Lenna W. (bratz54) -
Incredible even surprises were great.
Stephanie S. (skywriter319) -
BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS is a worthy sequel to Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohls bestselling debut novel, Beautiful Creatures. Everything that fans loved in the first book appear here as well: the lush Southern atmosphere, comfortable teen speak, forces of good and evil battling, and a romance that triumphs over impossible obstacles.
BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS occurs on what could be considered a grander scale than Beautiful Creatures. Stakes are higher, adventures are more far-reaching. Events unfold at the same almost maddeningly leisurely pace as the first book, but past the first 150 pages, I found myself absorbed by the epicness of Ethans struggles. I loved that the plot takes you miles across Southeastern US and beyond that, in the Caster realm. The physical movement of the characters in BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS now matches the sprawling grandiosity of this series premisesomething that BC fans will devour.
The second book reveals to us more of the core group of characters inner turmoils, from Ethan and Lenas conflicting emotions and dedication towards one another, to Link and Ridleys evolutions; introduces several compelling new characters; and adds mysterious depth to some already larger-than-life Gatlin residents. A more or less successful web of characters and their development set this series apart from most other paranormal romances.
The Caster Chronicles works, for me, on the most basic level of sweeping good vs. evil conflicts and romances that conquer all. It is, to be honest, not great writing. I find Ethans voice to be generally unconvincing, a boy lacking in truly attractive distinction. All too often the writing contains sentences that make points that the average reader will be able to infer for him- or herself: duh reactions to events or revelations. The magical element of this series is still a bit murky for me; I feel like it relies mostly on the characters insistence of its malevolence for its impact (or lack thereof). Critical revelations occur with insufficient forewarning, and I was left scratching my head and wrinkling my forehead sometimes in confusion and disbelief.
Those points being made, BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS and the first book have accomplished what the series set out to do: create a slightly different paranormal romance world that Twilight fans will greedily devour. If youre not too hampered by a need for literary sophistication, then this is one of the most entertaining and epic paranormal series out there.
BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS occurs on what could be considered a grander scale than Beautiful Creatures. Stakes are higher, adventures are more far-reaching. Events unfold at the same almost maddeningly leisurely pace as the first book, but past the first 150 pages, I found myself absorbed by the epicness of Ethans struggles. I loved that the plot takes you miles across Southeastern US and beyond that, in the Caster realm. The physical movement of the characters in BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS now matches the sprawling grandiosity of this series premisesomething that BC fans will devour.
The second book reveals to us more of the core group of characters inner turmoils, from Ethan and Lenas conflicting emotions and dedication towards one another, to Link and Ridleys evolutions; introduces several compelling new characters; and adds mysterious depth to some already larger-than-life Gatlin residents. A more or less successful web of characters and their development set this series apart from most other paranormal romances.
The Caster Chronicles works, for me, on the most basic level of sweeping good vs. evil conflicts and romances that conquer all. It is, to be honest, not great writing. I find Ethans voice to be generally unconvincing, a boy lacking in truly attractive distinction. All too often the writing contains sentences that make points that the average reader will be able to infer for him- or herself: duh reactions to events or revelations. The magical element of this series is still a bit murky for me; I feel like it relies mostly on the characters insistence of its malevolence for its impact (or lack thereof). Critical revelations occur with insufficient forewarning, and I was left scratching my head and wrinkling my forehead sometimes in confusion and disbelief.
Those points being made, BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS and the first book have accomplished what the series set out to do: create a slightly different paranormal romance world that Twilight fans will greedily devour. If youre not too hampered by a need for literary sophistication, then this is one of the most entertaining and epic paranormal series out there.
Ashley B. (daredevilgirl013) reviewed Beautiful Darkness (Beautiful Creatures, Bk 2) on + 746 more book reviews
This book I felt was horrible. It was VERY slow compared to the first one and Lena was hardly in the book. It just dragged and dragged and dragged till about 300 pages in when it finally picked up and felt like a story again. I hope that the next book will be better but I feel like the author is throwing filler books our way in order to make more money. I was not pleased with this story line at all. Very slow and boring.
Stacie P. (froot) -
Ethan Wate and Lena Duchanes are two teenagers in love but torn apart from supernatural circumstances. Their love is tested in this second book. It was gut wrenching to feel so much for the characters and then see them torn apart in this book. Most of this book was a journey of discovery more for Ethan in this book, unlike the first book where most of it appeared to pertain to Lena. I spent a lot of time counting pages til the end of chapters looking for the end. About 300 pages in, the story picked up and became meaningful. Now I love it. And I look forward to the next.
