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Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: beautiful creatures, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 7 of 7
1. FOODFIC: Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl



Beautiful Creaturesis narrated by Ethan Wate, a golden boy of Gatlin but perhaps the only person in town who dreams of leaving. Lena Duchannes is the beautiful, mysterious, new-to-town leading lady with a troubled past, present, and future. But the star, the heart, the – yup, I’m saying it – meat and potatoes of the story is Amma, and she’s the one I’m most excited to see come to life on the big screen.*

We all wish we had an Amma watching over us in both the real and mystical senses, doling out wisdom sometimes in cryptic phrases, sometimes in crossword answers delivered one deliberate letter at a time, and often followed by covertly-placed, hand-crafted dolls, charms, or other spiritual tokens.

But you know I love her most because she dishes out meals as fortifying as her advice.

For breakfast she serves Ethan fried eggs, bacon, buttered toast, and grits. And that’s not just for the first day of school; the next day it’s eggs over easy, biscuits and gravy.

For dinner there’s fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, string beans, biscuits, and even buttermilk pie on a regular old weeknight! Then comes pulled pork with Gatlin’s own Carolina Gold mustard barbeque sauce.** 

Hold. The. Phone.  Amma doesn’t make her own sauce? From scratch? I can’t believe it.

Which is ironic, because I blindly accept that the green-eyed girl Ethan’s been dreaming about for months just miraculously showed up in his town, a place where a new girl hasn’t appeared since he was in 3rdgrade. And I don’t flinch when I learn that this new Miss Lena Duchannes not only smells like Ethan’s lemon- and rosemary-scented dream girl, but that she’s been dreaming of him, too. Mystical powers, telepathy, even a secret library – I find myself believing it all because, well, it’s just delicious. ;)


*Of course I timed this review with next week’s premiere of the film adaptation!

**In case you were wondering, Carolina Gold is a real gourmet barbeque sauce made from a recipe passed down since Colonial times.  

1 Comments on FOODFIC: Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl, last added: 2/8/2013
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2. Beautiful Creatures Heading to the Big Screen

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl will be hitting the big screen on Valentines’ Day!

Starring Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson and Emmy Rossum, this film is sure to delight fans!

0 Comments on Beautiful Creatures Heading to the Big Screen as of 2/1/2013 5:50:00 AM
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3. Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl & Giveaway

There was a curse. 
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.
I never even saw it coming.


Ethan Wate is haunted by nightmares of a beautiful girl who slips through his fingers every time -- but even in his wildest imaginings, he never thought his dream girl was real. Until she moved to town, that is. Lena Duchannes is the troubled niece of Gatlin's very own hermit, and as a result she's instantly shunned by the entire town. Except for Ethan. Ethan is determined to learn the truth about the centuries-old secret that bound his fate to Lena and her tangled family tree. Unfortunately, the path to answers ends in a single grave.

Beautiful Creatures is a haunting Gothic tale of secrets and blood bargains, set in a Southern town too small to contain it. The town of Gatlin is its own character in the story, an insular, small-minded community full of DAR debutantes and legendary shut-ins. Though it was rather over-the-top, this intense characterization provides a vivid backdrop for a timeless tale of star-crossed love. The creepy nightmares and eerie melodies that open the novel suck readers in, piquing their interest with a foreboding air.

Unfortunately, I had a hard time connecting with Ethan and Lena. Ethan prides himself on his dreams of leaving the boondocks, his college brochures and map of faraway places -- yet he never actually stands apart from the small town crowd until Lena comes along. Suddenly, Ethan is ready to cast off the clique into which he's been assimilated, risking it all for a girl he doesn't even know. Likewise, Lena was hard to get a handle on. Though she is the powerful one in this relationship, she still comes across as weak -- in need of her white knight to comfort her and chase the demons away. The two teens instantly fall in love, for no apparent reason. Though I expected a supernatural explanation at some point in the story, one never came.

