'Beautiful Creatures' Book Review

You all may have heard that the novel by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia, Beautiful Creatures, is now out as a film. It's directed by Richard LaGravenese and produced by Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Erwin Stoff, David Valdes, and Molly Mickler Smith. Ethan Wate, the main character and male love interest, is played by Alden Ehrenreich, and Lena Duchannes, the other main character in the novel and female love interest is portrayed by Alice Englert.  Another favorite character of mine in the novel, Ridley Duchannes, a Dark Caster, who is positively stunning in the book as as a Siren, is played by Emmy Rossum.

This novel was one of the best books that I have ever read. The plot line was detailed and every scene was easy to visualize. It is a co-written novel (see above the movie cover), and the main character, Ethan Wate, was wonderful to read from. Not every character that authors write as a point of view is good, but Ethan was captivating. My highest regards to the authors on that one. Lena Duchannes, Ethan's unClaimed Caster love interest, was magnificent. She was never quite the 'damsel in distress', as many female characters are, but instead was a strong female lead of the plot. A personal favorite character, probably my favorite in the entire book, make that series, was Ridley Duchannes, Lena's cousin. She is a Dark Caster, a Siren, with the power of Persuasion. She was unpredictable, arrogant, self-centered, borderline snobby, and stunning. I loved her. 'Ridley Duchannes'. Say it to yourself. Good, now go pick up the book, and look for her in them. Her personality was hardly as you would expect it to be, and she was amazing! Then there was Link, Ethan's best friend. He was hilarious in his of ridiculous way, and a heart-warming character. He was goofy, and unforgettable. He was one of the most memorable characters in the novel, and I fell in love with him from the start.

Now, to leave behind the amazing characters, and speak of the setting. The Caster world was descriptive and one of the most memorable that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Complete with curses and supernatural powers from the Dark Fire, everything was spot-on. It was a key player in the plot, and no one has ever written a better setting, in my opinion. The Caster world was so well put together that I often found myself wondering throughout the novel how an author, even two, could come up with such a detailed concept! There were so many amazing powers, rules and guidelines, hoops to jump through, and Casters and Incubuses alike, that i couldn't help but long to be there with the characters.

This book was captivating even from the very beginning paragraph. The well-developed characters and plot line added to the experience. I was unable to put the book down. It had action, heart-aching romance, supernatural aspects, and mystery, all a versatile reader could ask for in a spectacular novel like this one. Ethan's struggle to be with Lena and keep her was entrancing. Even all the supporting characters developed the plot to extensive levels. Lena was constantly fighting her own inner demons about her Sixteenth Moon. Her worry about turning Dark was so strong that I could feel it through the pages.   

This book is a novel that I would recommend to anyone looking for any book to read. I think that all readers would enjoy this, even people who are not avid readers would enjoy this novel. This is on my top five favorite book list. I would also say that you should read this book before you see the film, as the film is very different from the book. They have changed around a lot of the plot and important details. It is still a great movie, but you should read the book before seeing the movie so that you know the true version of the story. Even if you have already seen the movie, go back and read the book still. I highly encourage you to pick up this book whenever you can, as soon as humanly possible, and the rest of Caster Chronicles as well! Now, off you go! Go get it!