Book Review: Beautiful Darkness (The Caster Chronicles #2) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Darkness (The Caster Chronicles #2) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Release Date: 12th October 2010

Publisher: Little Brown Books
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 503
Rating: 4.5/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 OTS, 2013 ODY and 2013 BSR

Summary from Amazon:

"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."

Review:
Boy did I enjoy this book. Whilst I will say that there were some things wrong with this book, I thought that it was a solid follow up to Beautiful Creatures. 

I really am enjoying having the story told from a male POV. What with YA fiction dominated by female narrators, having Ethan tell us the story is something different. I also think it's a clever choice. Ethan is a mortal who is just being introduced to the Caster world, just like us. He learns as he goes along, and we're right there with him. I think having Ethan as our narrator is more effective than having Lena might be, so smart move by Garcia and Stohl.

I've heard that some people found Beautiful Darkness a bit hard to get through. But I absolutely loved it - I just couldn't get enough! I thought the plot did well in following up what was established in Beautiful Creatures. I thought it tied in well with both Lena's caster problems, but also the problems of teenage love - I liked reading both problems side by side. And overall, we moved forward, finding out more information of Lena's problems and her indecision over the most important decision in her life.

I have to say, some parts of the plot didn't make sense. Especially involving Macon - I tried to wrap my head around that one, but I honestly don't see how that would have worked. And then there's Lena's decision at the end. I have a hard time believing that the well being of the entire Caster world rests of the decision of one girl. I also have a hard time believing that Lena is the only caster ever to have issues with deciding to be dark or light. So yes, some parts of the plot didn't make sense, but overall, I really, really enjoyed this book, and am excited to continue on with the series soon!

Book Review: The Host (The Host #1) by Stephenie Meyer

The Host (The Host #1) by Stephenie Meyer
Release Date: 6th May 2006

Publisher: Little Brown Books 
Format: eBook
Pages: 619
Rating: 5.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 OTS, 2013 ODY, 2013 EBC and 2013 BSR

Summary from Amazon:
"Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. 

Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy that takes over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. But Wanderer, the invading "soul" who occupies Melanie's body, finds its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Soon Wanderer and Melanie-reluctant allies-set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human."

Review:
Today I'm going to keep this review short and sweet. Put simply, I really, really enjoyed this book - waaaaay more than I expected I would (I think we can put that down to the stigma surrounding Stephenie Meyer these days). I loved almost everything about this book - the premise especially drew me it. Aliens invade earth to use humans as host bodies - what doesn't sound interesting about that?

Before starting this book, the only characters I really knew about were Melanie and Jared. I didn't know, or expect, that the story would be told from Wanda's point of view - but I really enjoyed it. It was interesting to read about how Wanda saw our world, how her opinions changed over time. Same thing with Melanie - it was interesting to have her as the complete opposite of Wanda in the beginning, and then see how she changes as the story progresses. 

One thing I feel like I need to stress is that THERE IS NO LOVE TRIANGLE. Don't be fooled by the blurbs claim, there is no love triangle, so don't decide not to read this book soley based on this reason. Also, I've heard that the movie isn't that great either. So if you were thinking of reading the book but then changed your mind after seeing the movie, reconsider - the book is always better than the movie!

Book Review: Beautiful Creatures (The Caster Chronicles #1) by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Creatures (The Caster Chronicles #1) by Kami Garcia & Maraget Stohl
Release Date: 1st December 2009

Publisher: Little Brown Books
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 563
Rating: 5.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 OTS, 2013 ODY and 2013 BSR

Summary from Amazon:

"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."

Review:

Ooooo did I enjoy this book. Let's keep this short and sweet. I really enjoyed basically everything about this book - the plot, the characters, the supernatural themes, the romance, the twists and turns. I really liked how the history and romance of Ethan Carter Wate and Genevieve Duchannes was intertwined with Lena and Ethan's romance, and ultimately their future. However, I did think that the ending was a bit of a cop out - it seemed like the easy way out that allowed the story to continue in more books. But, overall, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the sequal (and seeing the movie too, but I've heard mixed things about it - well, at least I hope it's good!)

Book Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) by Laini Taylor
Release Date: 5th June 2012

Publisher: Little Brown Books
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 418
Rating: 5.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 OTS, 2013 ODY and 2013 BSR

Summary from Amazon:

"Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?"

Review:

My lord, this book. This. was. amazing! The fact that I'm quite tired right now may be contributing to this, but I don't have words to describe how good this book was.                                        This was my reading process: 

Just go and read this book. Seriously.