Nonetheless, the secondary characters were a treat. Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl give special attention to the creation of Gatlin's quirkier inhabitants. First, there's Amma, Ethan's voodoo psychic housekeeper and stand-in mother. Amma is an admirably strong woman who taught Ethan to stand up for what he believes in, a combination cookie-baking grandma and military general. Then there are the Sisters, Ethan's older-than-dirt, borderline insane aunts. They will keep readers laughing with their off-the-wall and lightning-fast banter, and strangely reminded me of the Fates. Finally, there's Macon Ravenwood, the town's resident recluse who is actually more Rhett Butler than Boo Radley. Macon is a mystery, cloaked in shadow and secrets. He is fierce in his family loyalty, as well as in his devotion to his niece Lena -- but you wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alleyway.

Beautiful Creatures is a dark and stormy (quite literally) tale that will keep readers guessing until the very end, as past and present collide in unnerving visions of doomed lovers more than a century before. This first installment only hints at the vast world of monsters and magic hidden beneath the human veneer of Gatlin. This is a world in which anything is possible, and Garcia and Stohl take that to the extreme -- weaving together ghosts and the gothic, curses and visions in a spell-binding tale readers will hate to see end.

Rating:  17 Comments on Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl & Giveaway, last added: 8/15/2011
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4. BEAUTIFUL Review


Now as you all know, when I do a review I typically have a paranormal creature of some sort read the book and give a review as well. I've had as my guest a
Vampire, the Big Bad Wolf, and a Mad Scientist named Dave among others. But today I want to review the book BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, so I've asked a SOUTHERNER (yes they DO exist) to be my guest. I'd like you all to welcome my critique partner and genuine southern bell, Leslie Rose (check out her own blog here).


1. So, Leslie did BEAUTIFUL CREATURES honestly portray the South and its people?
Well darlin', if you are referrin' to our loyalty toward our grand and glorious family trees, preservin' true history instead of the northern version of the Civil War, and what good eatin' is, then I would say, yes. I may take issue with the assumption that some of us are narrow minded because we like keepin' things the way they always have been. Different isn't always better, you know. Disruption can be downright dangerous.

2.
What one thing would you add if you could?
Absolutely nothing! The roller coaster ride had the perfect amount of flips, upside-down dangling, and screaming with my hands in the air.

3.
Finish this sentence: Paranormal and the South go together like

22 Comments on BEAUTIFUL Review, last added: 1/30/2011
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5. Something Old, Something New

It's time for a giveaway!

I've got two ARCs up for grabs. Something old and something new :)

The something old is my ARC of Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl. The sequel, Beautiful Darkness, came out earlier this month. Here's the blurb from Goodreads:

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.


Please note, this ARC has been read by a few people so the cover has a bit of wear and tear, but it is still in fair condition.


The something new is my ARC of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer. This book has been getting a lot of buzz as well as some videos designed to take you into the world of one of the main characters, Shay Doran. Here's the blurb from Goodreads:

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything--including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

In the comments, let me know which book you'd prefer to win. If you're a follower, you get an extra entry. Contest is open for one week. A name will be randomly selected at midnight PST on Tuesday, November 2. Okay, maybe not exactly at midnight, but you need to have your entry in before that!

Good luck to you all!! 
6. Under The Spell Of 'Beautiful Creatures'

Back in December, the kidlitosphere was all abuzz with talk of Beautiful Creatures [full disclosure: the publisher Little, Brown is a sponsor of Ypulse.com], a debut novel from Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl and the first in the author duo's... Read the rest of this post

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7. Ypulse Essentials: World AIDS Day, Fiesta Movement Awards On Current, Summit To Split 'Breaking Dawn'?

World AIDS Day on BET (music countdown show, 106 & PARK, dedicates a full episode to the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic, along with other weeklong programming events. Also Alicia Keyes performs live on YouTube as global ambassador for Keep a Child... Read the rest of this post

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