Vicki W. (bouncy01) reviewed Beautiful Darkness (Beautiful Creatures, Bk 2) on + 26 more book reviews
Well, I didn't actually not like this book, but I was not totally sold on the story, either. I agree with the other review as it's just not as good as the first one. It took a while, and I do mean a while, for anything to happen to get me excited, to make me want to keep reading. Finally, at the end, I was engrossed. I will read the next installment, but not in a oh, I just gotta find out what happens next kinda way.
Its extremely difficult to review this complex of a book without revealing key plot points. In short, it was a great addition to the series, and the ending has left it open for another book. So far there are 4 planned in this series.
All in all, I enjoyed the book very much, and look forward to the next release.
*********WARNING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS************
2nd in series..
In Beautiful Darkness we get to follow Ethan Wate in his wild hunt to locate Lena after she dissapears with a mysterious new boy named John Breed. Sarafine is using all her power to summon the 17th moon to try and trick Lena into claiming herself as a Dark Caster. John haas convinced Lena to travel with him to the Great Barrier, a magical place where there is no light or dark, only pure magic.
Many many secrets are revealed in this book, the big one is that Lena used the Book of Moons to bring Ethan back to life (at the end of the first book, Beautiful Creatures) and in return the book took Macon's life in exchange. Lena feels terrible guilt and pain over this, and feels responsible for Macons death. Its with this she believes shes going dark, and turns to John Breed and runs from Ethan.
Ethan learns he is a Wayward, kind of like a human compass, to help Lena find her way out of the Darkness shes fallen in. Ethan takes this journey with his pal Link, RIdaly, and Olivia (Liv)-- Marians assistant Keeper-in-training.
Marion gives Ethan an Arclight to help them on their journey in finding Lena. They later on find out that Macon is inside the Archlight, and Ethan, Liv, Ridley and Link release him from the Arclight. Ethan also experiences visions along his way, (through the eyes of the caster cat, Lucille) and he finds out that his mother and Macon were once madly in love, and his mother was the one who put Macon in the Arclight right after he died in the first book. We also learn that it has been Ethans mother all along sending him the songs that only he can hear.
Sarafine punishes Ridley for helping Ethan, and strips her powers, They resuce Lena, and she claims only herself, neither light nor dark. Shes left with one green eye, and one gold.
********************
They spend massive amounts of time navigating through the tunnels under Gaitlin, which to me, became confusing at times. (Hence the darkness of the tunnels, the darkness in Lenas heart, and the darkness Ethan feels torn apart from his true love) The descriptions of the places they went, made it difficult for me to visualise in my mind while i was reading. I had only one other beef with the story. We learn that Macon has another sister, who was not mentioned in the first book on the Ravenwood family tree... who just shows up at the end to help Ethan get past the Blood Incubuses at the entrance to the cave. I even went to the family tree listed in the first book, and she was not on there. It kind of threw me through a loop, and made me wonder how or why the co-authors decided to do this. Seems they had a small hiccup. but owell.... Other than that, i loved the book, and cant wait to read the next installment, when the eighteeth moon appears........
All in all, I enjoyed the book very much, and look forward to the next release.
*********WARNING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS************
2nd in series..
In Beautiful Darkness we get to follow Ethan Wate in his wild hunt to locate Lena after she dissapears with a mysterious new boy named John Breed. Sarafine is using all her power to summon the 17th moon to try and trick Lena into claiming herself as a Dark Caster. John haas convinced Lena to travel with him to the Great Barrier, a magical place where there is no light or dark, only pure magic.
Many many secrets are revealed in this book, the big one is that Lena used the Book of Moons to bring Ethan back to life (at the end of the first book, Beautiful Creatures) and in return the book took Macon's life in exchange. Lena feels terrible guilt and pain over this, and feels responsible for Macons death. Its with this she believes shes going dark, and turns to John Breed and runs from Ethan.
Ethan learns he is a Wayward, kind of like a human compass, to help Lena find her way out of the Darkness shes fallen in. Ethan takes this journey with his pal Link, RIdaly, and Olivia (Liv)-- Marians assistant Keeper-in-training.
Marion gives Ethan an Arclight to help them on their journey in finding Lena. They later on find out that Macon is inside the Archlight, and Ethan, Liv, Ridley and Link release him from the Arclight. Ethan also experiences visions along his way, (through the eyes of the caster cat, Lucille) and he finds out that his mother and Macon were once madly in love, and his mother was the one who put Macon in the Arclight right after he died in the first book. We also learn that it has been Ethans mother all along sending him the songs that only he can hear.
Sarafine punishes Ridley for helping Ethan, and strips her powers, They resuce Lena, and she claims only herself, neither light nor dark. Shes left with one green eye, and one gold.
