Beautiful Creatures (novel)

Last updated
Beautiful Creatures
BeautifulCreaturesGarciaStohl.jpg
Cover image for the novel
Author
LanguageEnglish
Series Caster Chronicles
Genre Young adult, fantasy, romance
Publisher Little, Brown
Publication date
December 1, 2009
Publication placeUnited States
Pages563
ISBN 978-0-316-04267-3
Followed by Beautiful Darkness  

Beautiful Creatures is a 2009 American young adult novel written by authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl and the first book in the Caster Chronicles series. The book was published on December 1, 2009 by Little, Brown, and Company. In the UK, Beautiful Creatures is published by Penguin Books.

Contents

The book was written in 12 weeks, inspired by a dare (a bet with seven kids the authors knew) and was never intended to be published. [1]

Characters

Plot

16-year-old Ethan Wate lives in Gatlin, South Carolina, with his widowed and shut-in father, his superstitious aunt Amarie "Amma" Treadeau, who helped in raising him, and his best friend, Wesley Jefferson "Link" Lincoln. As his return to high school after the summer approaches, Ethan is subject to recurring nightmares, in which he desperately tries to save a mysterious girl. He quickly comes to meet this girl in the flesh: Lena Duchannes, a new arrival to Gatlin, and niece of the infamous town recluse Macon Ravenwood. Though she initially rebuffs his attempts at interacting with her, the pair eventually become friends, despite harassment from other classmates due to the town's distrust of strangers. This excessive hatred escalates until Lena is almost expelled, spearheaded by Link’s mother Mrs. Lincoln.

After many strange events, Lena reveals the truth to Ethan: she and her family are Casters, people who possess magical powers. On Lena's 16th birthday, she will be "claimed" as either a Light or Dark Caster without any choice in the matter, and is terrified of becoming Dark. Macon and Amma, who knows of the Caster world, both discourage the two of spending time together, but the two persist and eventually begin a relationship- despite Ethan suffering dangerous electric shocks when being too physical with her. Ethan also encounters Lena's estranged cousin Ridley, a Dark Caster and a Siren (able to manipulate others to do her will), who seduces Link to get close to the pair.

The pair discovers a locket at the Greenbrier plantation, which induces visions of their ancestors, Genevieve Duchannes and Ethan Carter Wate, who were engaged during the American Civil War. They discover that Genevieve tried to resurrect Ethan Carter Wate using the magical Book of Moons, after the latter was shot and killed by Union soldiers. Genevieve's use of the spell failed, and as payment, the Book of Moons cursed the Duchannes family by removing their choice to become Light and Dark, and deciding for them instead. Ethan and Lena find the Book in Genevieve's grave and study it for ways to prevent Lena from becoming Dark. Furthermore, Lena is continuously spiritually attacked by a Dark Caster, Sarafine, who is revealed to be her mother.

When Lena's birthday finally arrives, Ridley and Link organize a huge party for her, which turns out to be a trap to separate her and Ethan. Ethan is lured away by Ridley, who almost pushes his father to succumb to his depression and commit suicide, but relents due to her newfound compassion for Link. Ethan and Link wade through a Civil War battle reenactment to find Lena, but encounter Sarafine, who had possessed Mrs. Lincoln in order to stoke the town's hate against Lena. Sarafine reveals to the trio that Lena, unlike the rest of her family, has a choice: she can claim herself Light or Dark, but will kill all the Casters in her family of the opposite orientation when she does. They also learn that it is impossible for Casters and Mortals to be physically together, as the shocks would eventually kill Ethan.

During Sarafine's attempts to convince Lena to turn Dark, Macon arrives, but is forced to fight his brother Hunting, an Incubus like him, but who feeds on blood, while Macon chose to spend his life feeding on Mortal thoughts and dreams instead to avoid succumbing to his Dark nature. Ethan escapes, but is stabbed by Sarafine while searching for Lena, and falls to his death. Desperate, Lena unleashes her magic and makes the moon temporarily disappear, seemingly canceling her Claiming and postponing it for another year.

