Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

 Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers | Published: December 1, 2009

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal | 563 pages | ISBN: 9780316042673 

The Caster Chronicles were recommended to me by one of the residents at the group home I work.  She told me it was her absolute favorite book series ever and I can definitely see the appeal after finishing Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness.

The Caster Chronicles take us into the heart and heat of the South.  In the series, Gatlin, South Carolina is located near Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia on the banks of Lake Moultrie.  Beautiful Creatures opens with Ethan Wates beginning his 10th grade year.  His mother died in an accident just a few months prior and he is being cared for by the Gullah housekeeper, Amma.  Ethan's dad spends his days sleeping and his nights locked in the study he shared with his wife and Ethan's mom, writing his book.

Ethan wants nothing better than to get out of Gatlin.  He keeps a map on the wall of all the places he wants to visit from the books he reads {and hides under his bed so his basketball buddies don't know he loves to read}.  Gatlin is holding him back, smothering him with its small-town gossip and everyone knows all about everyone else.  Keeping secrets is not possible in a small southern town.

So when a new girl arrives to school who is quite a bit different from everyone else AND living in the haunted Ravenwood mansion, Ethan is curious about her ~ especially when he realizes Lena is the girl from the dreams he has been having that leave him waking up with dirt in his bed and under his nails.

The Caster Chronicles are a change-up from the normal young adult paranormal books (I believe) in that they are written in first-person from Ethan's perspective rather than Lena's.  Ethan's voice was refreshing and real. I could imagine my 15 year old son experiencing similar emotions and feelings if he were to endure Ethan's circumstances.

First Lines:

There were only two kinds of people in our town. "The stupid and the stuck," my father had affectionately classified our neighbors. "The ones who are bound to stay or too dumb to go. Everyone else finds a way out."

The shadowy Gothic atmosphere of Beautiful Creatures is the truest success in this book, from the "haunted" Ravenwood mansion that is the only antebellum home which survived Sherman's march and burning through the south to the Dar-ee Keen and Stop & Shop, the only fast food joint and grocery store anywhere within a 20-minute drive.

Lena, the new girl, Ethan discovers is part of a Caster family that has been around for hundreds of years.  When he compares casters to witches, Lena mocks his stereotyping and explains that casters have individual special powers, some can heal, be empathic, create illusions, etc. Ethan handles the news with grace, as his housekeeper, Amma, is a tarot card reader and regularly puts salt on the window sills, protection dolls in his drawers and chicken bones on bracelets.

The book is a bit daunting at 593 pages and drags in a few places, but overall, Beautiful Creatures is a page-turner.  The characters evolve throughout this book and the series, with Amma and Marian the town librarian and "Keeper" or librarian for the casters being my favorites.  Marian definitely has the coolest job ever!  And Macon Ravenwood, the town Boo Radley and Lena's uncle, is a commanding presence throughout the novel:

Mortals. I envy you. You think you can change things. Stop the universe. Undo what was done long before you came along. You are such beautiful creatures. (Macon)

If you're looking for a solidly good read, atmospheric book that gets all the nuances of southern living right and will kick start your reading juices then Beautiful Creatures is for you.  And is that cover not just amazing! Reminds me of driving through the moss-laden streets of old Savannah.

About the Authors:

Photo Credit: Vanya Stoyanova

A graduate of Amherst College, where she won the Knox Prize for English Literature, Margaret earned a master’s degree in English from Stanford University and completed coursework for a doctorate in American Studies at Yale University. Margaret was a teaching assistant in Romantic Poetry at Stanford and in Film Studies at Yale. She attended the Creative Writing program of the University of East Anglia, where she was mentored by the Scottish poet George MacBeth.

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Photo Credit: Vanya Stoyanova

Kami has an MA in education, and taught in the Washington DC area until she moved to Los Angeles, where she was a teacher & Reading Specialist. In addition to teaching, Kami was a professional artist and led fantasy book groups for children and teens. She still lives in LA with her husband, son, daughter, and their dogs Spike and Oz (named after characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

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to purchase the book

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If you like this book you may enjoy:

The Forest of Hands & Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers

I purchased this book for my enjoyment.

Happy reading!