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Book Review of Beautiful Darkness (Beautiful Creatures, Bk 2)

Beautiful Darkness (Beautiful Creatures, Bk 2)
reviewed 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.