Friday, January 25, 2013

Book Review: Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

  
Title: Beautiful Redemption
Series: Beautiful Creatures #4
Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Publisher: Little Brown and Company (for young readers)
Published On: October 2012
Source: own copy

Is death the end . . . or only the beginning? 
Ethan Wate always dreamed of leaving the stifling Southern town of Gatlin. But he never dreamt that finding love with Lena Duchannes would drive him away. Lena is a Caster girl whose supernatural powers unveiled a secretive and cursed side of Gatlin, so powerful it forced him to make a terrible sacrifice. 
Now Ethan must find a way to return to Lena - and Gatlin - as she vows to do whatever it takes to get him back. Even if it means trusting old enemies or risking their loved ones' lives. Can Ethan and Lena rewrite their fate and their spellbinding love story in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series?

My Thoughts:

After months of trying to dodge the inevitable-reading the last of the Beautiful Creatures novel, I finally finished it. The past few days has been a whirlwind of goodbyes for me, goodbyes for the series I've read and loved for the past years. One quote was right when it said whenver a book series ends, every reader feels like his/her heart has a hole. And that's what I feel right now, that something is missing. I am happy for the book to end, and for everyone to have their happy endings, but I'm also sad because it has finally ended. Contradictory but true. 

Beautiful Creatures is the first YA series I've read wherein I loved the male POV narration.  I loved HP and Percy Jackson series, but they were more of the middle grade genre. Ethan Wate is like no other. His genuine kindness and honesty made me adore him. Plus the history of their little town, Gatlin, is so rich and deep, and I learned more about the civil war because of this book. Give that I'm not feom the Us, so it wasn't part of my education before.

Beautiful Redemption is a perfect title for an epic series ender. Somehow, the word "redemption" encompasses a lot heavy meaning behind it, and after everything that has happened in this series, Lord knows how much saving their town and each of their characters need. I don't know what I expected from BR, but it wasn't this. What Ethan went through had some sort of a road to saving grace theme. Seriously. Each character were at their best, and I did not find any of them the least irritating. The way where the plot went was so unprecedented I just found myself turning the page over and over until the end. 

In the end, the acknowledgement said Maggie and Kami's gratitude to the readers, the fans. But the truth is, thank you Kami and Maggie for sharing this wonderful story about family and town and long-hidden secrets, the beautiful creatures (that is mortals) and most especially love, how to love and how far one does for love.


1 comment:

  1. I feel the same! Caster Chronicles is also my favorite YA Fantasy series. :( You're from Philippines, right? It makes me giddy when I found Beautiful Creatures Filipino fans 'cause I rarely do! :)

    -Anne
    http://www.tearsofasiren.blogspot.com

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