Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Details: Hardcover, 512 pgs.
Published: Oct 12, 2010 by Little, Brown books for Young Readers

isbn: 0316077054 (ISBN13: 9780316077057)

Reading Level: Young Adult

Series: Caster Chronicles (Beautiful Creatures) #2

Received from: Purchased myself

 

Description:

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they 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. 

My Thoughts:

Although I ended up really enjoying this book I felt like it had a bit of a slow start.  It was probably a bit necessary to show the passing of time and some issues being resolved (his father) as well as meeting some new characters.  But I just had a harder time getting through it in the beginning.  But once it took off, WOW it got GOOD!  

This book shows us much more of the Caster world.  We spend a lot more time with them and in their world. 

All my favorites were present and I LOVED the sisters (Ethans Aunts) so much!  I wish they had more book time because I could listen to them old ladies prattle on forever!  

This book was full of twists and turns and completely unexpected events.  People disappeared and people reappeared and you just didn't know what was what, and who was who anymore.

I thought I'd get a little irritated because when the book starts Lena is really depressed (to be expected) and she makes some decisions that I just wasn't getting.  But I knew that everything happened for a reason and I just went with it.  Although lack of communication is a pet peeve of mine in books, I felt like this situation made more sense.  I still wish some things maybe had gone a little differently but it was okay how it played out.  

Kami and Margie are able to create a world completely unique though still filled with our favorite paranormals and magic.  The Gothic aspect as well as being in the south are two things that make me love this book even more.  Oh, and I can't forget Ethan.  I love that these books are told from a male.  Makes the books even better, in my opinion!

I give this one 5/5 moons and can't wait for the next one!

You can find out more about The Caster Chronicles at Kami and Margie's website.

You can buy the books at your favorite bookstore.