Author: Kami Garcia
Publisher: Brown
Release Date: Dec 1, 2009
Rating: 3/5
Cover Impressions: The cover has some beautiful elements but, for me, it feels like it is missing something. The script is stunning, the trees create a fantastically creepy atmosphere, but I keep looking for something else to rest my eye upon and there just isn't anything. If I were designing this cover - I would have added a full moon so we at least had a focal point.
The Gist: Ethan Wate is counting down the days until he can escape the small town of Gatlin. He spends his days barely tolerating his classmates and his nights struggling to hold on to a girl that he has never met. When Lena Duchannes arrives at Stonewall Jackson High School, everyone can tell she is different. Ethan finds himself seeking her out and will soon discover that they have a mysterious and powerful connection.
Review:
I have encountered this book (and the others in the series) off an on throughout my forays through the world of YA. In reading the synopsis, however, the whole mysterious romantic connection turned me off from picking up the book. Then I encountered the trailer for the movie to be released in 2013 and it looked so good I just had to give the book a shot and decided to try the audio version.
Let me tell you, it was loooooooooong. Normally, I find audiobooks make my commute better and make dealing with traffic a heck of a lot easier (just more time for the book!). But this one left me frustrated. I found myself yelling at the characters as they whined about their lives. Boo hoo, my home town is boring (Ethan) Wah Wah my life is weird and full of magic (Lena). I swear, if I heard Lena say "I am going to go dark" one more time I was going to throw my ipod under the wheels of a semi. It was even more irritating because the underlying plot was great. It had lots of mystery, great settings and interesting characters. But it seemed that just as I was getting some answers and seeing the plot progress, we would revert to moody Lena, queen of complaining. I really wanted to shake her - you have super-fun powers, DO SOMETHING WITH THEM! While Beautiful Creatures had a wonderfully creepy setting and some fantastically exciting scenes, there was just too long in between them and I got tired of waiting.
I was not a huge fan of the narrator, though he was competent enough. However, at one point, the narration switches to Lena and a female voice. I did not like her at all! This new narrator displayed little to no emotion and it completely pulled me from the world that the author had created. Because this occurred during a particularly important and action-filled section of the book, it was incredibly jarring and ruined those emotional moments for me.
This book is also guilty of perpetrating one of my pet peeves: the uncaring school. As a teacher, I take a real offense when I encounter books that feature teachers and administration who turn a blind eye to the blatant bullying that occurs in their school. I take a special offense when the teachers and administration become and active part of the problem. Yes, there are bad teachers out there. Yes, there are bad principals out there. But the majority of us did not get into this profession so that we could ignore the obvious distress of our students.
The ending of Beautiful Creatures left me unsatisfied. There were just too many questions left unanswered and, while I want the answers to them, I am just not willing to read/listen to the next book just yet. Especially as other reviewers have noted that it is even more angsty than the first.
Teaching/Parental Notes:
Age: 13 and up
Gender: Female
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Fist-fighting, Magical attacks, Stabbing
Inappropriate Language: Bitch, Piss (there may be others but I forget)
Substance Use/Abuse: Underage drinking, cigar smoking
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