Beautiful Creatures

For this month, I have read a novel written by both brilliant authors, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The title of the book is Beautiful Creatures. Some of you might happen to hear the title quite familiar. Yes, director, Richard LaGravenese did had a movie based on this novel. However, according to my opinion, I found the movie rather not too appeasing. I found the movie adaptation to be absolutely horrible! They changed the characters and the basically changed the story line. Anyway, (never mind about the movie), I still found the ending of this novel rather intriguing and very worth reading. 

Although it was a headlong read from the start to finish, but the ending was gorgeously crafted, atmospheric and very original. The ending of the story is basically about the day of Lena's 16th birthday, Ethan goes to Ravenwood Manor to see her. Her extended family of Light Casters is with her. Lena is surprised when her Dark Caster cousin Ridley comes to the house with Ethan's best friend, Link, and several other students from the high school. Ridley has put a verbal spell on the students who used to be mean to Lena so that they will treat her nicely on her birthday. Other students are setting up a big party for Lena in the field outside of Ravenwood. Macon forbids Lena to attend the party because of the potential dangers, but Lena sneaks out to enjoy the festivities anyway. Lena and Ethan dance together and finally say that they love each other. However, her mother, Sarafine tells Lena that she will be able to Claim her own self for the Dark or Light at midnight. Lena's choice is a complicated one: If she chooses to go Dark, all the Light Casters in her family will die, but she would be able to have a physical relationship with Ethan, something that was barred to them. If she chooses to go Light, all the Dark Casters in her family will die, including Uncle Macon. Ethan is unable to get into Ravenwood Manor to get the help of the other Light Casters, so runs to the Castor Library to get help from Marian, who is able to let him into Ravenwood Manor through the Library tunnels. After gathering the Light Casters, Ethan runs to find Lena in the woods, but instead meets Sarafine, who stabs him in the stomach with a knife.

From Lena's point-of-view, midnight strikes, and Lena uses her power over nature to block out the moon at midnight, which keeps her from being claimed at all, either for Dark or Light. She sees Sarafine stab Ethan, so with the help of Amma, who arrives with the Book of Moons, she decides to recite a spell to bring Ethan back to life. This works, but with the terrible consequence of the Book needing to take the life of Uncle Macon in order to save Ethan. In the days after Macon's death, Ethan hears a new song called "Seventeen Moons" playing on his iPod, and he knows that the fight between Light and Dark Casters is not yet over. 

Beautiful Creatures is actually the first novel of the Caster Chronicles. I am nevertheless, looking forward for the next Gothic revolution of hauntingly delicious dark fantasy, a lush Southern eccentric characters that can draw you into their captivating world.

Sau Jean Ying

31st May 2014