Review: Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1)

ABOUT THE BOOK:


Authors: Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

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.

BOOK REVIEW:

I've been seeing this novel at the bookstore for almost three years now. But I never picked it up until I heard that a movie is coming out. And for me, there are only two reasons why a book would be turned into a movie. One, the book is a future classic, unforgettable and absolutely addicting for all the right reasons. And two, it is a future classic, unforgettable and absolutely addicting for all the wrong reasons.

So okay, why not give it a try? Right?

The book was written by two authors, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. None of them I'm familiar with. Come to think of it, that was probably the reason why I didn't go gaga over this book when it was first released.

So the story is about this supernatural girl/boy who moved into this town and met an ordinary boy/girl, whom she/he fell in love with... BLAH BLAH BLAH. So what's new? Didn't I read about this plot like a hundred times already? Seriously, WHAT'S NEW?!

Here's what new: It's INCREDIBLY LOOONNNNGGGGGG!!!!

Ahem. Okay. Breathe. Easy.

Let me start again...

Set in the fictional town of Gatlin, South Carolina, this novel has a southern gothic feel to it. However, this town is full of walking stereotypes. And I am not just talking about the accent! You know those jesus-freak rednecks? Yep, and the whole nine yards. If I am a southerner, I would personally be offended. But what do I know, right? I'm not even an American. But whoever agrees with me, kindly raise your right hand please!

Unlike most people, the beginning of this novel captivated me. The narrator, Ethan Wate, a young male protagonist is a refreshing change from all those shallow-minded/clumsy/conflicted/self-absorbed female narrators in the YA genre. I don't want to generalized the genre, but sadly, it is the plain truth. If sex sells in movies, well, STUPID sells in YA. 

Anyway, Ethan is neither selfish nor stupid. He is, however, pretty boring. I was not kidding when I told you that this novel is incredibly long. And that's what probably made Ethan boring. Don't get me wrong. He is a good kid with all the right intentions. But with the length of this novel combined with his repetitive conflicts, the story gets old pretty fast.

I did appreciate that the authors managed to create a bearable female protagonists. I mean, if I met Lena in the real life, I wouldn't bludgeon her to a slow, painful death. She is a "likable" character to say the least. And coming from me, that is saying a LOT.

Lena Duchannes is an interesting character. The fact that Lena don't even know her true nature and name before her 16th birthday is interesting. Her whole family is interesting, even the psychotic ones. Especially the psychotic ones!

The whole book is interesting. But sadly, that's where it ends.

Basically, the only main conflict of the story is...


STOP LENA FROM GETTIN' DARK, Y'ALL! 

There weren't even any side quests. So this plot being a 560-page something book baffles me.

WHY?! WHY?! Answer me, dammit.

Here's why: TOO MANY CHARACTERS, TOO MANY UNNEEDED SCENES

To sum it up, the writing isn't horrific. If this book was shorter, it could have been better.

If you're thinking of reading this book 'coz you wanna see the movie, you could skip it. Trust me, the movie is much, much, more awesome than the book. I'm giving this a rating of...

RATING: