Beautiful Chaos Update!

A couple of days ago the title of book three in the Caster Chronicles was announced as being Beautiful Chaos and today the cover AND release date have been revealed!


I love how all three covers tell a mini story; through the woods, up the steps to the gate. Everything is slowly revealed. Authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl don't actually decide what goes on the cover but I think the designer has done a really great job on them all. I can't wait to see what the cover of book four is going to be.

Beautiful Chaos will be released 18th October 2011! It seems like it is ages away but I'm sure the time will pass quickly!

Read my review of books one and two, Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness.

You can also head over to NextMovie for info on the film adaptation, complete with a fantasy cast from Garcia and Stohl! I love who they have suggested (except for the first Ethan and second Lena), and think they would be perfect but most fantasy castings don't usually follow through to the actual casting. But I can hope right?

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Darkness
Series: Caster Chronicles Book 2
Authors: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Release Date: 12th October 2010

My Rating: 3/5

Blurb:

One night in the rain, Ethan Wate opened his eyes and fell in love with Lena Duchannes. His life would never be the same.

Lena is a Caster and her family is locked in a supernatural civil war. On her sixteenth birthday, Lena made a terrifying choice, which now haunts her day and night.

As her seventeenth birthday approaches, Lena and Ethan face even greater danger. A Caster and a Mortal can never truly be together. Every kiss is a curse. Ethan's next heartbeat could be his last. It is their curse now...

My Review:
While I didn't enjoy this as much as Beautiful Creatures, I did ultimately like the way the story finished. It differs quite a bit from the way the first instalment flowed. From the very beginning, Lena is caught in a downward spiral of depression which I found frustrating, and also rather weak. While I understand why she is like this, I lean towards wanting female characters to be strong and independent so I was a bit disappointed in her. I didn't really want to read about how the love-sick boy tries desperately to save the girl who doesn't want to be saved. It was a bit whiny and this annoys me because I loved Ethan's character in book one.

In Beautiful Darkness, we are introduced to quite a few new characters, all of which I am fond of apart from the irritating and arrogant John Breed, although I believe this is how I am supposed to feel towards him. And revisiting characters from Creatures? I really like the way Riley's path takes a turn down the unexpected. We also travel into the Caster world, more so than in Beautiful Creatures, which is something I haven't decided if I like or not. While I do like the hocus-pocus aspect of things, other dimensions are sometimes just a bit too sci-fi for me, for some reason I find other realms less believable than someone having magical abilities (but this opens up a whole other discussion best left for another time).

All in all, by the end of Beautiful Darkness I was happy with how it panned out and am intrigued with what this writing duo will bring us in the as-yet untitled third instalment.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Creatures
Series: Beautiful Creatures Book 1
Authors: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Release Date: 4th January 2010 (Australia)

My Rating: 5/5

There were no surprises in Gatlin County. We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere. 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.

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 connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

This is a unique tale of love and magic with a Southern gothic setting.

The story was an absolute surprise for me because all I could think about was 'Oh no, not another supernatural love story with vampires and werewolves', but I fell in love with the book in the first few pages, and there is not a vampire or werewolf in sight (although, I might add I am a fan of many of these too)!

I love the fact the story is told from a guys perspective and Ethan is a very likable character. He has lived in the same place all his life and his frustration with the 'small town mentality' has come to breaking point. He stands up for what he believes is right, even if it turns the whole town against him. Lena is a strong character who struggles with acceptance in a new town which shuts out anyone even remotely different to what they know. Both Ethan and Lena are character that I think readers can easily relate to.

The characters of Amma and her voodoo chicken bones, loyal Link and the mysterious Macon and the rest of the supporting characters are a high point to the story and I think the characters and their development is what makes this story so likable. The characterisation of the 'popular' high school girls is spot on and hilarious.

I also love all the literary references throughout the book.

Absolutely STUNNING! Can not wait for the sequel!