The Fiction Enthusiast: Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles #2)

Authors: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Release Date: 10/12/2010

Reading Level: Young Adult

4.5 out of 5 Stars

*Spoilers for the first book in this series below!*

Description from Goodreads:

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 plain 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 they 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.

My thoughts:

I can’t even begin to describe the excitement I felt when I received what has to be the most highly anticipated young adult release of 2010 in the mail. I was practically jumping up and down. I’m also happy to say that it did not disappoint. It was every bit of the awesomeness I had expected. I didn’t realize how much I had missed Ethan, and all the colorful residents of Gatlin until I started reading. It was like catching up with old friends. Ethan has to be one of my favorite fictional characters. His point of view is a delightful one to read from. I’m also loving that this series rocks a male protag. That is something I hope to see more of in all genres.

Beautiful Darkness picks up where Beautiful Creatures left off. Lena is reeling from Macon’s death, and blames herself for not preventing it. This causes more than a little trouble in paradise for Gatlin’s most talked about lovebirds. Ethan, who is always the most supportive boyfriend, tries to console her. Having lost his own mother he thinks that the common ground should bring them closer. He is shocked and hurt when Lena begins to push him away. Both are obsessing over Lena’s 17th birthday, and the choice she will make. She starts hanging with some unsavory characters, but our teenage knight in shining armor won’t give up so easily. He is determined to make things work no matter how much danger it puts him in.

Beautiful Darkness is packed full of twists and turns. Loved, loved, loved it. It was much faster paced than the first and the 500+ pages just flew by. I’m dreading the long wait for the next book in this series. All fans of the paranormal and young adult should give this series a try. You don’t want to miss out!

Other books in this series:

Beautiful Creatures