Beautiful Redemption by Kami Carcia and Margaret Stohl

Synopsis:

Is death the end . . . or only the beginning?

Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small Southern town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secretive, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything he cares about. So when Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he has only one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves.

Back in Gatlin, Lena is making her own bargains for Ethan's return, vowing to do whatever it takes — even if that means trusting old enemies or risking the lives of the family and friends Ethan left to protect.

Worlds apart, Ethan and Lena must once again work together to rewrite their fate, in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series.

Review by Patrick:

I don't know what to think about this one. It definitely had an interesting view on the afterlife, or more correctly, limbo in the afterlife. The story was pretty basic. We did get answers to some questions that had been building up in the series, so that was nice. And there were some interesting twists throughout the book that kept it interesting.

But other than that, this book didn't have a whole lot of Casts in it. It did show that life isn't always black and white, good or evil. We all have some of both in us. The worst of us have some good, and the best of us have some bad.

I guess I was a little disappointed in this book. It didn't have the Hollywood dramatic finale that a end of series book usually do. I was expecting more bang and epic battles. And the book did leave questions unfinished, like what happens to the Far Keep and the family after everything is over? It seems like there could be more books to the series.

I'm going to rate this book a 3. It was good, but I definitely wanted more.

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Synopsis:

Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

Review by Patrick:

Well I couldn't have picked a more appropriate name for this book: Chaos. Unlike Beautiful Creatures, where we were introduced to this magical world, and Beautiful Darkness, where Ethan has to go save his girlfriend from herself, Beautiful Chaos was ... chaotic.

I love imaginary numbers

I mean the synopsis is right. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat. (Seriously, how would you like 100º (38º C) weather in December. [I'm in the Northern hemisphere. If you are in the Southern, think July.]) I mean, this book starts off with an apocalyptic setting, and by the end of the book, you think the world might just end.

This was a you're-not-going-to-put-this-book-down type of book. Everything that goes on just leads to something else, and you don't know where it's going or where it's going to end. The authors did a good job letting the main character, Ethan, be really confused throughout the whole book. You didn't know what was going on with him, because he didn't know.

I'm a big fan of reading series of books. I love a story that you can sit down and spend some weeks with, but I dislike cliffhangers. If you look at the last two pages of this book, you will find, the biggest cliffhanger ever. I guess the writers/publishers team thought, "You've already read three of our books, let's make sure you read the fourth." Come on guys. If we read the first three books, most likely we are going to read the fourth. Some resolution would have been nice. Now I have to wait and see if this book is in our local library before finding out anything.

So this book has lots of action, and suspense from beginning to ... well I guess the next book, confusion, and most importantly ... Chaos. I liked this book, and I'm definitely going to get the next one. I'm going to give this one a rating of 4.

Up Next:
Gideon the Cutpurse, Inkdeath, Catch 22.

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Synopsis:

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 by Patrick:

I was disappointed with this sequel to Beautiful Creatures. It wasn't terrible in that the story significantly changed or it didn't flow from one book to the next. No I thought the first book was excellent, and I was let down by the expectation that this book would be just as great. Everyone knows that Lion King 2 just doesn't compare to the Lion King.

Anyways, the book was good. It explained a lot about Ethan and his talents. Although I was stumped about how he could not tell where some of his visions were coming from. It was obvious to me as the reader, or maybe I've just been familiar enough with other magical writings to know.

I think I just wanted more Ethan and Lena. I was expecting them to fight the darkness themselves, instead Ethan has to be all heroic and do everything by himself (well, that didn't quite happen, but it was without Lena).

Even though the book wasn't what I was expecting, it definitely wasn't a bad book. It gave a lot of history and explained a lot of missing information from the first book. And it set up a cliff hanger at the end, so you have to read the next one. I'm going to rate this a 2.5. I know that was a significant drop from the first book, but I'm still excited to read the next one.

Next: I'm finishing up The Silmarillion, which should be done soon, and still on Inkspell. I also just checked out Perfect Scoundrels.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Synopsis:

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 by Patrick:

Wow. The further you get into this book, the more you can't put it down. I started this book on Saturday, after checking it out from the library, and read a few pages. By Sunday, I was hooked, and I knew I wanted to keep reading it. Monday, I took the book to work with me and started reading on my lunch break. By Tuesday, I went to bed late around Midnight. By Wednesday, I woke up early and began reading while eating my cereal, and didn't get in bed until 1 am, and then I actually had to finish the book before going to bed on Thursday, actually Friday, around 2 am.

How I felt Friday morning at work...

This book was good. I like fantasy and magic books, and the spin this took on the "Good vs. Evil" spectrum was interesting. Also, there are still some mysteries that were left unsolved, which is why I'm glad this is a series and not a stand alone book.

I don't know what to say about this book, other than you should read it. I don't know how I managed to fly through this book so fast, but it was worth it. The book keeps presenting a little bit of information which just adds to the mystery and charm of the book, and the more mystery, the more unresolved issues, the more you want to read it to find out what happens.

I'm going to rate this a 4.5.

Think you like magic. Buy the book: www.google.com.

Up Next:

Apparently Beautiful Darkness, and still The Silmarillion.