Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures, Book 1

By: Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins

Length: 17 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

The first book in the instant New York Times best-selling gothic fantasy series; a modern paranormal romance set against the gothic backdrop of an isolated southern town.

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.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2009 Kami Garcia (P)2009 Hachette

I enjoyed the book

I found the book interesting and enjoyed listen to it. The writer did a wonderful job in creating the characters. and if there is a part two I will look forward to it. I don't like reading the begining of a series though. it always seems to long for the next book.

OMG terrible sound effects!

Was Beautiful Creatures worth the listening time?

Not that great of a story and the sound effects were ridiculous. Totally unnecessary!

whiney

I understand that this was meant for YA but still, does that boy have to whine so much. I enjoyed the story (most of the series....I make it through book 3, but the whining got to me and I had to let it go) If u can ignore a lot of teenage angst then u will enjoy, at least through book 3. it is worth the credit because as I said before the story is very good.

Like Going Back Home

Would you consider the audio edition of Beautiful Creatures to be better than the print version?

I would definitely say that the performance brought this book to life for me. Kevin Collins use of different voices and accents made me homesick for the little nowhere town where I grew up in the south. His presentation is just perfect for this book.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the characters. The authors did such a lovely job of endearing each character to me. When I finished the book I really felt like I would miss everybody.

What about Kevin T. Collins’s performance did you like?

Of all the audio books I've listened to I haven't heard a reader so well matched to the story. His variety of voices including old, southern women was fantastic. He truly brought the story to life. I will be looking for him on other audio books.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Southern Hospitality, Caster Style!

Any additional comments?

I got this for something light and easy but what I received was a great story and a feeling like I had gone back to my childhood home.

This was a good read but very LLLLong

What did you love best about Beautiful Creatures?

I Love the fact that he puts her first/ and evently she does too. When they talk at night and their in his and her own room.

Would you be willing to try another book from Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl ? Why or why not?

???? this book was very good i like it but way to long. It was a little confusing at first them going back and forth with the now and then.. too many carators to remener... I keep getting lost . I will see the movie

What about Kevin T. Collins’s performance did you like?

I like his voise but the music was way to soft and very hard to hear and understand.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

when they droped the water on her..Kinda like the movie "Carrie" . The things that her sister did to get back at them. Stepping on the girls dress. Made me laugh...

Love this series

If you could sum up Beautiful Creatures in three words, what would they be?

Creative, Funny & exciting

What did you like best about this story?

Actually, that it came from the boys point of view.

What does Kevin T. Collins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Yes, his southern accent is wonderful.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES!!

Wonderfully enticing!!!

Where does Beautiful Creatures rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is up with my favorite reads!!! It is well written and draws you in!!! So much better then the movie!!!

What does Kevin T. Collins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Kevin T. Collins brings so much life and mystery with every inflection of his voice. He knows how to make characters stand out and you know who is speaking with the range he has!

Any additional comments?

You know what I mean by books being better then the movies. If you watched the movie, be ready to be surprised....the book is vastly better then the movie!!!!

More of a younger YA novel

I was a little disappointed. It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't great either. There were quite a few dull moments and a few areas that don't make a lot of sénse. It has some potentiomal to be a decent series, but I will only listen to the next book, if I can get it from the library or free. I think if you're in your younger teens, you will probably enjoy the book more then I did.

Beautiful Literature/PNR/YA, NOT another twilight

This was a beautiful love story which warmed my heart. Not like the twilight garbage. Ive read reviews which make the claim of it trying market in on the twilight...blah blah...No, just no. Then the reviewer goes to state they won't continue. Ive read all four books, and now reading the spinoff "Dangerous Creatures". Its not. If anything its a COUNTERWEIGHT to the twilight non-literature, non sense. This is pretty good literature. And I immensely enjoyed all four books. Its is my favorite YA series. And one of my favorite books I own, considering I own well...a lot of books. Audio, digital and real.

I don't normally write reviews but I couldn't stand to have such a good book compared or, even worse, called a ripoff of twilight. Which was ,in essence, poorly held propaganda for abstinence and later blatant propaganda against women's right to choose. This book makes those kind of people look foolish. Margaret Stohl received her Master's from Stanford University (Ivy League). Meyer received her B.A. from Brigham Young University (barely mediocre christian college)...I need say no more.

Creepy Fun

I quite liked this book. My 20+ year old daughter grabbed my ipod and tried to finish it before I did, but she didn't succeed. Magic is interesting as long as it doesn't get too dark and evil. I did have a harder time understanding the words of the songs and had to look at a book to figure out what some of them were. Overall, it didn't detract from the story much. I just had to go back and listen to them several times. The special effects were interesting, I thought, and made me jump at least once. I didn't take a lot of time to finish the book either. It was suspenseful enough that I wanted to get it done. I was a little disappointed that they didn't just end the story. It doesn't quite finish things up the way I thought it should, but I will probably read the next one in the series. There were a few things that didn't get explained. I hope they will do that in the next book. I did like the main characters. I thought the narration really added to the story. I am a clean-story fanatic and this qualifies. There really isn't any swearing that I remember. There are also no sexual scenes. Obviously, if you have negative opinions of any occult situation you will pass this one by. Overall, if you like mildly scary stories or stories of suspense without the blood and gore, this book might be for you. My favorite parts of the story have to do with the Southern flair. My kids tease me. I lived down South for awhile and whenever I listen to a Southern book, I slip back into the accent. Then I get stuck there for awhile. The descriptions of his aunts and their Scrabble game made me laugh out loud. I love old books, cool old houses, magic, old curses, unexplained events and star crossed loves. If you do, you might really enjoy this audiobook. I was very entertained by it. Can hardly wait to get the next one.