Book Blog #3 : Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Darkness
Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
# of Pages: 528 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending. 

 Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems

Review: The beginning seemed to be very similar to the first book, not so much what is happening in the story, but what ISN'T happening. Half of the time, I'm reading and I'm asking myself, "What's the point in all this? Why does Ethan keep chasing Lena? Why is Lena hanging out with SPOILER ALERT! Riley when she knows that Riley is bad? WHY DOESN'T ETHAN JUST BREAK UP WITH LENA SO HE CAN LIVE A NORMAL LIFE AND NOT DEAL WITH LENA'S MESS-UPS?!" I blame love. If there wasn't love, then these characters would be making better decisions. I get that Lena's super depressed about Macon's death, but that doesn't mean that she's got to go all crazy and treat her boyfriend like crap.

I guess Lena feels that Macon's death was her fault. But let's face it; Lena should become a Light Caster. I'm sure that's what she wanted (originally at least. Now I don't even know what she wants to be). And if she "claimed herself" as a light caster, then all the dark relatives would die, right? So that means Macon would have died anyway! And she would have "killed" him anyway!!! SO SHE SHOULD JUST GET OVER HERSELF!!!

I just don't think that I can feel anything from Lena and Ethan's relationship anymore. Ethan is chasing a girl that doesn't want to be chased or found. I can feel the bond between John and Ethan to be stronger, so maybe it would be best if Ethan and Lena broke it off and Lena gets together with John. And then Ethan can get together with Liv! I think the books stupid (sorry Beautiful Creatures lovers!) But that might just be because I tend not to like sequels.

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View the original post here!

Book Blog #2 : Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Creatures
Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
# of Pages: 563 (mass market paperback)
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal
Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: 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.

Review:

2/15/13

That's right! I'm reading Beautiful Creatures, the book that had a movie made out of it. The cover on the right it the one that I have, unfortunately. I would have liked the original cover better, but this was all that was available. But that's not important.

I just started reading this yesterday, the day that the movie came out. What I have problems with is when I watch movies that are made out of books that I've read. The movies are always at least slightly different from the book. But it always irritates me a little because the book (or even the movie) is always better than the other.

I know that some changes are necessary. Otherwise, the movie might be five hours long! But when the whole plot is twisted and turned until it is unrecognizable, that's when I really dislike the movie. But, more often than not, that is not the case. And I'm really hoping that Beautiful Creatures isn't going to be like that. But if I were to watch the movie right at this moment, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Y'know, since I haven't even read the first one-hundred pages. That's the thing about the book; the first, I don't know, forty-five pages are all development. There really isn't anything going on.

2/16/13

Disregard what I previously said about the book. There's quiet a bit going on now. If you haven't read up to the first 150 pages, stop reading now.

I'm so proud of Ethan! I love how he doesn't care about what other people think, and he asks Lena out to the movies!!!!!!! Ethan keeps saying that they're not dating, but I think they will. I really hope so...because that would be super cute! But Ethan should get his own car first. The whole borrowing-Link's-car isn't going to work out if Ethan has to keep driving places, especially with Lena. Because, let's face it, although Link might be supportive for Ethan and his decisions, his other "friends" (aka, the people that make him "popular") probably won't.

What I really want to know is what's up with the locket. Ethan and Lena keep on having this vision things, but I really don't see the point in it. Yeah, they're getting a very interesting history lesson, but how is that going to impact them? I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

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Please note that this is an incomplete review. View the original here!