REVIEW : Beautiful Creature by Kami Garcia & Margareth Stohl
Author : Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Publisher :
U.S : Little, Brown and Company
Indonesia : Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Source : Bought
Pages : 618
Summary from Goodreads :
There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.
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.
Cover Glimpse :
Although surprisingly the cover quite matches the story (with tree's branches and pictures that I assume as Ethan and Lena), I have to say that based on my taste, this cover doesn't appeal that much, I almost didn't buy it. It's 'too' purple. just too bad the publisher didn't use the original cover. And I think Ethan's picture reminds me of Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson =|
My 2cents :
Doesn't mean to compare one to another, but the blurb somehow reminds me of Twilight, you know, someone lives in a small town then someday the other comes and change his little and boring life like forever (and doesn't oppose it though because I do love Twilight, and for antifans, please don't hate me =p) with reversed position of the main characters. That's one point why I really wanted to know about this book, beside because as long as I can remember, the YA series about witch or wizard I've ever read was just Harry Potter series *facepalm*.
At first I couldn't get what exactly the story is but after reached several pages and dove more into the story, it started to be more interesting and addicting. And wow, this book is very amazing and beautifully written! I love the gothic and magical feeling, how three-dimensional and unique the setting and the characters are, yet it feels so real and down to earth. It's not only about supernatural aspect (in this book, you'll know more about Caster, more like witch/wizard also some dark creatures) but there are also stories about family bond, school life and its problem, traditions, and many more. Those enrich this book, make it unforgettable for some moments.
It seems like the authors want to make us understand more about the details of Gatlin County and its heirlooms, tales and the interactions between its eccentric residents, one of it is Ethan's family. Because of it, the story seems dragged out and moves in a slow pace (and to be honest, the thickness of translated version one was kind of freaking me out), but as I read it more, I found they were really fascinating and gripping. It made me want to know more about the setting the background. I was very curious, how it felt to live in a small town which has a lot of unsolved mysteries and secrets. Also it was told by Ethan's voice which is a bit sarcastic, funny and somewhat poetic, so I quite enjoyed it.
I love how the authors took a longer time to build the love story between Ethan and Lena, and both of them show very good personalities at the progress, especially Ethan. I think it's normal for someone from a so called 'nothing's gonna change', 'boring' place to be attracted to someone new and mysterious like Ethan to Lena, and because of Lena circumstances, being hated and treated as an outsider by most of their friends, slowly they become close and their attraction grows and becomes love. I also love their interaction, it's not too lovey-dovey, but Ethan obviously shows his support and love toward Lena. Lena too, doesn't fully depend herself on Ethan. She's really courageous and strong, also one thing I like about her is that she doesn't always act pity, at some times she takes little revenges on people who hurt her, which is very normal for me.
The support characters are also very wonderful and unique, made me having fun and growing fond on them. Everyone has their own portion and role, each of them gives colors in this story, no one is a waste even those evil ones. They're very unpredictable and made me keep guessing what is his/her role.
Overall, Beautiful Creatures, like its name, is a beautiful reading. It moves in a slow yet right pace, offers something new about supernatural world and has an unpredictable storyline, well at least for me because really, I couldn't imagine or predict anything while I read this book. It has amazing characters with unique personalities and powers. No doubt this series is one of those awesome series I treasure the most, and I can't wait to read Beautiful Darkness. I hope the publisher here would release it soon. Oh, and yeah, I also can't wait for the movie which will hit the theaters on early next year. It has pretty good casts so I highly anticipate it. I hope it would be as good as the book version =D
Happy reading!
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