Light or Dark? Who would claim you?

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles, #1) by Kami Garcia

Ethan, a sophomore in high school in small town Gatlin, South Carolina, lives a normal teenage life.  He plays basketball, he gets good grades, he behaves in and out of school.  He lives with his father and house keeper Amma, who is more like a grandmother to him.  He hangs with the cool popular kids in his class and he and his best friend Link do the entire necessary checklist items to stay on that cool list themselves.  Ethan’s entire life changes when the new girl, Old man Ravenwood’s, niece moves into town and upsets the balance of the school’s cool kids.  We begin with Ethan on the first day of school when he wakes up from a reoccurring nightmare with the scent of rosemary and lemons and the familiar longing for the girl in his dream.  On his way home, Ethan almost runs Lena, the new girl, over while she stands in the middle of the road, stranded from her uncle’s hurse breaking down.  As Lena and Ethan’s friendship grows, he finds more about her family and a past that demands to be reckoned with, as they have been connected throughout the last century.  The only problem is, that Lena is a caster, sort of like a witch, the only problem is, Lena is running out of time.  On her sixteenth birthday, Lena will be claimed for either the Light or the Dark.  As they race the clock, and grow in their budding romance, many outside sources try and keep them apart. 

I loved Ethan.  He was a fun protagonist to read and I enjoyed his personality and his thought process.  Poor guy, he didn’t have a choice, he was claimed by Lena before they even met.  Even if he wanted to run from the new relationship, he couldn’t have done it.  I always enjoy a love story that it’s as if fate had its hooks in Ethan before he even knew what was going on.  There is something special about Ethan as well.  He can do things that other humans cannot do.  He is capable of communicating with Castors, sees visions, and can go in places that are specifically held sacred for Castors only.

I received this book from the library and I had to quickly read it before it was taken from me electronically.  I also had another book to read after Beautiful Creatures, but I like the book so much that I bought the second book in order to read it as soon as my reading schedule opened up.  So, would I recommend this book, sure!  It was a fun read, with interesting characters and a great plot.  I couldn’t wait to see what happens, and it ends with a semi cliff hanging ending so it makes me want to keep going. 

The only par t of the story line that I just thought was crazy was how insane every character was about the Civil War.  I have lived in the south my entire life, now in several states in the south and I have never met anyone that was obsessed with the Civil War like this entire town was.  I just wonder if there are places in this country that are really like that.  Just a thought.

I am glad I read this book, I can’t wait to go on in the series.  I want to watch the movie just as soon as possible.  It didn’t seem to do well in the theaters, so maybe we can catch it on Netflix pretty soon.  Keep Reading my Friends!