Not Witches

Hey, guys!

I'm sure that many of you have seen the major motion film Beautiful Creatures last year. But for those of you who haven't - or for those of you who have and just haven't read the book yet - I thought I would write a review for the book, Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

Now, before I go on, I must say that the book and the movie are entirely different from each other. For one thing, the conflict in the movie (which is the same conflict in the first book) is resolved in a completely different way, rendering a movie based off of the rest of the series completely moot.

So, unless they use some serious artistic license for future movies, there probably won't be any more movies. But I can't say that for sure, that's just my opinion.

Anyway, as I said, the plot in the book and the plot in the movie are generally the same concept but with completely different resolutions and endings. That being said, my review and summary of the first book in the series may sound altogether different from the movie that was based off of it.

Now, onto the review.

For a few weeks, Ethan Wate has been having some strange dreams about a girl. In the dreams, they are usually facing death and he never sees her face. And he always gets the feeling that he is in love with her, even though he does not know who she is.

It's been a year since his mother died in an accident, and Ethan and the rest of his family are getting by in little old Gatlin. Barely. Gatlin is a small Southern town with the feel of Maycomb County from To Kill a Mockingbird. His father spends all his time in his study, presumably to write a new book. Amma, the woman who practically raised Ethan and his father, makes sure they are fed and that Ethan gets through high school.

Speaking of which, it's the first day of sophomore year for Ethan and his best friend, Link. It's also the first day for the new girl, Lena Duchannes. The girl from Ethan's dreams.

And she's got a dark secret that has to do with the changing number written on her hand - a countdown.

Turns out that Lena comes from a family of Casters. Kind of like witches, but different. And the women in Lena's family are cursed.

Usually a Caster Claims himself or herself on their Sixteenth Moon - meaning the night of their sixteenth birthday. Casters Claim themselves for the Light or the Dark (good or evil). Obviously, it's a big choice.

However, the women who are descended from Genevieve Duchannes (like Lena) do not get the option to choose. On their Sixteenth Moon, it is determined for them whether they will be Claimed for the Light or for the Dark.

And Lena's afraid that she's going to go Dark. After all, she is a Natural. This means that, like her mother who was Claimed for the Dark, she has powers beyond any mortal's imaginings. Beyond even Lena's imagination. And if Lena is Claimed as a Dark Caster, there's no telling what could happen.

Especially in regards to their relationship. True to his dreams, Ethan has fallen in love with Lena Duchannes. But if Lena goes Dark, could Ethan Wate suffer the same fate as his ancestor, Ethan Carter Wate?

To find out what that means, you must read the book. Because I'm not telling. So, there.

I read this book back in high school, and I really enjoyed it. It's a big book to take on, but it's quite a page-turner. I would recommend this book for middle school or high school students. Or anyone interested in supernatural romances, really.

I will say that when I went to see the movie, towards the end my brother and my mom kept asking me what would happen. I could not give them an answer because, again, it is so different from the book.

Actually, after seeing the movie, I thought that the whole series was rather dragged out. So many of the conflicts in the other books were resolved with the alternate solution in the movie so quickly. So, I will leave it up to you guys whether you enjoy the books or the movie more, because I honestly have no idea what to think anymore.

Hope you enjoyed the review, and I hope you come back for more.

Happy reading!!