Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia + Margaret Stohl

Synopsis: 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.

My thoughts: Boy! This book took me much longer than I expected. Yes, it's a pretty thick book but I have been able to knocked down bigger books than this at a much faster rate. I'm not saying that Beautiful Creatures was a bad book, it just took me longer to take everything in. This gothic novel had a rich atmosphere surrounded by the mysteries of the south, which made appreciate and continue reading this book.

What I really liked about the book was how the two authors took their time to develop Ethan and Lena's relationship. It wasn't love (or lust) at first sight. Instead, there's attraction, a connection, and time to get to know one another. I really enjoyed reading how these two fell in love with one another.

Also, I enjoyed the fact that this was told through Ethan's point of view. I'll admit, it did take me by surprise because I was under the impression that this would either be in third person or be told by Lena. Lately, I've been encountering only female narrators when it comes to YA literature, so reading a male speaker was a pleasant change. I enjoyed reading about a young male's perspective when it came to falling in love and how he viewed himself in the high school enviroment. In other words, I really liked Ethan's character.

Though this was longer and slower than I expected, I did enjoy reading it. I give it: