he's carved for himself in the school are completely understandable. Ethan's choice to stick by Lena is made even more touching because of this inner struggle.
3. The Atmosphere: The southern setting is both beautiful and spooky, and the descriptions are so vivid they leap right off the page. Reading Beautiful Creatures is like being in a lucid dream. If you want to be truly transported to another place, this is the book to read.
4. The Romance: I love that the romance was given a chance to develop. By the time Lena and Ethan got together, there was no doubt in my mind that they were actually in love. It is much more satisfying when the characters have actually shown why they care about each other instead of just telling us how in love they are.
And finally, the one thing I didn't like: The book ended---and I so didn't want it to! But I take solace in the fact that there is going to be a sequel. And hey, I can always read it again. In fact, I already am.
An Amazing, Creative Novel November 7, 2009
CollegeStudent13 (Washington DC)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
Beautiful Creatures is a compelling story that grabs your attention and sucking you into the lives of Ethan, Lena and others who live in Gatlin. Though I do not normal enjoy paranormal novels, I was intrigued to keep reading and dive in to this amazing world. Kami and Margaret are inspiring writers, who have written an amazing and charming novel. A 5 star must read!
Beautiful Story October 4, 2009
Mary Jo DiBella (Rochester, New York USA)
20 out of 22 found this review helpful
Lena and Ethan are in love, but they're also afraid, because Lena is a member of a family who is cursed.
At her 16th birthday, Lena will mature as a 'Caster' and she will be claimed by the Light or the Dark. If she becomes a Dark caster, she will lose the ability to love and will dedicate her life and her powers to evil. Until her birthday, nobody knows which way she will 'turn', and her family can only love her, guard her, and hope for the best.
The story of these starcrossed lovers is an echo of the incident which caused the curse, in which a caster used dark magic in a vain attempt to save the life of the man she loved.
This book is classified as a YA entry, though I think the story has things to appeal to all ages. It is YA only in the sense that the main protagonists are teens. It's a chunky book, over 600 pages, but I read it very fast because the story was so gripping and so lovely. As an adult fantasy fan, I loved this book.
By all means give it a look, I spent some happy hours in these pages and with winter coming, it's so nice to find a story that has so much warmth.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 397
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