Beautiful Redemption

Is death the end . . . or only the beginning?

Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small Southern town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secretive, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything he cares about. So when Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he has only one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves.

Back in Gatlin, Lena is making her own bargains for Ethan's return, vowing to do whatever it takes -- even if that means trusting old enemies or risking the lives of the family and friends Ethan left to protect.

Worlds apart, Ethan and Lena must once again work together to rewrite their fate, in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series.

*Contains Spoilers*

After our beloved hero died in the third book of the Beautiful Creatures series, we thought the story would end. After all, death seems so final. But Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl prove readers wrong, bringing hope to mortals and casters alike, in the final book, Beautiful Redemption, where Ethan discovers a way to return to the land of the living and that he was never truly meant to trade his life for the world in the first place. 

For the first time, Garcia and Stohl give Lena the main point of view as we watch the world move on without Ethan. It's odd at first, reading the story from another character's sight, but this gives the audience the ultimate chance to finalize their connection with Lena. Throughout the series, the bond between Ethan and the readers has blossomed, grown, and deepened. And now, we get to see why Ethan fought so hard to stay with the girl he loves. We get to see what happens after Ethan is taken away from her. It's almost like the authors wanted to prove that Ethan died for the all the right reasons, even if he was never supposed to die in the first place. 

As Lena and Ethan share the POV - readers also get to see what the Otherworld has in store for our fated hero. We see Ethan reconnect with his mother and Aunt Prue, even the Greats. It's a glorious afterlife with all the ones Ethan lost, but must lose again in order to return to Lena. The bond between Ethan and the reader will never be stronger after this book. While he faces down his biggest fears, struggles with the memories, and bargains his soul readers will be on the edge of a breakdown waiting for the final word. 

Oh how I wish it wasn't over. 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups

Beautiful Redemption (Beautiful Creatures)

Beautiful Chaos

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.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl give readers the third installment in the Beautiful Creatures series with Beautiful Chaos, and I wouldn't dare to argue with the description. It is nothing if not chaotic. And the ending definitely isn't the happiest one I've read. 

The struggle for love continues between Ethan and Lena after Lena chose to be half light and half dark when she claimed herself at the Great Barrier in Beautiful Darkness. Though, the consequences of her actions are fierce and are affecting the entire world, as it is on the brink of destruction and the End of Days has begun. 

Readers will see the relationship between Ethan and Lena shift back to (almost) normal while their newest problems present themselves. The main obstacle being that the world is out of balance. The bond between readers and Ethan will strengthen as he realizes what needs to be done to fix the broken world. He is such a strong character - in personality and in faith - and it's truly remarkable to be able to believe a character like him exists. 

There will also be a chance to further relationships with Olivia, Ridley, Link, and John Breed in this novel. Readers will get a deeper look at what drives these characters and opinions of good and evil will change with each passing page. It's a chaotic mix of fighting for the light and dark while the world suffers, but the characters in Beautiful Chaos will not disappoint. 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups

Beautiful Chaos (Beautiful Creatures)

April 2013 Wrap-Up

Great, busy month of reading here at The Coffee Pot. Benevolent, Branded, and Beautiful Darkness were my favorites. =) Trying to make head way on my TBR this coming up month. Hopefully I'll have enough time between the blog tours that are lined up. 

Beautiful Darkness

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.

*May Contain Spoilers*

The curse continues for Ethan Wate and Lena Duchannes in the second novel of the Caster Chronicles series, Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. After Lena narrowly avoids being claimed in the first book, certain members of her family are planning to persuade Lena into darkness while Lena herself is suffering a deep depression no one can pull her out of. 

As in the first book, the story is told from Ethan's point of view and readers see what happens to the cursed teenagers after they fought off Sarafine in Beautiful Creatures. Lena is falling into darkness because of Macon's death while pulling away from Ethan. He tries to support and help her through this troubled time but Lena refuses to let him in. She blames herself for Macon's death and through this situation we see a deeper side of both Ethan and Lena.

The authors show how much Ethan really cares for Lena, building on the connection readers formed with him in the first book. Readers also will see that he is even more determined, dedicated, and good-hearted. He doesn't give up on Lena, even when she ceases their kelting, breaks his heart, and runs away with John Breed, who has sworn that he can help her find peace and a place she belongs. 

Readers will be excited to see more of Ridley and Link in this book as they both play important roles in the plot line. A deeper side of Ridley is depicted while Link's unwavering loyalty to his friends will make him a favorite for readers. The plot revolves around two key situations: Lena isolating herself (seemingly going dark) and Ethan discovering more about his family's (and the Ravenwood family's) past as he suffers from intense visions. The visions are the key to help Lena truly claim herself, but Ethan must decipher their true meaning before Lena's mother preys upon her daughter's depressed state. 

Rating: 4/5 Cups

Beautiful Darkness (Beautiful Creatures)

WWW Wednesday (48)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

01. Currently Reading:
Lest the Dew Rust Them by Michael Drakich. Almost finished with this crime novel as the Department of Homeland Security moves in on The Sword Masters who are terrorizing New York City.

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. I'm so excited to see how the curse on Lena and Ethan carries over after her "claiming" was barely avoided in Beautiful Creatures.

02. Recently Finished:
Branded by Keary Taylor. A novel about a young girl who is judged for the crimes of others after they pass away. First book in a series that definitely caught my attention.

03. Reading Next:
Age of the Aura, Phase I: Champions of Power by Samuel Odunsi Jr. A science fiction novel where the hero of the story doesn't seem to make the cut as the galaxy is threatened to end.

Teaser Tuesday (56)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Beautiful Darkness (p.21)
   - Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

I took a gulp of my chocolate milk and almost choked. Sugar was too sweet, and Amma was too quiet. That's how I knew things had changed.