Released: October 12, 2010                       512 pages

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 0316077057

On the night of Lena’s sixteenth birthday she chose not to chose, and remained unclaimed by either side saving her entire family from certain death. While she did choose to go down the same path as her ancestor Genevieve and use the book of moons to save her beloved Ethan, her Uncle Macon was sacrificed in his place.

Beautiful Darkness picks up after the events of Beautiful Creatures with the funeral of Macon Ravenswood, and Lena slowly slipping into darkness under the weight of her guilt. Grieving from her loss, and worried about destroying those closest to her, Lena pulls away from Ethan, leaving him equally devastated and determined to save her. He plunges deeper into her world when she runs away with her Siren cousin Ridley, and sexy mysterious John Breed to the Great Barrier, a place of pure magic where there is no Light or Dark.

Armed with a pair of mortals, his best friend Link, and Keeper-In- training Liv, Ethan must decipher the mystery of the Seventeenth Moon, and save Lena before its too late. Lena’s mom, Sarafine works to pulling the Seventeeth Moon in early, hoping to capitalize on Lena’s loss. Traveling the Casters Tunnels, Ethan learns more about his families tangled up history with the casters, and discovers things about himself he never expected.

The caster world is expanded a bit in this one, as is the idea that good vs evil isn’t so black and white. While Lena’s tumble into darkness takes away from some of the sympathy for her ordeal, Ridley certainly shines as she struggles to be what she is versus what she thinks she should be. Liv is a welcome addition to the cast of characters bringing shining hope, curiosity, and a normalcy that was slowly being swallowed by all the supernatural elements on scene.

Beautiful Darkness is a fitting sequel that won't disappoint fans of Beautiful Creatures, being both very detailed and layered, and well paced.  Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's world is vivid and rich, drawing in Southern elements and traditions that enrich their world rather than distract. Though there is a good chunk of the story dealing with Ethan discovering what the audience already knew from the night of Lena’s birthday, it doesn’t feel too repetitive, and the discovery retains its impact. The cliffhanging ending will certainly leave readers wanting more.

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Released: December 1, 2009                       563 pages

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 0316042676

Beautiful Creatures is the latest fan favorite YA book to get the movie treatment. And I’ll admit I have high hopes for the series. While it’s rife with the normal teen angst, there’s something deeper below that shallow surface that some other YA franchises banked on. The story unfolds a smart, modern fantasy landscape, with a tale of star-crossed lovers that have more than families or ideas standing in their way of happiness.

Ethan Wate is your typical high school sophomore in the small town of Gatlin. He’s athletic, and part of the in crowd, and desperately counting down the days until he can break free from the town’s confines and experience the outside world. He’s a reader and a dreamer, and he’s been plagued with nightmares of a girl he can’t see and a song he can’t escape.

Enter the beautiful and mysterious Lena Duchannes, the girl of his dreams literally, and the niece of the town shut in. If there was ever a wrong girl to fall in love with in this tiny Southern town, Lena is her.  Not only do the pompom pushers instantly despise her and set out to crucify her, all of Ethan’s so called friends abandon him with the exception of his only true friend Link, for his inseparable relationship.

Still Ethan and Lena can’t help to be drawn to each other, as unforeseen forces threaten to tear them apart. Not only are their families against their relationship, but so is fate. Lena comes from a long line of cursed casters, and upon her sixteenth birthday she will be claimed for good or evil. As the two of them try to untangle history, and save Lena from her destiny, they still have to contend with the horrors of high school.

Beautiful Creatures is not only well written, and well paced, it gives us a relationship that is truly special. Although Ethan is a mere mortal, there’s power in his love for Lena, which few can match. Rather than just saying that their love is special or unique, it’s illustrated brilliantly. What’s skipped is all of the covert stares, all the yearning, and the story gets to the heart of two people drawn together against all odds.

Ethan’s voice is a fresh alternative, to the normal girl point of views. He’s as much on the outside looking in on the Caster stage as the rest of us, and it makes sense for this world to unfold though his eyes rather than Lena’s. For Kami Garcia and Maragret Stohl’s first outing, it is certainly an entertaining one, that has given us a magical world I cannot wait to see more of.

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