The Castor Chronicles Book 1

*******A BIT OF SPOILERY*******

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have hesitated many times in the past to read this book as the summary at the back of the book did not captivate my interest. I am however very happy that I eventually decided to take on the book as one of the reads in a Book Group Challenge.

The story of Lena and Ethan is refreshingly unique amidst all the vampire, werewolf and pixie (faerie) stories which have flooded the market. Although the main plot is still boy meet girl and doomed love, I enjoyed the setting of the book (old Southern town) and also the subplots.

Ethan and Lena's relationship seems doomed from the start due to several factors relating to family differences, old town discriminations and of course the fact that Ethan is Mortal and Lena is a Caster. Despite all these challenges they form a very strong and special bond which protects Lena and saves Ethan from the normal small town mentality. The only obstable that remains is the seemingly insurmountable problem that when Lena turns sixteen, she may be claimed by the Dark side and will become evil, forgetting all about her love for Ethan. That and the fact that Lena's mother is the most evil Caster to ever walk the earth and that she is "hunting" Lena with a furious determination. In the end Lena has to make some very dangerous and difficult decisions, which causes her to lose someone she loves very much. And she was ultimately not claimed on her birthday she now has another year to worry and wait (until her 17th birthday to know whether she will be claimed by Light and/or Dark (or will make that decision herself more correctly).

The end hints just enough to the next book to have you sitting at the edge of your seat and to drool after the next installment.

A very definite thumbs up for me.

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