Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

December 1st, 2009
Little, Brown and Company
592 pages (Paperback)

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. (From Goodreads)

Here's my issue with this book:  If you're going to write a nearly 600 page book, you have to keep the reader interested for 600 pages.

Beautiful Creatures started strong, then weakened.  The book started to drag on, and while a few interesting moments did pop up, I found myself wishing that the book was about 100 pages (or more) shorter.  I'm not one to be bothered by larger books, so long as the writing can hold it's own.

I did like the narration by Ethan.  I love reading from a guy's perspective.  I also liked the small town setting, as it was something I could relate to.

Overall, Beautiful Creatures was an okay read.  I didn't hate it.  I didn't love it.

Much love, Samantha