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

Great story, teen movie quality production.

I'm not usually a fan of supernatural romances, but I love this book. It was wonderful for the girl be the one with all the power. I loved the themes of family and finding yourself and being true to who you are. I found a lot of the extras that were added, the sound effects and so on were done fairly poorly and to be distracting. I honestly think I might have liked this book more if I had just read it as opposed to listening to this version.

disappointed

the narrator was great, the story had some great details and was very interesting until the end. i felt like there were parts that needed to be better explained and the ending could have been better after all of the anticipation

Awesome

Thank you for the excellent reading of an awesome store. You can almost see some of the characters in small towns!

Beautiful Story, Creative Plot, Interesting Charac

What made the experience of listening to Beautiful Creatures the most enjoyable?

The background music, the song

What did you like best about this story?

Realistic teenager in high school background. Good pacing. Kept up interest with some mystery as to what was happening. Love story is sweet.

Which character – as performed by Kevin T. Collins – was your favorite?

Ethan and Lena.

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

Yes. there were many such moments. The way Lena caused things in nature to happen by her moods and emotions....and Ethan understood her and stood by her, tried to protect her. Their relationship grew to be very sweet and caring.

Any additional comments?

no.

Dark and Different!

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

Gothic, Casters, Ethan

What did you like best about this story?

I like that it was from a male perspective. It was new and different. I like the Caster background it was different from witches and fairies and other supernatural beings I have read about.

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

He has a good voice. I also like that they sing the Sixteen Moon song and that when it is a dream sequence that the audio changes.

Really Enjoyed This Book

I watched this movie before I listened to this book. Like the movie, but really liked the book. I enjoyed the details that the book had that the movie left out or changed. I really am glad I gave this book a chance. I have purchased the whole series. Can't wait to hear them all.

love the story, and the performance is fantastic!

The narrator nailed this book, the accents are great, distinct, and consistent, never distracting. I like that they incorporated the sound effects and music they did, it was subtle and appropriate, and added to the atmosphere of the story. My only issue with this audiobook is that the book isn't as long as it appears to be because there is bonus material interview stuff tacked on to the end of the book, but it's still not a short book, it just took me by surprise.
The story is engaging and the detail given to the description of the characters, town, and events makes them feel very authentic. Even though it's essentially a supernatural romance story, it never feels flowery or trite, it feels believable. The writing is engaging and the story held my interest from start to finish.

Great story

nothing like the movie. very good at keeping me on my seat. can't wait to read the next book.

Just as good as I remember

I was a teenager the first time I read this book, deciding to give it a listen again was purely for nostalgia, but in listening I remembered everything I loved about the book. It was exactly what I hoped it be plus more! From the narrator, to the added in music and sound effects.

2-3 dollops of teen angst when 1 would have sufficed!

This is my overarching review of the series.

I enjoyed the series as a set. The stories built upon the previous ones in a way that fit together well. I liked the characters and they were developed well. This was less so, for some of the second tier characters. There are several characters that play a comic relief role. They have several to many lines that made me laugh aloud. The narrators were fantastic. They made me want to keep listening.

I realize this was a teen novel, so the physical loving relationship was played as G or PG rated. It could have gone to a PG 13 level and made the story more realistic. However my biggest complaint was the moping and whining and anxiety the characters have over almost every little thing made want to quit reading. Luckily the narrators nudged me through.

The series story gets better as it goes on. That said, I wouldn’t buy this unless it is on sale. I bought this on the “series sale” and it made for some entertaining listening. Would not have continued at full price or with credits.