Beautiful Chaos (Beautiful Creatures) [Kindle Edition]

Kami Garcia (Author), Margaret Stohl (Author)

Book Description

Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A potent mix of the gothic, the mythic, and the magical...With original characters, complex world building, and crackling prose, this is masterful storytelling." (

Deborah Harkness, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches on the Beautiful Creatures novels

)

"This richly imagined series has all the elements of a successful Southern gothic supernatural romance....The ambiguity of good and evil adds appealing complexity....Genre fans will love it." (VOYA)

Review

"This richly imagined series has all the elements of a successful Southern gothic supernatural romance....The ambiguity of good and evil adds appealing complexity....Genre fans will love it." (VOYA )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 847 KB
• Print Length: 523 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (October 18, 2011)
• Sold by: Hachette Book Group
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005FI2EA6
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #454 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #10 in Books > Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy
  • #11 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy
  • #13 in Books > Teens > Love & Romance

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the First Two Combined! October 18, 2011

By Hayden M. Casey

Format:Hardcover

Beautiful Chaos is the third book in Kami Garcia's and Margaret Stohl's series, entitled Beautiful Creatures. The third installment brings so much more to the plate than the first two did. The action is higher in this book than in the first installments, and of course it ends on a ridiculous cliffhanger, just like the second book did. The book is more depressing than the others, because in this book, Ethan is the one having most of the problems, not Lena, and after all he is the narrator.

Beautiful Chaos makes me so excited for the last book in the series, but it also makes me sad that I have to wait an entire year for it! I can't wait to see what Garcia and Stohl bring to the plate when they wrap up the series!

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Darker and Deeper into the Rabbit Hole November 22, 2011

By sazbah

Format:Hardcover

I have seriously mixed thoughts on Beautiful Chaos. On one hand, I love Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's writing and, like always, it shines through. The second half of this book was exciting, and left me not just with tears in my eyes, but crying. Ugly crying. On the other hand, the ending felt like a kick in the gut, and I really struggled to get into this book after a very slow start. Beautiful Chaos was not easy to read.

Imagine the movie trailer voice: THIS SUMMER, THE APOCALYPSE IS COMING TO GATLIN. We join Ethan in a darker place than we have before, and something is wrong. He's losing the plot. In addition to dangerous dreams, he's forgetting himself. Memories, phone numbers, everyday details, Ethan's losing little pieces of himself one bit at a time. Not good. He can't even confide in Amma: she's gone darker than she ever has before.

Since Lena claimed herself, both the Caster and Mortal worlds seem to be falling apart. I wasn't joking about the apocalypse. Drought, pestilence, swarms of locusts. The Caster's powers are misfiring, which is kind of dangerous when you can set fire to things with your brain. Where Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness were about choosing your own path, and taking control of your destiny, Beautiful Chaos is about dealing with the consequences, and perhaps about the inevitability of fate.

These books are so immersive. As Beautiful Chaos commenced, some quality or cadence of tone sucked me once more into the tiny world of Gatlin, and had me enthralled by that lush, hypnotic, flowing prose Garcia and Stohl have mastered. The short version: I love Garcia/Stohl's writing. The quality and feel of it. But I struggled to get into the story.

Beautiful Chaos has SO. MUCH. GOING. ON.... that for the first half--that's 250 pages, folks--it felt like nothing happened. So much time was spent on setting up so many different plot threads, events, and carrying over ones from the previous book, it was overwhelming. I struggled through the beginning of Beautiful Chaos like I was walking through knee-deep mud. But then, thankfully, it got GOOD. Pages 250-500-something are exciting, mysterious, high-stakes and everything I expect from these two darned-talented authors.

The Caster Chronicles have always been dark, but Beautiful Chaos is darker. The bleak tone and hopelessness of the situation in Gatlin weighed down on me, and as much as I love revisiting the world of this series, for me it made Beautiful Chaos hard to read.

Once again, people are keeping secrets, but this time, the people we trust to have the answers--Amma, Macon Marian and the other Casters--are at a loss themselves. The safety net's gone. The stakes are higher this time; the dangers seem more real. Characters we've come to know and love get hurt. And, as the cover copy promises: this time, there's no happy ending. There's a feeling of desperation hanging over our favourite Caster-Mortal blended/extended family, and it rubs off on the reader.

Unfortunately, for me, Beautiful Chaos didn't feel like its own book, but more of a culmination of the events of those preceding it. The whole book was climax Climax CLIMAX! Then it ended. Seriously. Mega-uber-massive cliffhanger. And not in a good way. Beautiful Chaos was five hundred pages of build up to an event that <em>didn't happen in this book</em>.

