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beachybookstack's review against another edition
5.0
This is my first venture into any sort of witch (err Caster) book, and it was pretty good. At first I thought it was strange to be reading from Ethan's perspective but quickly got used to it. A bit on the long read for a Young Adult novel but fun nonetheless. I'm a bit curious to see where the next book takes the characters, but it'll have to wait til I finish my next book.
kmparsons's review against another edition
5.0
Harry Potter meets Twilight in reverse my two favorite series combine into one!
trin's review against another edition
3.0
This book is all about the setting for me. Yes, it’s a YA magical romance about people in high school in epic epic love—and, you know, whatever. I don’t particularly care about those parts. But the setting—the setting is just fantastic. The town of Gatlin seems so very, very real to me, in all its stuck-in-the-past small-town Southern glory. The community seems alive. The dynamics of high school are absolutely nailed—none of this Bella Swann “I’m the new girl and everyone LOVES me and wants to be my BFF and isn’t it just AWFUL” bullshit. Ethan, the narrator (yes, first person male narrator! also refreshing!), really struggles with the pressures to conform and fit in, and I found this, like all the non-supernatural aspects of the story, to be really vivid and realistically presented.
There are some wonderful details in the magical parts of the tale, too: the fact that Lena, Ethan’s potentially lethal true love (have I mentioned how much I enjoy this role reversal?), has a house whose decor changes depending on her uncle’s mood; the way Lena’s hair moves and twists when she’s working her magic. I do wish that almost every main character hadn’t in some way turned out to be involved in Caster society—it makes it seem less likely to me that the existence of magic and magic practitioners has remained a secret. (It was gang members! Gang members on PCPs!) But the gothic mood is consistently great, and while I was never as in love with Ethan and Lena as they were with each other, I was rooting for them.
There are some wonderful details in the magical parts of the tale, too: the fact that Lena, Ethan’s potentially lethal true love (have I mentioned how much I enjoy this role reversal?), has a house whose decor changes depending on her uncle’s mood; the way Lena’s hair moves and twists when she’s working her magic. I do wish that almost every main character hadn’t in some way turned out to be involved in Caster society—it makes it seem less likely to me that the existence of magic and magic practitioners has remained a secret. (It was gang members! Gang members on PCPs!) But the gothic mood is consistently great, and while I was never as in love with Ethan and Lena as they were with each other, I was rooting for them.
tipptych's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
outoftheblue14's review against another edition
Please explain something to me... why sixteen moons? Isn't a moon one month long? Are Caster moons longer? Why?
snoopydoo77's review against another edition
4.0
I been meaning to read this book for a while now, but never got it until now. Overall I really enjoyed this book, I liked that it is a bit darker than most YA book. It is very compelling and keeps you clued to the book from page one. The world and building was very well written, both the present and the flashback episodes that occur in the book.
You can find my full review here:
http://snoopydoosbookreviews.com/3776-2/
You can find my full review here:
http://snoopydoosbookreviews.com/3776-2/
libbyferg99's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
heathercottledillon's review against another edition
3.0
"Beautiful Creatures" is about Ethan Wate, a high school sophomore, who plans to escape his small Southern town as soon as he can. He disagrees with the values that most people in his town have, and things have been difficult since his mother died and his father subsequently became a recluse. Then a strange new girl named Lena arrives. She and her relatives are Casters, beings who have supernatural powers. Ethan finds himself falling hard for Lena, but on her upcoming 16th birthday she will be Claimed for dark or light.
I was confused a lot as I read this book, but I still got into it. I really engaged with the characters, especially some of the ones on the side including Link, Amma, and Marian the Librarian. The romance is a little too "Twilighty" for me--the characters meet, fall in love quickly, and suddenly don't know how they lived without each other. However, this story is told from the guy's perspective, which is interesting, and the characters aren't as whiny or overdramatic as the ones in some other teen romances. I also like how the authors weave a lot of humor into this dark story. What I don't like is the length of the book; a lot feels repetitive and I think a lot could have been cut out. There are 500 pages leading up the climactic battle between good and evil and then the ending is a bit of a letdown, as it seems to be merely setting up the sequel.
I was confused a lot as I read this book, but I still got into it. I really engaged with the characters, especially some of the ones on the side including Link, Amma, and Marian the Librarian. The romance is a little too "Twilighty" for me--the characters meet, fall in love quickly, and suddenly don't know how they lived without each other. However, this story is told from the guy's perspective, which is interesting, and the characters aren't as whiny or overdramatic as the ones in some other teen romances. I also like how the authors weave a lot of humor into this dark story. What I don't like is the length of the book; a lot feels repetitive and I think a lot could have been cut out. There are 500 pages leading up the climactic battle between good and evil and then the ending is a bit of a letdown, as it seems to be merely setting up the sequel.
jsc55's review against another edition
3.0
2.5... long and slightly boring... but i loved the southern feel to it all.