Beautiful Creatures - Book Review

Beautiful Creatures (Beautiful Creatures #1)
by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

What is it about:
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.

What did I think of it:
This book is over 600 pages, so I kept skipping over it in favor of less large reads. But when I could get my trotters on the rest of the series for just 6 Euro total at a charity shop I decided the time had come to give this Orphan some attention.

And it's such a cool read.

I immediately liked Ethan. He feels trapped in the town he grew up in and wants to be different than the people who see no problem in staying in the same small town for the rest of their lives. Still, he might have big dreams, in reality he isn't much different from everyone else and keeps his head down. Until Lena shows up at his school.

This is as much a Paranormal story as it is a story about deciding where you stand. What's important to you? Where do you draw the line? I found the way Ethan struggles with these things as suspenseful as the Paranormal side of this story.

The worldbuilding was very well done, both the small Southern town as the paranormal aspects. I was drawn into the world and story quickly and even though the book was over 600 pages long I blew through it.

There was one moment near the end where I wanted to slap some sense in people, but overall this is a really entertaining and cool read, with an ending that made me curious what will be next.

You bet I'll be picking up the next book soon.

Why should you read it:
It's a very enjoyable Paranormal YA read.


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Shards and Ashes - Book Review

Shards and Ashes - Anthology
by Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, Veronica Roth, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, Rachel Caine, Nancy Holder, Beth Revis and Carrie Ryan

What is it about:
Gripping original stories of dystopian worlds from nine New York Times bestselling authors, edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong.

The world is gone, destroyed by human, ecological, or supernatural causes. Survivors dodge chemical warfare and cruel gods; they travel the reaches of space and inhabit underground caverns. Their enemies are disease, corrupt corporations, and one another; their resources are few, and their courage is tested.

Powerful original dystopian tales from nine bestselling authors offer bleak insight, prophetic visions, and precious glimmers of light among the shards and ashes of a ruined world.

What did I think of it:
Because this is an anthology I'll give a short commentary with each story about what I thought of it.

Hearken by Veronica Roth
This was a story with really intriguing world building. It was nicely written, but I didn't like the message that was a bit too clearly stamped upon the story. I wouldn't mind if Roth would write more in this world though.

Branded by Kelley Armstrong
This was a really cool story. Great world building, solid story and a great heroine. I really hope Armstrong will write more in this setting.

Necklace of Raindrops by Margaret Stohl
This story had a great plot, but that got a bit lost in the way it was written.

Dogsbody by Rachel Caine
I loved this story. It's disturbing and suspenseful. With a minimum of world building Caine succeeds in dragging me into the story and cheering on the lead character. Best story in the book in my opinion.

Pale Rider by Nancy Holder
I liked the world building at the start of the story, but soon the story went to places where I couldn't follow.

Corpse Eaters by Melissa Marr
This story couldn't really grab my attention.

Burn 3 by Kami Garcia
This was a really nice story. I liked the world building, it felt very believable. I might try other books by Garcia.

Love is a Choice by Beth Revis
A very intriguing story. It's set on a spaceship and I really liked the setting. I think I'll add Revis' books to my wishlist.

Miasma by Carrie Ryan
This was a lovely story. Bittersweet and just a bit disturbing. I wouldn't mind if Ryan wrote more in this setting.

Overall this is a great anthology with some really cool settings and stories. I can recommend this to anyone who loves a good Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic setting.

Why should you read it:
It's a great anthology with cool Dystpian YA stories.