Beautiful Creatures (by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl)

common sense media says

Dreamy, lyrical supernatural Southern romance.

parents & educators say

50% say there are positive messages

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this love story between a mortal and a Caster (or witch) has plenty in common with Twilight. The romance is more dreamy than steamy (just lots of passionate kissing), the town is small with narrow-minded inhabitants, and there are some evil forces at work. Violence is mostly relegated to the final battle where some major characters die.

Educational value: Not applicable.

Positive messages: Strong message of family loyalty and love; Lena is unavoidably different but wants to fit in and be normal; Ethan is tired of peer pressure and conformity and accepts Lena as she is. His best friends accept their romance. Lena and Ethan rely on their family and family friends and are not dissappointed. However, this southern small town is portrayed as rigid and small- minded.

Positive role models: Like every teen, Ethan feels alone and "different" -- turns out he is special, but his courage is not altruistic as it centers on his new love. He does take risks for his father and his Amma, however, and shows a strong loyalty to his friends. Many strong older women populate this small town, both for good and evil, but definitely appear as the stronger sex.

Violence: Supernatural battles with violent storms and danger; a witch possesses a woman; an incubus feeds off human dreams; flashbacks to a Civil War battle where houses full of families were burned; some main characters die in the final battle.

Sex: Scenes of long, dreamy kissing between Lena and Ethan; a teen boy is literally under the spell of an older, "hot" witch, but readers see nothing but kissing between them. References made to kids hooking up.

Language: Mild use of "hell" and "ass."

Consumerism: Not applicable.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking: An older girl posing as a teen smokes; teens drink at a party; adults drink but are not portrayed drunk.

Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about the magical hierarchy created in this book. The "Casters" seem to include witches, demons, incubi, fallen angels ... are they all opposed to mortals? Is there a theme of good against evil? Are all mortals portrayed as good? Are all the Casters evil?
What about Amma? She reads Tarot cards and seems to believe in some type of magic, with her spells and charms. Would it be considered black magic?
The Civil War looms large in the town of Gatlin. Are they proud of their role in the Civil War? How is this mentality portrayed as acceptable?
What makes Ethan so special to Lena?

What's the story?

In a small southern town among Civil War reenactments and misty plantations, 16-year-old Ethan literally meets the girl of his dreams when Lena moves in with the local recluse. A psychic connection speeds up their romance. Once Ethan accepts the truth that Lena's family are Casters (but not witches!) they discover more secrets must be revealed before Lena turns 16 and is Claimed by supernatural forces. Lena is ostracized at school, and soon in town, and a broken window leads to charges of mental illness and expulsion. Ethan tries to give Lena some normal teen experiences, but her birthday looms, estranged relatives arrive, and a battle of supernatural proportions ensues across graveyards and Civil War battle sites. Plenty of plots are left undone for the next saga in this gothic teen romance.

Is it any good?

There are many stock characters, both teen mean girls and powerful, intense older women alike, but the sweet romance, dark danger, and supernatural battles that sweep across a well-romantized background of Civil War deaths and teen parties will entrance teen readers and maybe as many adults as the Twilight Saga did. Ethan and Lena both write poetry -- and it all sounds like poetry by teens -- and song lyrics also play a large part in the story. Lena and Ethan are both somewhat tragic characters, innocent, upright, and well-intentioned. Ethan and his male friends are well written, and if the adult characters seem unoriginal, they are reliable and likable.

The book opens with some lovely, lyrical writing and it's hard to believe it was written by two authors collaborating. There were a few too many new characters thrown into the final battle, but readers can look for them in the sequel. Teen readers will likely appreciate the length of this gothic, Southern epic and be very happy to return to the sultry small town of Gatlin as soon as possible.

Book themes & details

Themes

magic and fantasy

Book Details

Author: Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication date: January 1, 2010
Number of pages: 563
Hardcover price: $17.99
Read Aloud: 13
Read Alone: 13

This review was written by Debra Bogart

Review It

What parents & educators say

Based on 4 parent & educator reviews:

50% say there are positive messages

Read the reviews

Most useful reviews by all members

Sea Cat
teen, 18 years old

You don't have to like Twilight to love this book.

This is an enticing read. It engages you, it pulls you in. Pretty much displays a crazy Southern lifestyle sprinkled in with some dark fantasy and there you have it. Unlike Twilight, the characters are actually strong and know exactly what they're doing. It's also a good source of suspense; it has a wonderful, tightly-wound plot that unravels in the end. There's some kissing, yes, but it's beautifully written (or shall I say, all of the book is nicely written). There's one part where I was concerned that that Ethan and Lena had had sex ("it was a different kind of kiss........where the clothes returned to their hangers...") but there's really no telling. As far as this site goes, there wasn't any. But it's decent nonetheless and has enough supernatural elements without treading into the "Twilight copycat" zone. I loved it. Teens shouldn't miss it. There isn't too much language... wait, why am I saying this? Just buy it!

What other families should know

Book Details

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Beautiful Creatures (by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl)

common sense media says

parents & educators say

What parents need to know

More on Beautiful Creatures

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

What's the story?

What's the story?

Is it any good?

Is it any good?

Book themes & details

Themes

Book Details

Review It

Review Beautiful Creatures

What parents & educators say

Most useful reviews by all members

You don't have to like Twilight to love this book.

Great but dont bother w/ the sequel

For tweens, if they're mature

Good for tweens and up

Incredible Gothic Literature

Love the boy's POV telling about a Caster girl ready to save him.

PERFECT

*important please read*

Not for tweens!

Perfect for tweens and teens

Very Well Written

Great Book!

Fantastic- Definately Not What I Expected

Not for kids under 10 or 8 or any other age only for teens and teenagers

Great Book

For teens!! O nly if ther mature

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