What’s On Our Bookshelf? October Edition

“Some loves are meant to be…others are cursed.”

Our book of the month for October is Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.  If you haven’t read my story about how I came to receive this lovely book, take a look at my post about the books of ComicCon.  This book will be available December 1, 2009.  Kami and Margaret have a blog which can be found here.  They also have Twitter pages (where they actually take the time to converse with friends and followers-plus they are always hosting or linking to amazing giveaways!).  Follow them at: @kamigarcia and @mstohl.  Now on to my review!

“There were no surprises in Gatlin County.  At least, that’s what I thought. Turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong. There was a curse. There was a girl.  And in the end, there was a grave.”

Have you ever wondered if there was more to your hometown than you knew? Ethan Wate’s life is about to be turned upside down in a town which he thinks never changes, Gatlin, South Carolina.  As the end of summer approaches, he has been having a recurring dream which he wakes up from breathless, wet and with the scents of lemon and rosemary lingering in the air.  The dream is always the same and includes a mysterious girl slipping out of his grip and into the darkness.  This is where Lena Duchannes comes into play.

Lena moves to Gatlin and into the oldest plantation which houses the town shut-in, Macon Ravenwood-their very own Boo Radley.  Strike one against Lena.  She doesn’t dress like the other girls in town.  Strike two.  There is just something slightly off about her… Lena never had a chance.

Ethan and Lena are drawn to each other and they embark on a journey that is definitely not an easy one.  They have their obstacles to overcome including Macon, Amma (Ethan’s extremely superstitious housekeeper/grandmother figure), the girls of Stonewall Jackson High School, Lena’s impending sixteenth birthday and the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution*) to name a few.

It is refreshing to read a story from a male’s point of view and Ethan turns out to be an extremely likable character.  I guarantee you will find yourself rooting for Ethan and Lena and trying to figure out ways for them to overcome the major hindrance to their relationship.  Every character has a distinct personality and I was instantly drawn into this debut novel.  When I was finished reading, I was sad to leave Ethan, Lena, Macon and Amma’s world.  This book will definitely been one of the ones I read over and over again.  Check out the trailer for the book!

*Side note: I couldn’t help but think of Gilmore Girls every time the DAR came up!

Kaitlyn Kline is an intern with College Lifestyles^TM.  She is also an Edinboro University of PA and Alpha Sigma Tau alum.  Receiving a copy of ‘Beautiful Creatures’ was one of her favorite moments of ComicCon!

*We have not received any compensation or gifts for reviewing this book, except for the book itself, of course.  We have expressed our sincere opinions in this post.*