The Caster Chronicles is quickly becoming one of those series that will stick out like a sore thumb on my bookshelf with its worn covers and cracked spines from countless times of rereading. Beautiful Creatures piqued my interest from page one as we were introduced to the unusual occurrences that took place in a small town where, supposedly, nothing ever happens. I was ecstatic that I bought the first two books at the same time, and immediately moved on to Beautiful Darkness, a title that suits the contents perfectly.
I love everything about this book from the characters to the plot down to the writing style.. The authors, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, are incredible writers, period. The webwork of planning they have put in to these novels is astounding. Rather than just telling a story, they *show* the reader with their intricate details, vivid imaginations, strong characters, right down to their beautiful use of words.
The characters are the most important piece of this story as everything else revolves around them. No matter how minor a role a character plays, they are portrayed in such a way that you can't help but feel connected to them. Uncle Macon fulfills his reputation as a mysterious recluse with countless secrets (maybe not the secrets everyone originally thought, but he's always hiding something, nonetheless). Amma, one of my favorite characters, is resilient and, quite frankly, a little scary, but is always there for Ethan, despite her scolding and The Look. Link, Ethan's best friend, is so lovable that you never want him to go away, inflated ego and all. And yes, even Ridley, with her lollipop sucking evilness grows to become a character we can't wait to learn more about. You can differentiate each character by their distinct personalities (probably one of my favorite aspects - nothing irks me more than characters who are all the same but given different names), and they each grow as individuals in different ways, adding such unbelievable flavor to the main story.
Ahh, but what about the two main characters, Lena and Ethan? There is nothing magical or supernaturally exceptional about Ethan - he's just a regular human, `all-American' guy.. His only power is his will - his determination to save Lena despite the consequences. He's a great guy, but he's not perfect and makes mistakes like the rest of us, making him a character we can believe and sympathize with. Lena is another story altogether. She's basically a big ball of confusion and wrought emotions in this novel as she tries to figure out who she is - "Look at me Ethan. Am I Dark or am I Light?". Ethan knows who and what she is, and this is another element of his power as he does everything short of giving his life for her to make her see what he sees. Lena makes sacrifices for him as well, as you will see, but they come in a different form - one Ethan refuses to accept.
The plot is so complex that I'm not even sure what to say about it other than it just completely involves you. There is a reason for every single thing that happens - no word, sentence, or paragraph is a waste of space - everything is relevant and connected in some way.
Because of the intricacy of the plot, there are so many emotions involved, many of which are difficult to deal with for both the characters and the readers, but that's what makes this novel so *beautiful*. As I've said, the title fits the contents perfectly.
The writing style of this novel is almost poetic. The way the authors use words, well, there's nothing simple about it. It grabs your attention and gets your mind working - needless to say, I absolutely adore it. I'll just give you a sample, and you can see what I mean for yourself:
"There was no one color that could paint Lena Duchannes. She was a red sweater and a blue sky, a gray wind and a silver sparrow, a black curl escaping from behind her ear."
You have to read the whole book to know what a lot of that means, but once you do, you'll see the beauty I've been raving about.
Maybe I'm a little biased, which many say shouldn't be included in a review (something I don't wholeheartedly agree with myself), but if you love a book, why not say so? **I love this book**
Happy Reading Everyone :)
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Top reviews from other countries
Miss Page-Turner
Brilliant and enticing sequel to the hugely successful first novel in the Caster Chronicles, 17 down'Beautiful Darkness!
Reviewed in Germany on March 9, 2011