Monday, March 26, 2012

Beauty in Chaos

I tend to think of myself as open-minded. I don't judge a book by its cover or a person by the clothes they wear. Strong visuals do attract my attention, but looking deeper to find the truth within is always my goal.

Finding gold was simple with this next Young Adult book I read, a no-brainer. I literally got wabbly at the knees when I found it in my mailbox.

Title: BEAUTIFUL CHAOS, book #3
Authors: Kami Garcia/Margaret Stohl
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: October 2011
Pages: 528

I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with this gorgeous ARC for reveiw.

Intriguing Passage/Line: I was standing on the top of the white water tower, with my back to the sun. My headless shadow fell across the warm painted metal, disappearing off the edge and into the sky. I could see Summerville stretching out before me, all the way to the lake, from Route 9 to Gatlin. This had been our happy place, mine and Lena's. One of them, at least. But I wasn't feeling happy. I felt like I was going to throw up.

Description: 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.
COVETED!! A Must Read

My Splats: Stretches the bounds of the teen experience, while exercising the virtues of trust, hope, and true sacrifice.

Beautiful Chaos continues the journey of our magical couple, Ethan and Lena, as they strive to make sense of their blending worlds. It's obvious that both have important purposes, yet battle to accept their roles. They fluctuate from trust to forgiveness to pain and then joy--real life amid a make believe struggle. 

The end was a surprise to me, and surely inciting, giving me the hunger for more of the story. It captured a genius buildup, as the writers dropped snippets of information along the way. Seriously, I just had to keep reading. The writing is all kinds of awesomeness, filled with living descriptions and movement, which urge the reader to think.

From word one, I started pondering. Not just what could and would come in this story, but our world and how the inner working of the cast of characters is similar to life. I love books that do this. The story pushed me, prodded me, and stirred me. I had no idea where the story would take me, but I knew from the onset that I couldn't wait.

The world building was interesting and interactive, as it changed in reaction to the story's progression. The characterizations were brilliant, neat, and comfortable silhouettes of real people--people I'd love to sit with and play a game of cards with. 

My favorite part about this story was seeing it from Ethan's point of view. I am a huge fan of the ever-neglected male voice leading a tale. He's intelligent and sweet, yet also strong. The fact that he lives with a group of elderly woman made him that more interesting and desired as a character. For me, having him lead the story was a mark of wisdom.

(NOTE to writers: this is a great book to study character, plot, and inserting back story.)

Normally I post our YATT meme on Tuesdays, but I'm being interviewed tomorrow so I won't be posting on YATT. For more YA, visit these YATT Meme Supporters:
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21 comments:

  1. I loved Beautiful Creatures, but for some reason I never went on with the series to read the second book. It might be worth adding to my summer TBR pile. Thanks for the review!

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  2. These books are all at my library and I have not read them yet! I'll try to soon, I've heard only good things!

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  3. I love this series. And I agree Sheri, it's refreshing to read from a male POV for a change. I was surprised about the end too. Great review.

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    1. For me, I think that's what sold me on the story. I loved the male POV.

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  4. Hey, this sounds very cool, and I'm with you on the under-used male voice. I remember thinking it worked so well in "Where She Went."

    Great review! Is this part of the Beautiful Creatures series? I'll need to check these out. Thanks, girl~ <3

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  5. Just added this one to my list. Great review. :)

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  6. Okay, I admit it, I totally skimmed the review. But ONLY because I haven't read it yet and I absolutely LOVE this series. I can't wait and I didn't want to ruin anything!!! :D

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    1. Haha...too funny. I honestly try to keep any spoilers at bay. I don't believe I gave anything away. :D But I totally understand.

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  7. Sounds interesting!

    Just wanted to let you know that you were awarded the Kreativ Award and the Sunshine Award :) You can see the details here: http://yelenacasale.blogspot.com/2012/03/all-kinds-of-awesome-awards-want-to.html

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  8. I loved the first book in this series. I'll definitely be reading this one. :)

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  9. I had to skim over a lot of your review because I haven't read this yet, but I'm dying to!

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  10. I have book 1, but haven't read it yet. I'd love to read the whole series.

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  11. I haven't read it, but it sounds fantastic. Your review makes me want to read it.

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  12. Wonderful review--I love reading why someone enjoys a book, and it looks like there's plenty to enjoy here! Definitely makes me want to read it.

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  13. Sounds like a wonderful series to add to my TBR list, starting with Beautiful Creatures. Thanks for the review.

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  14. Great review, makes me realise that it's time to pick up this series!

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  15. I loved Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness. Book 3 did not disappoint. Garcia and Stohl did an amazing job of stitching together all the plot elements from the first two books into an incredible ending.

    As with the first two books, I was really dazzled that this story broke out of the stereotypical YA fiction and chick lit boundaries. I loved the story and my 14 year old son loved the story. I think it's pretty impressive that this book could hold the attention of a middle aged dude and his teenage son.

    I don't want to go into any details about the story for fear of divulging spoilers. Suffice it to say, if you enjoyed the first two books, you won't be disappointed by the third. Besides, if you've read the first two, you really can't stop now, can you?

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