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Monday, February 15, 2010

Beautiful Creatures


Garcia, Kimi & Stohl, Margaret.  Beautiful Creatures. Boston:  Little, Brown and Company, 2009. $17.99.  ISBN: 978316042673.  (Image Credit: Cape May County Library.)

Ethan Wate feels he lives in a average South Carolina community with the typical high school, friends, and family.  He dreams of escaping Gatlin's normality.  He seeks a life that goes beyond the ordinary.  He knows that he wants more than a mediocre and predictable existence. 

When Ethan sees Lena Duchannes, the new girl at school, he knows that she is unlike anyone the small town has ever seen or experienced.  When he learns she is the niece of the town's mysterious and feared recluse, Macon Ravenwood, he is intrigued.  Ethan also recognizes Lena.  She is the girl who plagues the dreams he's been having about a girl he never met, but knows he loves.  She is also the girl that he loses at the end of each dream.  It's a nightmare that continuously haunts him each night.

Yet, Ethan's dreams hint at the undeniable connection he and Lena have between each other.  Ethan begins to learn that there is more between Lena and himself.  There is an almost electrical connection, along with the ability to talk to one another without saying a word.  He also learns that the inhabitants of Ravenwood Manor, Lena's family estate, are anything but normal.  It is a place where things are not quite what they seem and where everyone possesses special powers.

Ethan's dreams are more than a connection to Lena; they are a warning of events that are soon to become reality.  The more he falls for Lena, the more he finds himself in a situation that is bigger and deadlier than he could have ever imagined.  Ethan will have to fight for he girl he undeniably loves, even if it means going against all he has ever known and all that he is beginning to learn.  It seems that the town of Gatlin is far from ordinary.  It is a place where humans co-exist with powerful Castors.  It is up to Ethan and Lena to discover the truth, as well as find a way to battle the dark forces that are mounting against them. It is time to learn how destiny and choices are intertwined within the darkness and the light.

Beautiful Creatures was reviewed in both School Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly and Booklist.

Awards and Recognition:
New York Times and International Best Seller. I
Amazon Best of 2009 as a #1 Teen Pick and a #5 Editor's pick. 
Indie Next List Teen Pick Winter, September 2010.
ALA William C. Morris Ya Debut Award Finalist, 2010.
Wall Street Journals Best Books to Give as Gifts Starred Selection.

You can also read more about Beautiful Creatures and its authors at:
http://beautifulcreaturesthebook.com/ 

You can also view the book trailer from the website:       

--Melissa the Librarian

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