Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.
Sometimes life-ending.
Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.
From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up—This engrossing must-have sequel to
Beautiful Creatures (Little, Brown, 2009) immediately returns to Gatlin, SC, and the seemingly impossible relationship between Caster girl Lena Duchannes, as yet un-Claimed for Light or Dark, and Ethan Wate, her beloved Mortal. Grieving the recent loss of Uncle Macon and worried that her 17th Moon and family curse will destroy everyone else she loves, Lena pulls away from Ethan and runs off to the Great Barrier with Siren cousin Ridley and mysterious John Breed. But is she headed for nirvana or danger? Plagued by strange visions and accompanied by his loyal friend Link and Keeper-in-Training Liv, Ethan travels the Caster Tunnels running beneath the world determined to save Lena. Along the way he faces shocking revelations about his family and gets help from several unexpected sources—developments that will further enamor readers. Familiar and favorite characters behave just as remembered, and sometimes even better. New additions, especially clever Liv, enhance the series and its plot, which is a cycle of hope, despair, and possibility. Like her
Book of Moons, it gives and takes with equal measure in a great storytelling balance. Mortal and Castor settings aboveground and below reinforce the novel's Southern and gothic tone. Past and present are navigated successfully, offering new information while creating more questions. With allusions to a bigger game afoot and a classic good vs. evil climax that leaves several loose ends (unique, dangerous, and entertaining), this volume will leave readers clamoring for the next installment.—
Danielle Serra, Cliffside Park Public Library, NJ (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition. The anticipated sequel to Beautiful Creatures (2009) picks up where the first book left off. After revealing some of the twists in their tangled relationship, Ethan and his otherworldly Caster girlfriend, Lena, must further delve into her fate. Will she be claimed by the Light or the Darkness? And what can Ethan do to help save her as her journey intensifies? The southern gothic atmosphere, several new characters, and the surprising fate of one old favorite will keep readers going until the next book, which promises new surprises as “18 moons” approaches. Grades 9-12. --Ilene Cooper
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition. Review
"A potent mix of the gothic, the mythic, and the magical...With original characters, complex world building, and crackling prose, this is masterful storytelling." (Deborah Harkness, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches on the Beautiful Creatures novels )
* "The authors ground their Caster world in the concrete, skillfully juxtaposing the arcane, magical world with Gatlin's normal southern lifestyle. . . Fans will devour this latest book and plead for more." (VOYA, starred review )
"The southern gothic atmosphere, several new characters, and the surprising fate of one old favorite will keep readers going until the next book, which promises new surprises as "18 moons" approaches." (Booklist )
"This engrossing must-have sequel...will leave readers clamoring for the next installment." (School Library Journal )
"Readers eager to revisit Ethan and Lena's romantic tension and learn more about the Caster world and the Ravenwood family legacy will find satisfaction here." (Kirkus )
About the Author
Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl live in Los Angeles, California, with their families. Beautiful Darkness is the sequel to their debut novel, Beautiful Creatures.
Đây là sê-ri truyện về cô gái Lena, cô gặp khó khăn trong việc che giấu sức mạnh của mình, một lời nguyền ám ảnh gia đình cô qua bao thế hệ. Ethan, người bị ám ảnh bởi hình ảnh người phụ nữ mà ông chưa bao giờ gặp, và ông quyết tâm đi tìm mối liên kết này. Trong một thị trấn nhỏ không có bất ngờ, mọi bí mật có thể thay đổi.