Book Review: Beautiful Chaos

Beautiful Chaos

Caster Chronicles #3

By: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: October 18, 2011

Buy it at IndieBound and Amazon

Audience: Young Adult or People Who Need an Insight into Southern Small Towns

It's been awhile since I cried, especially during reading. I'm not really the emotional sort, but Beautiful Chaos was a doozy. This is the third book in the Caster Chronicles and I'm waiting with baited breath for the next installment.  

When I first read Beautiful Creatures, the first book in the series, I quickly became invested in the characters and the setting of the book. I'm from a small town in Georgia so Gatlin, with its religious nuts and DAR women, wasn't that hard to imagine; but I loved the the town and the way its inhabitants were described and laughed out loud so many times. These characters are some of my favorites.

Ethan Wate is the kind of guy mothers want their daughters to bring home. He is loyal and kind-- that's something I really find lacking these days. In Beautiful Chaos, Ethan once again, is saving the day and the girl. His best friend, Link, the much- loved comedic side-kick, is a . . . well, part succubus- part teenager (like there could be anything more horrifically funny). Ethan's girlfriend, Lena, is a wreck after claiming herself and splitting the world (if you've read the other two books you'll understand). And then there's Ethan. He is constantly putting himself aside and tending to his friends and repairing the world. If you love Clark Kent, Ethan's your guy. Ethan takes on the quest of saving everyone from eminent doom, but he has a secret that he is sparing everyone from. I wish I could tell you more, but the only advice I have for you are the words so wisely spoken by Samuel L. Jackson in Jurassic Park, "Hold on to your butts, 'cause this is going to be a bumpy ride!"

If you haven't started this series, I would encourage you to pick it up. These are beautifully written books. I'm so impressed with the seamless writing, especially since there are TWO authors. Gatlin is the perfect small town and Ethan Wate is the perfect guy to save the day.

Visit the author's website:

http://beautifulcreaturesauthors.comhttp://beautifulcreaturesauthors.com/

Summary from Goodreads:

Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.