Lena and Amma find Ethan's body, and unable to let him go, use the Book of Moons as Genevieve did to bring him back to life. The spell succeeds, but exchanges Macon's life for Ethan's. Ethan wakes up, unable to remember what happens, and finds Lena grieving over her uncle. The pair mourn together, and the next day, Ethan finds Lena to have one green eye and one gold- respective marks of Light and Dark Casters.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews writes that "Ethan's wry narrative voice will resonate with readers of John Green as well as the hordes of supernatural-romance fans looking for the next book to sink their teeth into." [2] Booklist also positively reviewed the book, stating "there's plenty teens will like: romance, magic, hauntings, and the promise of more to come." [3] The School Library Journal praised Beautiful Creatures's "detailed descriptions" and "satisfying conclusion" and noted that it would appeal to fans of True Blood. [4] Publishers Weekly criticized the book's "protracted climax" but wrote that Beautiful Creatures had a "compelling and dimensional mythology." [5] Despite its use of magic, the book is praised for its "authentic" characters and world. Linda Perez of the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy states "Stohl writes clearly and lyrically," "the world they've created... is so believable that readers will find themselves unwittingly believing in magic". [6] According to Ilene Cooper of Booklist "the 600 pages could have been cut to make a tight, better story." [3]

On January 3, 2013, a new edition of the novel was published that featured images from the movie on the cover.

Accolades

The series was named one of MTV News's "series to watch" in 2010. [7]

Adaptations

Film

Alcon Entertainment, with 3 Arts Entertainment and Belle Pictures, produced a 2013 movie version for Warner Bros. thatwas adapted and directed by Richard LaGravenese, starring Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert as Ethan Wate and Lena Duchannes and Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emma Thompson, and Emmy Rossum in supporting roles. The film was released on February 14, 2013. The film received mixed reviews and was a box office bomb.

Beautiful Creatures: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Mark Cotta Vaz, was published in the UK by Penguin Books on 2 January 2013, as a Puffin Paperback. [8] [9]

Comic book

Yen Press announced in 2012 it was adapting Beautiful Creatures into manga format [10] with the artist Cassandra Jean.

Music

In 2016, Martin Mazanek wrote the symphonic poem Lena that was inspired by the book.

Sequels

Beautiful Creatures was signed by Little, Brown, and Company for a four-book series, the Caster Chronicles. It had three sequels:

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

Thaumaturgy is the purported capability of a magician to work magic or other paranormal events or a saint to perform miracles. It is sometimes translated into English as wonderworking.

In J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, magic is depicted as a supernatural force that can be used to override the usual laws of nature. Many fictional magical creatures exist in the series, while ordinary creatures sometimes exhibit magical properties. Magical objects are also described. Witches and wizards refer to the rest of the population, who are generally unaware of magic, as "Muggles" in the United Kingdom and "No-Maj" in the United States.

<i>The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah</i> 2004 novel by Stephen King

The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah: Reproduction, or simply The Song of Susannah, is a 2004 fantasy novel by American writer Stephen King. It is the sixth book in his Dark Tower series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead Moon Circus</span> Group of fictional antagonists in the Sailor Moon franchise

The Dead Moon Circus are a group of fictional characters from the Sailor Moon manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. They serve as the main antagonists of the fourth arc, called Dream in the manga, Sailor Moon SuperS in its first anime adaptation, and Sailor Moon Eternal in the second anime adaptation. They are first introduced in chapter #39 "Dream 1 – Eclipse Dream", originally published in Japan on September 6, 1995. In the original English dubbed anime by Cloverway, they are called the "Dark Moon Circus".

<i>Faery in Shadow</i> 1993 novel by C. J. Cherryh

Faery in Shadow is a fantasy novel by American writer C. J. Cherryh. It was first published in the United Kingdom by Legend Books in August 1993 in trade paperback, and the first United States edition was published by Ballantine Books under its Del Rey Books imprint in November 1993 in hardcover. It was nominated for the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1994.

<i>Mystic</i> (comics) Comic book series (2000 – 2004)

Mystic is a comic book from the Florida-based CrossGen Comics. It was created by writer Ron Marz and artists Brandon Peterson and John Dell and was one of five flagship titles in the company's Sigilverse shared universe. Mystic ran for 43 issues.

<i>The Twilight Saga: New Moon</i> 2009 American romantic fantasy film

The Twilight Saga: New Moon is a 2009 American romantic fantasy film directed by Chris Weitz from a screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, based on the 2006 novel New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. The sequel to Twilight (2008), it is the second installment in The Twilight Saga film series. The film stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, reprising their roles as Bella Swan, Edward Cullen, and Jacob Black, respectively.

