Beautiful Darkness (Beautiful Creatures, 2)
Fall under the spell of the Beautiful Darkness, the sequel to the instant New York Times bestselling gothic fantasy, Beautiful Creatures! There were no surprises in Gatlin County. At least, that's what I thought. Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin as a place where nothing ever changed. Then mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes revealed a secret world of curses and Supernaturals with terrifying abilities. Lena showed him a Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen. Sometimes life-ending.
And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.
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Community Reviews
Beautiful Darkness is the second book in the Beautiful Creatures series. It continues to chronicle the complicated love story of Ethan Wate and Lena Duchanes. But, this isn't your average teenage romance; the paranormal are at play. You see, Ethan is a mortal and Lena is a Caster. Casters have powerful magic within them, however; they aren't always good. At sixteen years of age, Lena has to claim herself to be either Light or Dark in the order of her world. It isn't always an easy choice.
Within Lena's world, there is also more to contemplate than just her choice. Because of who she is and the timing of her decision, heading towards the light can have grave consequences for her family members, as well as, heading towards the dark. While her family isn't always the group you'd want over for Sunday brunch, Blood Incubuses, a Succubus, Dark Casters, and a blood-hunting wolf pack, Lena is torn in her choice because she's trying not to hurt anyone; deadly or not, family is family. Her cousin Ridley, a Siren (think the powers of the Sirens in the Odyssey) and a new boy that enters her life in the book, John Breed, do their best to convince Lena that she can run away from all of this. The problem with people that try to convince you of something you aren't comfortable with is there is usually someone, or in this case, something pulling their puppet strings.
But, mostly Lena doesn't want to hurt Ethan. She loves him and sometimes in love, we have to let go. The best thing Lena can do for Ethan is leave him behind; separate him from her world so he isn't destroyed. Ethan, like most stubborn high school boys in love, just won't have this decision become final. The journey to find Lena and save her from the Darkness takes Ethan and his friends on the journey of their lives, and as any good novel does, takes the reader with them. Lena will learn that things aren't always as dire as they seem, and Ethan will discover that his connection to Lena's Caster world is greater than he ever imagined.
Once again, Stohl and Garcia pull you into a magical world set in the deep South. I absolutely adore the characters of Ethan and Lena; their descriptions come to life for me. The depth given to the differences between the mortal world and the Caster world is significant and almost too realistic. The idea that another world could be running in tunnels just below my feet isn't that far fetched if you believe in magic. I do.
Aside from the main characters being well-drawn in this series, the supporting cast does more than just fill pages for the reader. I love the Aunts, adore Macon, would hire Alma in a New York second, and think Lucille may just be the coolest cat that has ever lived (yes - they are all living because books come to life in my world).
I'm anxious to read the short story Dream Dark and then begin Beautiful Chaos. The final book in the series (I think) is Beautiful Redemption due to be released in 32 days! I already have my copy on hold.
The first book in the series, Beautiful Creatures, has been option for a movie deal and the trailer is out! Check it out here: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/beautifulcreatures
This is THE SERIES to read.
Within Lena's world, there is also more to contemplate than just her choice. Because of who she is and the timing of her decision, heading towards the light can have grave consequences for her family members, as well as, heading towards the dark. While her family isn't always the group you'd want over for Sunday brunch, Blood Incubuses, a Succubus, Dark Casters, and a blood-hunting wolf pack, Lena is torn in her choice because she's trying not to hurt anyone; deadly or not, family is family. Her cousin Ridley, a Siren (think the powers of the Sirens in the Odyssey) and a new boy that enters her life in the book, John Breed, do their best to convince Lena that she can run away from all of this. The problem with people that try to convince you of something you aren't comfortable with is there is usually someone, or in this case, something pulling their puppet strings.
But, mostly Lena doesn't want to hurt Ethan. She loves him and sometimes in love, we have to let go. The best thing Lena can do for Ethan is leave him behind; separate him from her world so he isn't destroyed. Ethan, like most stubborn high school boys in love, just won't have this decision become final. The journey to find Lena and save her from the Darkness takes Ethan and his friends on the journey of their lives, and as any good novel does, takes the reader with them. Lena will learn that things aren't always as dire as they seem, and Ethan will discover that his connection to Lena's Caster world is greater than he ever imagined.
Once again, Stohl and Garcia pull you into a magical world set in the deep South. I absolutely adore the characters of Ethan and Lena; their descriptions come to life for me. The depth given to the differences between the mortal world and the Caster world is significant and almost too realistic. The idea that another world could be running in tunnels just below my feet isn't that far fetched if you believe in magic. I do.
Aside from the main characters being well-drawn in this series, the supporting cast does more than just fill pages for the reader. I love the Aunts, adore Macon, would hire Alma in a New York second, and think Lucille may just be the coolest cat that has ever lived (yes - they are all living because books come to life in my world).
I'm anxious to read the short story Dream Dark and then begin Beautiful Chaos. The final book in the series (I think) is Beautiful Redemption due to be released in 32 days! I already have my copy on hold.
The first book in the series, Beautiful Creatures, has been option for a movie deal and the trailer is out! Check it out here: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/beautifulcreatures
This is THE SERIES to read.
I finally finished book two!
I like Link. He’s my favourite.
Lena is kind of a jerk.
I feel bad for Liz.
I like Link. He’s my favourite.
Lena is kind of a jerk.
I feel bad for Liz.
There was a lot of teenage angst in this book. The first one had some, but this book was five hundred pages and four hundred of them involved the girl being erratically emotional and the boy not understanding what was happening.
Once Ethan and the other characters decided to actually go and try to stop the bad guys from accomplishing their objective the story actually became engaging. Once I hit that point I was able to speed through the story it was just getting to that point.
My favorite character in the first book was Bo Radley. My favorite character in this book was Lucille Ball. I don't know what it says about the books or me for that matter that my favorite characters are the animals, but there you go.
Once Ethan and the other characters decided to actually go and try to stop the bad guys from accomplishing their objective the story actually became engaging. Once I hit that point I was able to speed through the story it was just getting to that point.
My favorite character in the first book was Bo Radley. My favorite character in this book was Lucille Ball. I don't know what it says about the books or me for that matter that my favorite characters are the animals, but there you go.
Book 2 in the series picked up soon after the first book, and it was another interesting read, but I still think the first book was better.
The Caster Chronicles so far as made for an enjoyable read, but--that being said--I do prefer the first book to its sequel. What kept me reading was Ethan's enduring charm and my concern for what would happen next in his story, but I struggled with finishing the book. The issue I had with it wasn't so much the storytelling, but rather the drawn-out way in which it was written. I would still recommend this book to those who are invested in the characters and Mortal/Caster worlds, however, which is why I will still be continuing on to try my luck with Beautiful Chaos. :)
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