In the small Southern town of Gatlin, there are no secrets and no surprises. Or at least that's what sixteen year old Ethan Wate has always thought. He's about to find out just how wrong he is when Lena Duchannes moves to Gatlin to live with the town eccentric, her uncle Macon Ravenwood. Lena's family are Casters: witches. And they're cursed. When they turn sixteen they are Claimed and become either Dark or Light. Lena's sixteenth birthday is soon, and as she and Ethan try to unravel the curse, they begin to discover exactly how many secrets Gatlin is hiding. This book took me longer than usual to read, and at first I wasn't sure I liked it, but by the time I finished it I was glad I'd stuck it out. Dark and haunting, Beautiful Creatures teeters at the edge of being a horror story, which I wouldn't usually read, but the story captured me and wouldn't let go. Well written, hypnotic, and quite creepy. Even though the story isn't as fast-paced as some, I was at the edge of my seat during the whole book. Very good.
