The LitChicks - BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

It's once again LitChicks Day! For those of you new to the blog, you might wonder who the LitChicks are - they are Portia (13) and Liesl (14), two of the most well-read gals in town. Each week they bring us a recommendation from their recent reads (which, since they've learned not to reveal spoilers, are completely unedited by yours truly).

This week, it's Portia's turn and her pick is:


BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia

Beautiful Creatures is another book I think Cynthia was surprised I hadn't read. Maybe it's one of those YA classics that everyone who reads anything reads (like The Hunger Games); I don't know. However, one day, I went over to Cynthia's begging for books to read because I read through my whole bookshelf. This was, of course, before all my school projects got assigned, but that's beside the point. I went home and spent all weekend reading Beautiful Creatures (a nice thick book). I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book. I never ever really considered reading Beautiful Creatures before Cynthia recommended it, but when she's says something's good, it's usually worth reading.

It was a bit funny for me to open the cover, start reading, and realize that Beautiful Creatures is set in the south, in a little town obsessed with the Civil War--excuse me, the War of Northern Aggression. We're learning US history this year in history, so all the wars and civil rights and north and south and slaves and independence is starting to run together. However, it made the setting....more.....familiar? to me. Or relate-able.

This book also reminded me a lot of books like Twilight or Evermore. Books where there is a "forbidden" relationship, where the guy and girl aren't equal. I guess it's not fair to compare because the books aren't really alike at all, but that was something I noticed.

So, Beautiful Creatures follows the story of Ethan Wate who lives in Gatlin AKA nowhere. Same people your whole life, nothing new ever happens.....Booorrinnnggg. When Lena moves in, the niece of the town shut-in Macon Ravenwood, she's the talk of the town. She's also branded a freak at school, but Ethan is somehow drawn to her. It also doesn't help that they share a mental connection and have the same dreams. Lena is not normal. Eventually, Ethan and Lena fall in love, but Lena's 16th birthday is fast approaching. On her birthday she will either be claimed light or dark. Lena is terrified of turning dark, but Ethan is convinced they can find a way to be together even though he is a lowly mortal. (The mortals are always always lowly...)

This was a cute book. I'm a sucker for a nice love story, and the supernatural aspect of it was cool too. I think that us humans are attracted to books and movies about magic and supernatural things because it lets us be creative. It lets us think for one second, that we could actually do cool stuff that was unnatural. At least, it does for me. I also liked the way all the characters tied in. All in all, a definite must read! However, it's not a very lighthearted read, so be wary. If you're sad, this book probably won't cheer you up. The second book was also a little hard to get through immediately after, so I would recommend taking a short break before diving into Beautiful Darkness.