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.
I first read Beautiful Creatures years ago when it first hit UK shelves, my copy is water damaged and bent from both me and my mother reading it back then but since then it's been sat on my shelves and I never had the chance to reread it. After I saw the trailer for the movie and joined the #PenguinChats scheme I realised that I probably needed to reread it.
I'd been underestimating my enjoyment of this book for so long that I was shocked by how hooked I was when I picked it up again, I can't wait to get started on the rest of the series!
Beautiful Creatures isn't just a paranormal romance, it's just as much about the town and the people in it and the two authors do a superb job in creating the small, nowhere town of Gatlin where everyone knows everything and people fear the unknown. Mrs Lincoln is a great character because she represents everything that the town stands for, despite what we find out about her close to the end of the book..
This story was fast-paced at the same time as giving that slow moving small town feel, we start out with finding out what Ethan's everyday life is like and then we see it slowly changing as he comes to realise who Lena is and what she means to him. The book takes place over a stretch of around six months and it was nice to see a plot developing over a decent amount of time, which also stopped the absolutely adorable romance from feeling too quick. I loved watching the development of Len and Ethan's characters as well and I totally look forward to getting to know more about Lena's family and their secrets in the rest of the series.
Overall, I am so glad that I read this book again, it was such a fantastic read. The small town setting really made this book and the characters supported an impressive plot. Amazing!
Book released 4th February 2010 by Puffin Books (UK)
Book bought by myself (print)
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