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tatyana467's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
ohtrisarahtops's review against another edition
4.0
This review can also be found here
Let me start by saying that I didn't get my hopes up for this one, and because of that I was pleasantly surprised. I found myself enjoying this story even though at certain parts it is extremely slow. I think the thing I enjoyed most about the book was the fact that it was told through a guy's point of view. It left me as confused and lost as Ethan was and I had to discover the truth about Lena right along with him.
I loved that the story was set in the South. Because of this you can really see how poorly Lena is treated by the people in this town especially since they go by Southern hospitality. Where was it for her? Just because she was different all pretense was dropped and she was treated like a pariah. When Ethan begins to hang out with Lena, he begins to lose everything as well even though the town still claims him as their own since his family has been there for years. He begins to be shunned just as much as Lena, the only difference is Ethan is perfectly okay with it.
The fact that the story is about magic is what really held my attention. I love stories about witches, though in this case it's Casters. It was even more enjoyable due to the fact that the one telling the story wasn't the Caster but a Mortal. So we get to see the magic through the eyes of someone who isn't used to it and that really brings a whole new level to the story.
I really liked Ethan. He was loyal and kind and didn't put up with any of the crap the other kids in his class did. He stood up for Lena even though he was the only one doing it and never even thought twice about it. Lena was another great character, though her constant worrying did get old pretty fast, she was strong as well and when it came to Ethan there was nothing she wouldn't do to save him.
I recommend this for anybody who enjoys having a male point of view in Young Adult fiction. If you're a fan of magic and mystery as well as adventure then you should definitely check this book out.
Let me start by saying that I didn't get my hopes up for this one, and because of that I was pleasantly surprised. I found myself enjoying this story even though at certain parts it is extremely slow. I think the thing I enjoyed most about the book was the fact that it was told through a guy's point of view. It left me as confused and lost as Ethan was and I had to discover the truth about Lena right along with him.
I loved that the story was set in the South. Because of this you can really see how poorly Lena is treated by the people in this town especially since they go by Southern hospitality. Where was it for her? Just because she was different all pretense was dropped and she was treated like a pariah. When Ethan begins to hang out with Lena, he begins to lose everything as well even though the town still claims him as their own since his family has been there for years. He begins to be shunned just as much as Lena, the only difference is Ethan is perfectly okay with it.
The fact that the story is about magic is what really held my attention. I love stories about witches, though in this case it's Casters. It was even more enjoyable due to the fact that the one telling the story wasn't the Caster but a Mortal. So we get to see the magic through the eyes of someone who isn't used to it and that really brings a whole new level to the story.
I really liked Ethan. He was loyal and kind and didn't put up with any of the crap the other kids in his class did. He stood up for Lena even though he was the only one doing it and never even thought twice about it. Lena was another great character, though her constant worrying did get old pretty fast, she was strong as well and when it came to Ethan there was nothing she wouldn't do to save him.
I recommend this for anybody who enjoys having a male point of view in Young Adult fiction. If you're a fan of magic and mystery as well as adventure then you should definitely check this book out.
chelsfoust's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, I stick by the 'too many words' I thought earlier when I updated, and also overall I enjoyed the book. The ending was very disappointing I felt like nothing was really resolved...probably supposed to be that way but still. I will def see the movie, but probably won't read the other books. I really struggled to get through this book though around page 320 ish I really started to like it better, must have been because something other than the whining of what is going to happen between characters shift and you see a bit more action. I give it a 3.5 rating.
madeline_barton's review against another edition
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bookishgenerations's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
breezy610's review against another edition
4.0
i take it back what i said in my previous review. I ended up buying the book because the second time and the third was much better. I re-read this book because there is a movie based off the book coming out at the end of the week and i wanted to brush up how what happens. with some unknown playing the lead character, i have a piece of mind.
suzie_'s review against another edition
Bad dialogue, characters don’t act in consistent manner
blurrypetals's review against another edition
5.0
Quite a bit better than I expected it to be!
I enjoyed the freshness this book presented. We've all seen the vampires. We've all seen the fallen angels. And yes, we've seen the witches and wizards before. But we haven't seen Casters. We haven't seen Gatlin or its secret history.
That's what I enjoyed most about this book. It still had all the components of your average, run of the mill young adult paranormal romance, but it had the slightest twist to it that made me devour all 500+ pages of it in less than three days.
My only issue was that I had NO mental image of Ethan in my head. Even little things like hair color and eye color dropped in there would have made him a little more real for me. But there was nothing. I knew he was tall. I knew he was in good shape. But...eh. I just had a hard time picturing Mr. Wate. Hopefully that'll be fixed in the next book.
Overall though, I enjoyed the voice Ethan brought us and the story he was able to tell us. Hopefully B&N will have Beautiful Darkness tomorrow.
I enjoyed the freshness this book presented. We've all seen the vampires. We've all seen the fallen angels. And yes, we've seen the witches and wizards before. But we haven't seen Casters. We haven't seen Gatlin or its secret history.
That's what I enjoyed most about this book. It still had all the components of your average, run of the mill young adult paranormal romance, but it had the slightest twist to it that made me devour all 500+ pages of it in less than three days.
My only issue was that I had NO mental image of Ethan in my head. Even little things like hair color and eye color dropped in there would have made him a little more real for me. But there was nothing. I knew he was tall. I knew he was in good shape. But...eh. I just had a hard time picturing Mr. Wate. Hopefully that'll be fixed in the next book.
Overall though, I enjoyed the voice Ethan brought us and the story he was able to tell us. Hopefully B&N will have Beautiful Darkness tomorrow.