Beautiful Creatures

By Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (2009)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Paperback: 563 pages
Source: Borders (R.I.P.)
Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

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.

Book Trailer:


My Review:

Finally, a YA novel worth reading. The last time I read a good novel from the YA department, I felt as though I had uncovered a rare and precious gem. (That book, by the way, was City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. Needless to say, I've been addicted to Jace Wayland the series ever since.) Call me demanding, but the vast majority of books in the YA section these days are just... well, not so great. I can't help but feel as though I've already read them all before. Angsty teenage protagonist that "just doesn't belong"? Check. New student that is oh-so-perfect in every single way that just happens to be said angsty protagonist's soulmate? Check. Supernatural element that threatens to destroy their perfect love? Check.

Um, whatever happened to a little thing called originality?

Imagine my surprise when I began reading Beautiful Creatures, yet another YA novel about forbidden, supernatural love, but actually found myself thoroughly enjoying it. The difference, in the case of Beautiful Creatures, is that these stereotypical YA ingredients are done in such a way that you don't feel as though you're reading yet another Twilight spinoff. For one thing, the angsty protagonist in the novel is male, while the dreamy supernatural character is female. I'll admit that at first, my mind, honed by years of reading YA novels from a female's point-of-view, was totally against it. "No!" it cried, "I just can't relate without knowing what the girl is thinking!" Eventually though, my mind relented and I found myself enthused by the sheer uniqueness this change in point-of-view afforded the story. Yes, friends, the unbelievable happened. I felt like I was reading something I had never read before. Shock!

The supernatural element was also introduced in such a way that prevented me from thinking, "Oh of course she's a ___." I was eager to learn, along with Ethan, more and more about Lena and her bizarre and socially ostracized family.

Another refreshing aspect of this story is the progression of Ethan and Lena's relationship. It's natural and believable, unlike Edward and Bella's relationship, for example. (I can't read your thoughts. I want to suck your blood. Oh wait, I love you.)

In short, if you still can't get enough of that forbidden teenage supernatural love thing but would like it to be done just a little differently than Twilight, I suggest you give Beautiful Creatures a try. It may not be Hunger Games, Vampire Academy, A Great and Terrible Beauty or The Mortal Instruments-level status, but I'd put it above the Fallen series and pretty much every other YA series/book I've read.