I'm the first to admit I don't love cliffhangers, but I can respect a good one... and in a way, I suppose this one was, but, at the same time, there was no resolution to any of the events within this book, and that frustrates me. I was left knowing (almost) as little on page 516 as I was on page 1.

Despite these complaints, I enjoyed Beautiful Chaos. The writing is gorgeous, the stakes are high, the characters I know and love are all there hiding their secrets, and Gatlin? My oh my I love Gatlin.

Beautiful Chaos was dense, overwhelming, heartbreaking and... unsatisfying, on some level. Nevertheless, it's achieved its goal: I'm eagerly anticipating book four, if for no other reason than to find out how this one actually ends! If you're a fan of the series, read Beautiful Chaos. If you're already undecided on this series, Beautiful Chaos will do little to change your mind. Read more ›

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! October 19, 2011

By Savannah (Books With Bite)

Format:Hardcover

I admit that this book completely took me by surprise. As the reader, I was expecting so many others things but never that. I loved that this book took a whole new spin on love and sacrifice!

What I loved most about this book is the great plot line. So much going on in the book that is kept the reader hooked and always sated. Never once did my eyes stray from the pages as I devoured it. I enjoyed that while the plot line is unraveling secrets, poems, and love popped up where I never saw it. Both authors once again did an amazing job on capturing the essence of the town and the characters!

The characters development in the story is where it needs to be. So much had changed in them that you know that these characters are at their peak. I enjoyed reading along with the characters in discovering secrets that have been under their noses. The book title is great for whats goes on in the book. Chaos. Total Chaos!

Now for the ending. Did I see that coming? No. It was something that left me gasping and WOWed. I won't spoil it, but yeah. Amazing ending that left me wanting more.

Beautiful Chaos is a completion of wonderful literature that had me in awe! I felt like I was in the town of Gatlin as soon as I open the first page, fighting the chaotic events unfolding between the pages. Filled with a great adventure of love and sacrifice, Beautiful Chaos will undo your mind leaving you yearning for more of Gatlin.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome beyond words February 11, 2013

By K.

Format:Paperback

O-M-Freakin-G!!!! This book was awesome!! I am so happy Lena is over the angsty chick phase!!

There are basically three romances going on in this book Ethan and Lena take lead with Link and Ridley at a close second...and I am not telling the third cause I am spoiler free!! But trust me it is a good one!!

So much destruction in this book! Also many new elements added. It seems Lena might have broken something by claiming herself. This book is about fixing the order of the universe. The twist was obvious to me but that did not effect how much I enjoyed the story.

Perfect pacing and so well written! The characters are engaging and so relatable. There were many moments when I laughed out loud. And even more when I was sobbing and could barely keep reading through the emotion.

I am so happy I waited to read this until the last book was out! There is no way I would have survived the wait after the cliffhanger this one leaves.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars More Linkubus, please. May 22, 2012

By Maria @ Bookchilla

Format:Paperback

Let's get straight to the point, shall we? The rich, gothic feel surrounding Caster Chronicles is still a story to behold. BUT... Ethan the emo-boy is like these long nails scratching a blackboard. I can't help but cringe when he's getting lovey-dovey and clingy to Lena (who up to now in book 3 cannot fathom her "super" powers). So Ethan, if you are going to die, just die already! Spare us the drama if you please.

I was hoping Linkubus to have more face time in this sequel. Turns out he's still the sidekick best friend who will rescue emo-boy time and time again. C'mon! Link is a supernatural now, not Ethan. I want more Linkubus!!!

I like Liv's character more than Lena. Liv's more demanding and magnetic, more charming and lovable. She and Ethan could've looked good together. Anyway, it was relief that she's still in this book. Liv and Link were quite the reprieve from the Ethan-Lena sappiness.

The scenes with Abraham Ravenwood was fine. In fact, my highlights were during those times Ethan was getting attacked by Abraham and Saraphine, and his scenes with the bokor character. :D Finally, some hostility to erase the icky taste of mushiness! Also, I like Amma's craziness here. What i wouldn't do to have that kind of fierce love on my side. :)

518 pages were a lot to take in. Now I'm thinking: authors, why don't you just trap Ethan & Lena in the arclight? Hee!

Yes, i will still read the finale, Beautiful Chaos. Macon's awesomeness is too good to deny. =)