Paranormal Book Club: Beautiful Creatures

Last year Alexa, DJ, Kristin and I unofficially formed the Paranormal Book Club. 

During one of our many visits to The Strand together, we ended up talking about old YA paranormal books we had read years ago and how nostalgic we were for them. As the conversation went on, we decided to re-read (or in some cases, read for the first time) said books together. And that's how our book club was born!

We only read one book together last year (The Iron Fey) but this year, we're trying to make things more official. We'll read a book/series per season (which I'm tracking here) and after, we'll answer five questions.

Here are my thoughts on the first book we read this year: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

1. What were your initial thoughts about the book? Were you excited to read it?
   I was excited to read this with friends but I was admittedly skeptical because I saw the movie years ago and thought it was terrible. But even though, I saw the potential in it so I definitely hoped the book series would be better. And it was! It definitely reminded me of the YA paranormal books I first started reading years ago. But at the same time it felt surprisingly fresh because it was from a boy's POV and as Alexa accurately put it, it was nice seeing the boy acting all lovesick over the more powerful girl.
2. What was your favorite quote or passage, and why did it resonate with you?
   Ethan says this to Lena: "I never loved you any more than I do, right this second. And I'll never love you any less than I do, right this second." It resonated with me because he was accepting her exactly for who she was.
3. Which character did you relate to the most, and what was it about them that you connected with?
   In the first book, I didn't really relate to anyone but I was certainly intrigued by what the characters were going through. But in the second book, a new character gets introduced (who becomes a part of the series) that I probably related to the most if I had to pick one.
4. Was there anything you wanted to see more of in the book, like more page time for a secondary character or a plot point you wish was explored more?
   As the series went on, I found myself liking Ethan more and more whereas I was always ambivalent on Lena. I wish more time had been spent on her so I connected with her better in the first book.
5. What are your final thoughts? Would you read this book again and/or continue with the series? Would you read another book written by the same author?
   I kind of alluded to it already but I binged the entire series in less than a week! Once I started, I couldn't and just didn't want to stop. Even though I wouldn't call Ethan and Lena a favorite OTP of mine, I very much loved the lore and world. And I loved the dynamic or family-like feeling of all the characters as a group. After reading this, I'm more interested in both Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's other books.

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Don't forget to check out what Alexa, DJ and Kristin

had to say about Beautiful Creatures!