Month: August 2014 (Page 39 of 43)

Wow…what an ending to Ethan and Lena’s perilous journey. On the edge of my seat, as always, when reading this series, I could not devour these pages fast enough to see what was to become of all the characters I grew to love and admire. I just knew the authors weren’t going to end it the way they should for each character, and yet, somehow they did-thank god for that.

A story centered around a love so strong, that even being worlds apart doesn’t alter their feelings or drive for one another. Invoking a journey that is so passionate, so foolhardy, literally risking it all to be with the one you love. Who says death is the only outcome?

In this novel, there is so much worse than death, and Lena and Ethan are both willing to risk it all for one another. I was so drawn to this novel…all of them really.

There are so many love stories out there, and even more paranormal love stories. But few, for me, have compared to this. The love they share is so raw, so emotional, and I can’t help but be consumed by it. This series has literally broken my heart (just with Ethan’s thoughts), torn it apart, and then pieced it back together again. I have cried more with this last novel than I ever had reading a book-it’s actually a little embarrassing. No one will probably respond as I did, but that’s what makes this one of MY favorite series. This story, above others, spoke to me, and I love it for that reason.

Hoping for a decent ending, because in these books, a decent ending would be more than fair, I was fulfilled and felt at peace with the final pages. While there is some sadness, there is a sense of joyfulness that cannot be overshadowed by the final bits of tragedy that the authors chose to bestow upon us. It’s like everything went the way it was supposed to and all the puzzle pieces fell in place-all is just in the world-as much as it can be in a Caster world centered around Gatlin.

So many other series end with a cop out or never finish what they started, leaving unanswered questions that plague us everytime we think about them. Not with this novel. The authors stitched everything up..literally. They left us with an explanatory last chapter and an epilogue, and they even revealed what Link was doing in Ethan’s basement when he was nine years old…lol…I thought they’d never tell us! I am very happy I finally decided to read this series and I will think about it frequently and fondly in the future. It will, now and always, be one of my favorite series.

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“A million thoughts ran through my head. That when she looked at me, it was like there was no one else in the world. That when I looked at her, I noticed every detail about her while everything else faded away. That I was only myself when we were together.”

By far my absolute favorite in the series-The depth and emotion in this novel is astonishing, and I couldn’t have loved it more. There wasn’t a slow/fast enough pace to read and gain everything I wanted from this story and I couldn’t seem to tear myself away from this page turner…it might have even bordered on obsession, I’m not quite sure.

For once, everyone is in the same place at the same time, but something is wrong with Gatlin-there is a terrible heat wave with no relief even during the winter, and lubbers (locust type things) are covering everything in sight. It seems there is disorder among the balance that stems from Lena’s seventeenth moon.

I just really enjoyed this novel. It had the same intensity that the second half of the first novel, Beautiful Creatures, did, and that’s why I fell in love with the series in the first place. So naturally, I am going to be drawn to this third installment. Ethan and Lena are once again trying to put all the pieces together, because this time, a sacrifice must be made to restore the balance, and it could be any of their close family or friends-including themselves. On top of that, Amma is acting stranger and darker than ever, running out in the middle of the night again. Link and Ridley are adapting to their changes, and attempting to adapt to everyday life with the cards they have drawn.

The love between Lena and Ethan is so palpable and the strongest it has ever been. It draws you in and consumes you, especially toward the dramatic ending. Can they write one of these without a crazy cliffhanger ending? This one, might I add, being the worst so far. I couldn’t help but to tear up for much of this novel, because it definitely tugs on the heartstrings quite a bit throughout and contains some sad subject matter.

For those who found the prior two novels in the BC series to be rather boring or containing too many boring parts, I think this one has the least drag factor. There is a lot more normalcy, even though it’s not really a normal town or situation, and there is so much more to the story. I have loved each book equally, my two favorites being the first and this one, but I believe Beautiful Chaos is an absolute winner and those who doubted the first two will be satisfied when they finish this story.

I will always love you
Ethan

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While not as dramatic an ending as Beautiful Creatures, I still felt myself drawn to this intriguing and adventurous story.

Everything is different after the night of Lena’s sixteenth moon. Lena is in a spiraling depression and starting to drift apart from Ethan. I hated that Beautiful Darkness was taking this turn, but the quest to make all things right in the supernatural world that followed was worth it, and I was able to accept the plot a lot easier than I had anticipated. While we had to deal with a separation between Ethan and Lena for a large part of the book since Lena was MIA, we still got new and exciting character development and even a few new characters.

I loved that Link got a larger part in the novel than the first one, and we even got a little more of Ridley; which I found to be a fun unexpected bonus.

Beautiful Darkness stays consistent with the former novel, BC, in that it continues Ethan’s visions. This is either a plus or a minus in the eyes of the reader, and where I didn’t necessarily care for it in BC, I thought the visions were more exciting and had a new twist to them that added to the already intricately weaved story line.

Overall, this series is definitely a hidden gem that I had never even heard about, and it’s sad to think I almost missed out. I have grown to love Ethan as a character/hero even more after Beautiful Darkness, if that’s even remotely possible. His inner thoughts and intellect are so raw and honest as a male character, which as I stressed in my last review, is so refreshing. There’s a quirkiness to his POV that is smile inducing and makes me laugh no matter my mood. Maybe his POV is the reason this series is an instant favorite for me, I don’t know, but I am not about to question the magnetic pull I feel towards this series-I’m just going to keep reading until there is nothing left. Onward to Beautiful Chaos!!

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****Could seem spoilerish, although I do not believe it ruins or reveals anything***

Okay..I loved this book. I had never even heard of this, so naturally when I went to the movies in November I was surprised to see it as a movie preview. I thought it looked intriguing, if nothing else, so I added it to my TBR shelf. I kept putting it off and putting it off because of the (in my opinion) horrible rating average, until finally my curiosity got the best of me…and of course the now constant tv commercials for the upcoming movie release.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised as I started reading.

YES, there was a LOT of history and background information, which normally I loathe (just get to the point, right?), but I didn’t mind it much in this book. I thought the story between Ethan and Lena was really cute, and I think it was “cute” because the whole story was from Ethan’s perspective. You don’t get that much from romance novels, and it was refreshing to see what he was thinking and feeling the whole time. Aren’t fans of romance novels always wanting the POV from the respective hero’s perspective? These authors just cut to the chase.

Also, I think people didn’t like the immediate dream connection, and believed he loved her from just seeing her in his dreams, but that’s not how I saw it at all. I believe he was FASCINATED by this “dream girl” and if anything just felt a connection to her-this could have developed into a friendship for that matter. I believe the actions that followed when she came to the school are purely from getting to know each other. So that issue is a matter of opinion, I suppose, for those who read it.

A good book makes me want to keep reading and not want to put it down, makes me want to finish at the cost of losing sleep, using all my free time, and secretly reading at work, and this one had all those qualities-despite the somewhat slow start. Near the middle, I just had to know whether she was claimed light or dark and what would happen between her and Ethan. The climax was so much better than I could ever have expected, with a twist and then some. I was glued to the book and there was no putting it down. I might have even had a “mini” freak out session when a certain something happens- like a serious WTF moment.

It kept me reading until the conclusion and I was more than satisfied with the results. I hope people will give this book a chance despite the “oh it’s becoming a movie hype,” despite the lack of good reviews, because all in all, I believe this book IS original AND gripping, contrary to popular belief.

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