********************
They spend massive amounts of time navigating through the tunnels under Gaitlin, which to me, became confusing at times. (Hence the darkness of the tunnels, the darkness in Lenas heart, and the darkness Ethan feels torn apart from his true love) The descriptions of the places they went, made it difficult for me to visualise in my mind while i was reading. I had only one other beef with the story. We learn that Macon has another sister, who was not mentioned in the first book on the Ravenwood family tree... who just shows up at the end to help Ethan get past the Blood Incubuses at the entrance to the cave. I even went to the family tree listed in the first book, and she was not on there. It kind of threw me through a loop, and made me wonder how or why the co-authors decided to do this. Seems they had a small hiccup. but owell.... Other than that, i loved the book, and cant wait to read the next installment, when the eighteeth moon appears........
Barbara S. (barbsis) -
This book picks up exactly where Beautiful Creatures ended with no back story at all. It jumps right into Ethan's troubles with Lena who has totally flipped since Uncle Macon's death. She's totally cut Ethan out of her life and has seemingly moved on. It's summer in Gatlin and Ethan has a job at the library but not the town library, the Caster Library. An out-of-towner, Olivia, is spending the summer working at the library too. Liv and Ethan have an immediate connection though it's different from Ethan and Lena's connection.
I found the first half of the book a tad bit boring since it was filled with too much teenage angst. Poor Ethan just doesn't know how to handle Lena's defection. Of course, in the Caster world, there is a reason for this behavior and it takes Ethan quite a while to figure out that Lena needs saving from John and Ridley. When he acts, he brings Liv (the Keeper-in-Training) and Link (Ridley's previous boyfriend) along for the ride and straight into danger. Once they get in the Caster tunnels, the action finally begins and the book flies to the surprising end.
I found the first half of the book a tad bit boring since it was filled with too much teenage angst. Poor Ethan just doesn't know how to handle Lena's defection. Of course, in the Caster world, there is a reason for this behavior and it takes Ethan quite a while to figure out that Lena needs saving from John and Ridley. When he acts, he brings Liv (the Keeper-in-Training) and Link (Ridley's previous boyfriend) along for the ride and straight into danger. Once they get in the Caster tunnels, the action finally begins and the book flies to the surprising end.
Heather D. (daylily77) reviewed Beautiful Darkness (Beautiful Creatures, Bk 2) on + 236 more book reviews
A fantastical book all in all. I enjoy the writing style of these ladies for the most part. The book did drag a little for me, until about a 1/3 of the way through the book. The story completely made up for any lack of excitement in the first 1/3 of the book. Still a tame book compared to some other young adult novels out there. Again, truancy and mild language. I would still allow teenagers to read this series. Rumor has it that there are going to be four books in the series. Super excited!
Rebekah K. (Beks) -
This book was very well written and I can't wait to read the next book in the series or any more books by this author. The book was a little predictable but kept me wanting more the whole time I was reading it.
Pam A. (vistamom) - , reviewed Beautiful Darkness (Beautiful Creatures, Bk 2) on + 9 more book reviews
This is the sequel to Beautiful Creatures and picks up Ethan's story the day after the events that occurred on Lena's birthday. While you can read this book without having read Beautiful Creatures, the story will make more sense if you have the background knowledge of the first book.
The story takes us back to Gatlin and finds Lena in despair over the death of her uncle on her sixteenth birthday. Ethan does not remember the events that happened that night or how Lena saved his life, so he does not understand her ambivalence toward him. While she loves him, she feels guilty that by saving him her uncle had to die. Her grief is driving a wedge between them and their relationship is very strained. In order to help Lena pull out of her grief and to find answers of his own about his mother's death, Ethan explores the Caster world under Gatlin and beyond. The book finally answers many questions I had in the first book. We find out what really happened to Ethan's mother, as well as what her connection to the Cater world was. We also find out what special powers Ethan has and how he relates to the Caster world around him. I was surprised more than once at relationships between the many characters in this book, and loved how the authors wove events from the past into what is happening in the present.
This is another epic novel at 512 pages, but once again it allowed the story to develop in a way that left me satisfied and the action kept my interest throughout the book. It is darker than the first book, with much of the book set in the underground and the continued battle between Light vs Dark. The sequel is every bit as good as the first in the series and left me wanting more. Fortunately it looks like we can expect two additional sequels, the next in the Fall of 2011. The authors have a website where you can find more information: Beautiful Creatures the Book.
The story takes us back to Gatlin and finds Lena in despair over the death of her uncle on her sixteenth birthday. Ethan does not remember the events that happened that night or how Lena saved his life, so he does not understand her ambivalence toward him. While she loves him, she feels guilty that by saving him her uncle had to die. Her grief is driving a wedge between them and their relationship is very strained. In order to help Lena pull out of her grief and to find answers of his own about his mother's death, Ethan explores the Caster world under Gatlin and beyond. The book finally answers many questions I had in the first book. We find out what really happened to Ethan's mother, as well as what her connection to the Cater world was. We also find out what special powers Ethan has and how he relates to the Caster world around him. I was surprised more than once at relationships between the many characters in this book, and loved how the authors wove events from the past into what is happening in the present.
