Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

I know, it's been awhile. Almost a year according to my page. Sorry about staying out of touch. So, I am going to come back with a review of this surprising book!

I bought this book on a whim, like 45% of the books that I own. Normally, I am let down. I picked up this book after I couldn't finish another book I picked up on a whim. I will do a review on that one too. But, back to Beautiful Creatures!

Here's the blurb:
'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.'

The narrator in this book is Ethan, a 16 year old male from who has grown up in the very small town of Gatlin. Everyday is the same and he dreams of leaving Gatlin when he goes to college. He has lost his mother recently and is slowly losing his father as well as his father remains locked in his study, only to come out for food and a shower. Amma, the housekeeper, is the closest thing to family that Ethan has now. On the first day of his sophomore year after summer break everything changes when a new girl enters. Lena Duchannes (which rhymes with rain) changes his life forever by introducing him to love and magic.

This book was extremely surprising. It grabbed me from the get go. The first half of the book goes into him finding and getting to know Lena, along with all the mystery that surrounds her. I found the perspective being in a male view rather refreshing, though sometimes it was difficult to really get the male feel in the words. Trying to figure out all of the weird events and people that surround Lena was riveting! After the halfway point though, the theme got a bit redundant. It seemed that every conflict revolved around Lina being helpless and Ethan trying to be her rock and save her. It wasn't enough to make me put down the book but it did throw me off of the story for a little. Until the end. There is a wonderful twist and the whole thing comes together unexpectedly. A very good read, so good I had to come back to my blog again after almost a year. :)

Here's the link! Beautiful Creatures I do recommend this book. It has a charming story, lots of intrigue and great imagery.