Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Summary:
There were no surprises in Gatlin County. We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere. Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong. There was a curse. There was a girl. And in the end, there was a grave.

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.

Cover: I absolutely love the cover! I drew me in right away. It has a very Gothic feeling which I love. I also like how the letters look like vines and the trees in the back. I had no idea what "Beautiful Creatures" was about I just knew I had to read it.


Story: This book was very good! It was different from what I have read before. I was drawn into the book from the beginning. Beautiful Creatures is your book version of a thriller, romance, action, and mystery all together. It's also adventurous and fun! It's worth your time!

I love Ethan Wate. I wish he was real. It was different how the book was written from a boy's view, but I liked it. Even though I loved Ethan, at first he had some moments where he was a jerk. He was trying to be like the rest of the basketball team. You know, trying to be all cool when all they sounded like was a corn dog. How much he loved Lena and how he never let go even though he had his doubts was very moving!

Ethan's family was very interesting. They are not your average family. Amma with her superstitions and Mitchell (Ethan's Dad) with his weird behavior. I do not know how it is to lose someone you love so I cannot relate with Mitchell. I wish Ethan would have tried to connect with his dad more though. Let's just say they were a very interesting family to read about.

Lena was my favorite character. She is witty and doesn't try to be like everyone else. She's different and I love that about her. I did not like that she wouldn't open up to Ethan in the beginning. i always felt bad for how she was ridiculed just because she was Ravenwood's niece. People who judge others before they know them annoy me. There are too many words to describe how much I like Lena Duchannes.

Lena's family was definitely different. Her Uncle Macon was definitely the weirdest yet my favorite among Aunt Del, Ryan, Gramma, Reece, ect. It was always interesting to find out how they changed their house, yet again. The family rituals were very cool! You never knew what you would find out about this family next.

Link made me crack up the entire book. Link was a loyal friend, but I wish he would've stuck up to his mom. Mrs. Lincoln was one of the characters on my bad list. I loved Link's ambition. He never gave up on his band, no matter how terrible he was! We should all learn from Link to never give up.

The ending, I thought, was very gloomy. I understand why, but I'm a sucker for a happy ending. When I finished the book I said,"WHAT"! I cannot wait for the sequel. This was one of the best books I have ever read!

5 stars!!!!!