This is another epic novel at 512 pages, but once again it allowed the story to develop in a way that left me satisfied and the action kept my interest throughout the book. It is darker than the first book, with much of the book set in the underground and the continued battle between Light vs Dark. The sequel is every bit as good as the first in the series and left me wanting more. Fortunately it looks like we can expect two additional sequels, the next in the Fall of 2011. The authors have a website where you can find more information: Beautiful Creatures the Book.
Alaina H. (laina42107) reviewed Beautiful Darkness (Beautiful Creatures, Bk 2) on + 115 more book reviews
Still a very solid book series. Not the best but pretty damn good! I will say I seen some parallels with BD and TS's New Moon (Lena leaving Ethan and Liv taking her place). Overall the first two books have left me confused as to how I feel about them. There is such intricate storytelling and little action. To be honest I'm not sure how much I like or dislike that. I like the characters and the story, but I feel like something is missing in each book. Something that would make this story stand out and set itself apart. I have burned through the first two books pretty fast and I have found them very interesting. That is what I have based my rating off of so far. Onto Dream Dark, maybe I can get a feel for this series with this book. Hopefully! I am dumbfounded.
Jennifer W. (GeniusJen) reviewed Beautiful Darkness (Beautiful Creatures, Bk 2) on + 5322 more book reviews
Reviewed by Joan Stradling for TeensReadToo.com
Lena and Ethan have survived the horrors of Lena's sixteenth birthday, but things are far from over. The question of Lena's Claiming is still unsettled. Will she be a Dark or Light Caster - and what will it mean for her relationship with Ethan?
When Lena runs off with a mysterious Caster and leaves Ethan behind, he thinks it might be time to move on, but he soon discovers the only direction to go is after Lena. Ethan sets off with his trusty friend, Link; a new girl named Olivia; and Lucille the cat. Their hunt for Lena takes them deep into the Caster tunnels, where they find more trouble than they bargained for.
The adventure that began in BEAUTIFUL CREATURES continues in this sequel and brings the reader a few steps closer to understanding the tangled relationship between Ethan and Lena.
I enjoyed reading BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS, but thought parts of it dragged a bit. I had things figured out and thought the characters should have been able to figure out certain elements sooner than they did. I found myself wishing things would move along a bit faster so I could get to the end and find out what was going to happen to Lena.
The slow moments weren't enough to stop me from reading, and much of my frustration was probably due to the fact that I like Lena's character and wanted to spend more time with her. She was more of a presence than present in this book, and I missed her.
Despite my hang ups, I look forward to seeing what "eighteen moons" will bring and discovering what will happen with Lena and Ethan.
Lena and Ethan have survived the horrors of Lena's sixteenth birthday, but things are far from over. The question of Lena's Claiming is still unsettled. Will she be a Dark or Light Caster - and what will it mean for her relationship with Ethan?
When Lena runs off with a mysterious Caster and leaves Ethan behind, he thinks it might be time to move on, but he soon discovers the only direction to go is after Lena. Ethan sets off with his trusty friend, Link; a new girl named Olivia; and Lucille the cat. Their hunt for Lena takes them deep into the Caster tunnels, where they find more trouble than they bargained for.
The adventure that began in BEAUTIFUL CREATURES continues in this sequel and brings the reader a few steps closer to understanding the tangled relationship between Ethan and Lena.
I enjoyed reading BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS, but thought parts of it dragged a bit. I had things figured out and thought the characters should have been able to figure out certain elements sooner than they did. I found myself wishing things would move along a bit faster so I could get to the end and find out what was going to happen to Lena.
The slow moments weren't enough to stop me from reading, and much of my frustration was probably due to the fact that I like Lena's character and wanted to spend more time with her. She was more of a presence than present in this book, and I missed her.
Despite my hang ups, I look forward to seeing what "eighteen moons" will bring and discovering what will happen with Lena and Ethan.
The claiming has happened. We have meet more Casters and another world in the library where Ethan Wate's mother used to work. This is the caster library which has lots of underground tunnels and secrets not yet discovered.
Lena Duchannes' deep loss drives her away from those she cares about fearing for their safety. In doing so many people work together to bring her back from the brink of a series of bad choices and uncertain company.
Lena Duchannes' deep loss drives her away from those she cares about fearing for their safety. In doing so many people work together to bring her back from the brink of a series of bad choices and uncertain company.
just meh