<i>Enchanted, Inc.</i>

Enchanted, Inc. is the first book in the "Katie Chandler" series of romantic urban fantasy novels by Shanna Swendson published in 2005.

<i>Beautiful Darkness</i> 2010 novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Darkness is a young adult fantasy novel written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The second novel in the Caster Chronicles, it was published by Little, Brown on October 12, 2010.

<i>Beautiful Chaos</i> (Garcia and Stohl novel) 2011 novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Chaos is a fantasy young adult novel by authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The book is the third entry in the Caster Chronicles series and was released on October 18, 2011.

<i>Beautiful Creatures</i> (2013 film) 2013 film by Richard LaGravenese

Beautiful Creatures is a 2013 American romantic gothic fantasy film written for the screen and directed by Richard LaGravenese. Based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, the film stars Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert, Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emmy Rossum, Thomas Mann, and Emma Thompson.

Alice Allegra Englert is an Australian actress, director, writer, singer, and songwriter. She is best known for her roles as Rosa in the film Ginger & Rosa (2012) and Lena Duchannes in the film Beautiful Creatures (2013).

<i>Beautiful Redemption</i> (novel) Book by Kami Garcia

Beautiful Redemption is a 2012 young adult novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl and the final book in the Caster Chronicles series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kami Garcia</span> American writer

Kami Garcia is an American writer. She is known for writing young adult fiction and graphic novels for DC Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Stohl</span> American author

Margaret Stohl is an American novelist. She is the author of 14 novels, as well as 5 volumes of comics and several video games. She lives in Santa Monica, California.

<i>Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea</i> (novel) 2013 novel by April Genevieve Tucholke

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a young adult Gothic horror novel written by April Genevieve Tucholke and published on August 15, 2013 by Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Books.

Mark Cotta Vaz is an American author, editor and film historian. He has authored over thirty books, including four New York Times bestsellers. He has focused on documenting film special effects and other behind-the-scenes aspects of visual presentation. He has written about these aspects for both Star Wars and Star Trek. He has produced a number of movie companion books, such as those for The Spirit, Beautiful Creatures and four for the Twilight series. Publishers Weekly said about his biography of Merian C. Cooper: The charismatic Cooper, "a man living his own movie," is no longer an obscure, remote figure, thanks to Vaz's exhaustive research and skillful writing.

Caster Chronicles is a series of young adult fiction novels written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl that were published in the United States by Little, Brown and Company. It comprises four novels that were published between 2009 and 2012. In 2014, it was followed by a second series set in the same universe, Dangerous Creatures. The series is told from the viewpoint of the teenage boy Ethan Wate.

<i>Hanazuki: Full of Treasures</i> American animated series

Hanazuki: Full of Treasures, stylized using umlauts as Han̈azüki, is an American animated children’s web television series produced by Titmouse, Inc. for Allspark Animation, a division of Hasbro and later by Boulder Media, with Stephen Davis of Allspark and Chris Prynoski of Titmouse serving as executive producers. Made in conjunction with a line of Hanazuki toys, it is based on characters and concepts which were developed by Hanneke Metselaar and Niko Stumpo before Hasbro purchased them in 2010.

References

  1. Woerner, Meredith. "The Beautiful Creatures authors give us the rules for creating a believable fantasy". io9. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  2. "BEAUTIFUL CREATURES By Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl". Kirkus Reviews. January 1, 2010.
  3. 1 2 Cooper, Ilene (1 November 2009). "Beautiful Creatures". Booklist: 1. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  4. "Grades 5 & Up: Beautiful Creatures". School Library Journal. December 1, 2009. Archived from the original on December 13, 2009.
  5. "Children's Review: Beautiful Creatures". Publishers Weekly.
  6. Perez, Linda (October 2010). "Beautiful Creatures". Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 54 (2). Arizona, USA: 154. Retrieved 14 March 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  7. Jacks, Brian (May 27, 2010). "The Next 'Twilight': The Search Continues At BookExpo America". MTV News. Archived from the original on January 31, 2011.
  8. Cotta Vaz, Mark (2013). Beautiful Creatures: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion. London: Penguin Books. ISBN   978-0-14-134853-7.
  9. "Beautiful Creatures: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion - Mark Cotta Vaz". Puffin Books. 2 January 2013. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  10. "Yen Press Announces New Adaptations and Licenses". Anime News Network. April 9, 2012.