Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Summary:
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.
 
Review:
I expected so much more from this book.  It was so highly recommended online, especially on Goodreads, where I get a lot of my book recommendations, that I got it from the library and started it immediately after JR Ward's Lover Mine.  Now, there are several possible reasons as to why I couldn't finish it.  I got to page 119 and just couldn't get any further. 

Possible causes why I couldn't finish it:

  • I'd just finished Lover Mine and my expectations were too high

  • I know that Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse #10) is released today and I couldn't give Beautiful Creatures all of my attention

  • The book, which I borrowed from my library, inexplicably smelled like dipping tobacco.

  • I don't like books where two people are drawn to each other for ABSOLUTELY NO REASON.

  • I don't like paranormal romances written from a first person sixteen year old male point of view.  Furthermore, I don't like when said sixteen year old male has the personality and thought processes of a 75 year old grandmother.
The basis for my giving up on Beautiful Creatures could be any or all of these reasons.  I HATE leaving anything unfinished, but I just couldn't get through this one. 

Score:




Did Not Finish

If you want a good YA paranormal romance, try these instead:



8 comments:

  1. I always wanted to read this book. though you made it sound like it really was bad, so I will get this form the library and see what i think, I won't be buying this one!

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts ^^

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  2. Hi Emmagan,

    I got this one from the library too. I was so disappointed by it! I fully expected it to be great, based on everything I'd read about it online, but I just didn't like it. I couldn't get into it. I think what did me in was that the story was told from a 16 year old boy's perspective and I couldn't relate to that at all. Let me know what you think!

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  3. thats how Ive been feeling Ive heard so many good things about it shame it didn't meet your expectations.

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  4. I know, I'm definitely in the minority. I've seen so many glowing reviews of it. I just couldn't get into it AT ALL.

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  5. Don't worry hun, you are not alone. This book was such a big letdown. So many pages for... what exactly? Everything was so vague. The uncle is a vampire but not really? The characters are witches but not really? The grandma is a spiritualist...but not really? Um, WHAT!? I went into reading this book after reading a little bit about it online and I could never find out the lore or subject matter it revolved around.... now I can see why. lmao! It's never clear!

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  6. Not to mention it seemed to especially stray away from the word vampire. Why? It's like the authors were trying to stray away from Twilight and vampire comparisons... excuse me but there's nothing wrong about vampires and there's room for lots more vampire novels. Twilight has been slammed because it's successful but before the movies and merch the books were highly praised. Vampires have been in literature for hundreds of years and I hope for a lot more that doesn't mean you can't own up to writing about them because of twilight. Where is your class??? Where is your morality?? Have some dignity and pride in the vampires in your books for god sake

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  7. Anon---I am so vindicated! FINALLY, someone who feels the same way I did about Beautiful Creatures! Thank you!!!

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  8. Is it bad that I am happy there is another person out there that didnt enjoy this book. Seriously what was all the hype about. don't feel bad that you didn't finish this book it didn't get much better. It took me a month to read this book. LOL @ said boy acting like a 75 year old grandmother

    here's my review
    http://paranormallyromanced.blogspot.com/2011/01/review-beautiful-creatures-kami-garcia.html

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