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Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plan sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.
Sometimes life-ending.
Together Ethan and Lena can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.
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Leaving off almost exactly where Beautiful Creatures ended, I had extremely high hopes for the sequel. However, the first hundred pages completely turned me off to Lena. I had understood most of her whining and complaining from Beautiful Creatures, but half of this book I wanted to punch her in the face. Ethan, sweet, almost-too-perfect Ethan finds Lena dancing and nearly-kissing a strange, mysterious Incubus, and hours later, she accuses Ethan of cheating on her! And yet, I could see why he kept going after her; who would ignore the love of their lives just because she's being a bitch? Okay, so, I got the ending and all, and I was happy with the outcome (kind of... it was fitting to say the least) but the journey there made me hate Lena so much I still kind of hate her now. I know she was reacting to Macon's death and her own decisions, but still, you can't erase all her hurtful behavior so easily. Ethan was great, once again, and saved the novel from becoming tedious. While I sort of, kind of, stopped wanting him to be mine, it was mostly because I wanted him to get Lena if only for the sake of Ethan getting his way, instead of Lena. The story line a lot of twists, to say the least, but one thing I found fantastic was that while the authors did backtrack slightly to change a few of the previously set Caster rules, it was tastefully done, and it made sense. I can't tell you how many authors backtrack, rewrite laws and rules and facts, and it makes no sense. But it was perfectly done in Beautiful Darkness. Overall, a great book, though it did fall ever so slightly short of my expectations. Oh, one other thing: my affections have fallen with Link; he's just so dang cute with his Southern accent and cluelessness. The ending just sealed the deal, too; so back off girls.
4.5 stars (grr Lena) and a recommendation to fans of the series. Read Beautiful Creatures first for sure.
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.
Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connect between them.
In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.
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It really says a lot about a book when it's 563 pages long and you literally don't put it down until you're done. I've heard rave reviews from some of my favorite authors and reviewers, and after about a dozen of my friends told me I absolutely had to read it, I did. I thought it was all hype, like another Twilight, especially when I learned the premise; but Jesus, could I have been more wrong? From the perfectly creepy setting to the mysterious characters, to the complexity of everything, I just adored everything in this book. Even the cover was gorgeous. Ethan, clueless and in love with Lena before he even meets her, was cute and well, I've fallen for another book character. (What am I at now? 11,992,828?) Lena, well, I love, love, loved her! She was like Jamie from A Walk to Remember plus a wicked (literally) family plus awesome powers. I mean, I couldn't get over the fact that they could talk to each other through their thoughts. The suspenseful aura every single page had made the novel just the right amount of eerie and mystifying plot twists to keep me flipping pages. I read it on a rainy Saturday, and it was even better, in my opinion, since the setting was mostly dark and rainy. The downside, since there are always is one: Lena got a little annoying with her dark moods that became way too often. Yeah, she had a right to be concerned and upset, but the way she kept telling Ethan he didn't understand and that no one ever would, she started to get on my nerves. I still loved her though. I ordered the sequel online, and it's supposed get here tomorrow. Can't wait!
5 big, fat stars. I recommend to supernatural romance fans, and fans of YA fiction in general. I'm not a huge supernatural romance fan myself, but I loved this book.
