Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Creatures
Authors: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Pub. Date: 12/1/09 (but can be found in some stores now)
Genre: YA
Main Themes: Curses, Love, Destiny/Fate, Supernatural
Pages: 576
Plot (from back of arc):
"In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.
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."

I was first drawn to Beautiful Creatures because of the wonderfully sinister cover art, but it was the amazing positive reviews that persuaded me to read Garcia and Stohl's debut novel. While I do think that BC is a solid first novel, it wasn't my favorite and my attention wavered at a few points in the book.

I really enjoyed the fact that BC is a supernatural love story told from the male perspective. I liked that the female lead, Lena, was the mysterious one. I'm so used to "bad boys," it was interesting to see somewhat of a female equivalent.

When I realized just how lengthy BC was, I was excited! I love long novels - especially ones that keep me engaged and I find myself hoping never end. Unfortunately, I found BC's length to be a bit too long. I thought that the story dragged a bit in points and I found myself drifting away from the story or disinterested. The story always picked back up, but those slow parts had a negative effect on the impact of the book.

I was also a bit disappointed by the climax of the story. I thought it would be a bit more shocking. This was probably the aspect of the story that bothered me the most.

My last complaint, and the one that is based solely of my personal preference, was the romantic plot line. I liked Lena and Ethan together, but there was hardly any chase or build up to their relationship. I like when there is some tension, otherwise I find the romance a bit blah. Their relationship grew on me, but it didn't jump of the page.

Ratings (Out of 10):
Plot: 8
Characters: 8
Writing: 10
Romance: 8
Originality: 10
Total: 44/50 (B+)

I thought that Beatiful Creatures was a pretty good read and I'll definitely be checking out Garcia and Stohl's next offering, but this isn't a novel that I'll be buying in hardcover. However, if I love the second novel, I would want both to be sitting on my bookshelf!