Publisher: Little Brown and Company, 503 pages
Publication Date: October 12, 2010
Narrator: Kevin T. Collins
Listening Length: 15 hours and 56 minutes
Audiobook Publisher: Hachette Audio
From Goodreads:
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.
Sheri's Review:
I enjoyed listening to Beautiful Creatures so much that I decided to immediately listen to Beautiful Darkness. Given the listening length of book one (17 hours) this may not have been the best decision. As always I absolutely loved listening to Kevin Collins narrate the book. I enjoyed the first part of the story but then the plot seemed to drag on and on.
While I was interested in the new characters, Olivia, from England, and John, the unusual incubus-caster hybrid, I was often annoyed by all the bad decisions Ethan and Lena made in the book two. I very much appreciate that they are supposed to be 16 and 17 year old teenagers but REALLY it's like neither of them have any common sense in this book. I also hate reading books where the main characters' romantic conflicts negatively affect others. On the other hand, I loved Ridley in this story and just wish she could embrace the positive in others.
My favorite part of this particular book was definitely learning more about Macon and Ethan's mom's pasts and understanding more about Casters role in the history of Gatlin. I also love the great-aunts. They make me laugh, probably because they remind me of people in my own life.
Even though it felt like this story dragged in the middle the ending was worth the wait and hooked me again. So wish me luck as I tackle listening to book 3 in the Caster Chronicles.
Posted By Sheri
I read Beautiful Creatures but I felt that one dragged quite a bit and was unnecessarily long. I am glad I didn't continue the series if this one drags as well. I really hate slow moving books. Thanks for the honest review :)
ReplyDeleteI have to admit length is definitely an issue with these books. But this might have as much to do with me wanting to move onto the next book in the series rather than having to wait a year for the next one.
DeleteI too had some problems with book 2 so I stopped listening after this one. But if book 3 is better I will continue again. I figured I'd finish the series eventually, I just wasn't in any rush. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteI love that you are also listening to this series. Do you like the narrator as well? Sheri
DeleteYes! Not the best I've listened to, but pretty good comparably.
DeleteHmm, the bad decision making is a big turn off for me. I already didn't care too much for the first book but I own the series so will have to read them someday. Sounds like there was some interesting backstory revealed, though!
ReplyDeleteIf you didn't like the first series I suspect you won't enjoy the next ones to be frank but you can always give it a try : ) Sheri
Delete