Jenn's Review: Beautiful Redemption

Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Series: Caster Chronicles #4
Publication Date: October 22, 2012
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pages: 456
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  YA, Paranormal
Rating: 4
Bottom Line: A fitting end to an enjoyable series
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Blurb:  Is death the end . . . or only the beginning?

Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small Southern town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secretive, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything he cares about. So when Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he has only one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves.

Back in Gatlin, Lena is making her own bargains for Ethan's return, vowing to do whatever it takes -- even if that means trusting old enemies or risking the lives of the family and friends Ethan left to protect.

Worlds apart, Ethan and Lena must once again work together to rewrite their fate, in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series.

Review:  It is nearly impossible to finish Beautiful Chaos without jumping straight into Beautiful Redemption... which is exactly what I did.  As a reader, you know where this is headed, but you can't help but enjoy the journey.

Once again Ethan and Lena are separated but they both have faith that they can rectify the situation.  I enjoyed the alternate space that Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl created, even if it was a little Beetlejuice.  Honestly I wouldn't have minded spending more time there, perhaps with other characters, throughout the series.

Out of necessity, this is the first time the story is broken up into two viewpoints, but I think it works nicely. I was a little surprised how fluidly things went on both sides, but if it hadn't I suppose it would have taken up another book.  At the critical point in the novel there was a pretty significant plot hole for me, maybe it was explained in passing and I missed it, but either way it is easily forgiven.  The ending is bitter sweet as I knew it would be but it was the perfect ending to the series.

This writing team creates enchanting stories you can't help but want to slip into.  I'm glad that there is a new Dangerous Creatures series featuring Ridley as I think there are many more stories to come from the world Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl created.  I look forward to the release of the first book in a few weeks.

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Jenn's Review: Beautiful Chaos

Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Series: Caster Chronicles #3
Publication Date: October 18, 2011
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pages: 516
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  YA, Paranormal
Rating: 4
Bottom Line: Things must get worse before they can get better...
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Blurb:  Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What — or who — will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself — forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

Review:  It's been a while since I ventured into Ethan and Lena's world... and the world has changed since Lena's claiming.  Things haven't been the same since Lena claimed herself.  I knew things would be different, but I don't think I ever imagined they'd be this different.

Ridley cannot adjust to her new life while Link is adjusting pretty well.  It was hard to see Amma loose her way; she's always been so strong.   It was nice to see Lena and Ethan together with nothing keeping them apart.  For the most part, that's what Beautiful Chaos is, Lean and Ethan being together.  Yes, the world is falling apart around them, but for once Lena and Ethan are letting other people take the lead in figuring it out.  I actually wish we'd spent more time with Liv and Macom because I felt like we missed some of the action.  The most Ethan gets into is the fight to save Marian.  

Although I enjoyed the pressure-free time with Lena and Ethan, this book feels like plot exposition for the final novel.  It ends like I knew it would and there is no possible way to read the cliff hanger without moving on to the next book, Beautiful Redemption.


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Jenn's Review: Beautiful Darkness

Blurb:  Together Ethan and Lena can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. 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.

Review:  I knew things were going to be bad for Ethan and Lena, I just didn't know how bad.  I must say though, I loved the way it was written. Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl did a marvelous job of keeping it realistic without being over the top.

Though I groaned at the addition of a new character when she first appeared, I found that I adored Liv.  I think she brought balance to the story and filled a guidance roll that was slightly lacking in the first book.  I was thrilled that we got more answers... even though more questions inevitably ensue.  I liked that there was a sufficient denouement... nothing irritates me more than a hasty ending.  I must admit though, I am going to have to go back and re-read the climax of the novel before picking up Beautiful Chaos because it was so intense I was speed reading through it.  The only part I'm not sure how I feel about is the Ridley dichotomy.  I know there will be more to this part of the story, but it almost felt like a bit of a plot device that was too easy.

I suppose this review is rather cryptic to those who haven't read the first novel, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone as this is a series worth reading.  It won't be long before I pick up Beautiful Chaos.

Final Take:  4.0/5

Jenn's Review: Beautiful Creatures

Blurb:  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.

Review:  Beautiful Creatures has been sitting in my TBR pile for way too long so I happily added it to my 2013 TBR Challenge, but when I saw the movie trailers floating around I knew I had to dive in before the movie came out.  The down side is I could have enjoyed it so much sooner, the silver lining is that all four books in the series are out and I can devour them in short order.

While many have said the book is too long, I have to say I never noticed the length, possibly because I read it as an ebook, or possibly because I could have read it in two sittings if I didn't have to pause for life getting in the way of reading.  Length never matters to me when I'm enjoying the read, and I loved Beautiful Creatures.  I think if it had been shorter I would have found myself frustrated by things not being properly fleshed out.  Although the authors certainly don't give everything away; there are plenty of little mysteries that unfurl in their own time.  And once they start to unravel, the reader still doesn't have any idea where the story is headed.  There was surprising reveals throughout --I love when a book can keep me intrigued!  I have no idea where things are headed and it doesn't matter, because I will follow where ever it leads.

Some readers found it slow in spots, but I didn't find that either.  Granted, it wasn't back to back action but the pace had a nice ebb and flow to it.  I found Kami Garcia's and Margaret Stohl's characters enthralling and I soaked up everything they gave me.  I loved that the story was told mostly from Ethan's point of view; it was refreshing.  The only time the point of view was switched was out of necessity and I think it helped to make it abundantly clear that (more) things are being kept secret.  I was frustrated with Amma and Macom for a while, but they came through when it mattered.  Was it a stereo typical southern town with some stereo typical archetypes?  Sure, but those towns and those people are out there.  There is a grain of truth to stereo types, that's how they become stereo types...   There are towns like that.  The authors do such a good job with describing the town and the people in it, I felt like I knew them all.

Above all, it is a beautiful love story.  Lena and Ethan are characters I will be routing for throughout and perhaps even after I've closed the final pages of the last book.

I'm only one book in but I can already tell this is one of those series I'm going to read again and again.  Caster Chronicles is one of those series that I want to own in hard cover to keep for ever and digitally to have with me at all times.  There will be more reviews of the rest of the series shortly, because I don't see myself being able to stay away from it for very long. Now I'm ready to see the movie and I can't wait to see what they do with it!

Final Take:  5/5