In the library, they touch Genevieve's locket again and discover the source of the curse on the Duchannes family of Casters. The day of Lena's 16th birthday, Ethan goes to Ravenwood Manor to see her. Back in Gatlin, when Ethan goes to see Lena at her mansion, she reveals to him that she is going to run away before her family leaves and that she has put a Cast on him, one that will make sure he is unable to tell anyone even if he wants to. Lena is described as a frighteningly beautiful girl with deep and shining green eyes that change shades according to current emotion and whose dark curly hair is highlighted by her pale skin. In the last chapter of the book, the "after" part of it, Ridley, who has completely lost her Siren powers and is now a mortal, is shown in her room. Lena also has said that her powers can almost always be triggered by an emotional reaction. It is something of a running gag in the series for Lena to accidentally set random objects on fire. I am looking forward to the movie. Despite these problems, the two both manage to get past this by the end of the novel and become stronger together; kissing passionately as a way to make up for all the trouble until Ethan must pull back to avoid further physical harm from the kiss. It was a refreshing step back into reading Young Adult Fantasy. Sarafine had initially been a good person with a loving personality until she went Dark and started to follow Abraham and became cruel and cold. Lena would try to make an effort to make friends and even tried out for a spot on the newspaper club of one of her schools, but was lied to that all the spots were already filled up (even though there were so few students on the team that they could never print on time). Kamis first graphic novel Teen Titans: Raven, with artist Gabriel Picolo, is the first book in her TEEN TITANS series for DC Comics and the adult series JOKER/HARLEY: CRIMINAL SANITY, from DC Black Label. As he falls he thinks of only one thingLena. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation . When Ethan arrives at school, he hears about a new girl in town, Lena Duchannes. She and Ridley seem to have a somewhat tense relationship throughout the novel, due to Ridley's new transformation as a new Dark Siren, but it is implied they still do care for each other. (Though Ethan is later revived by Lena and Amma.). Amma tries to get Ethan to leave but he says that he cant, acknowledging that he had no other choice, but to go ahead with the sacrifice. Ethan follows Amma to her own home, where he watches as she goes out to the swamp and meets Lena's uncle, Macon Ravenwood. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Lena and Ethan become bound together by a deep, powerful love. Lena barely even hid her feelings of hatred about her towards Liv herself. Macon is upset that Amma has not stopped Ethan from meeting with Lena, as it could be dangerous for both teenagers. If she chooses to go Light, all the Dark Casters in her family will die, including Uncle Macon. Lena's best sign, something Ethan has taken note of, of when she is about to use her powers is when her hair starts to curl starting at the very ends; a trade note usually before something like a light bulb shatters or the winds pick up- this all a warning sign of Lena about to use her powers in the midst of what is usually anger. Ethan states he didn't have a choice. With the help of Ridley (who loses her powers after an encounter with Sarafine through the journey), Link and Lucille, Ethan's Great Aunt's cat, the one who keeps disappearing, they find The Great Barrier, the place Sarafine is leading Lena to, after sometime in the Caster Tunnels. In order to help the teenagers fight off the Incubuses and Dark Casters inside the Sea Cave, Leah Ravenwood, Macon's sister and a Succubus, goes with them. Lena (before meeting Ethan) was a loner having always stuck to herself and being very mysterious, always by herself and very lonely. But when Ethan urged her to go with him, Lena did not hesitate to kiss him in a somewhat overly passionate manner before shooting a look directly at Liv "meaningfully.") However, her 16th birthday arrives and her evil mother, Sarafine, comes and causes mayhem in some woods trying to convince her daughter to turn Dark. It was a good read, but I thought it fell a little flat. In one last attempt to save Ethan, Amma calls on the Greats to try to save Ethan but they turn their backs on her (literally) knowing there was nothing they can do, leaving Amma in despair. The entire thing. Ethan and Lena need to find the Book of Moons, and they think it might have been buried with Genevieve. Meanwhile, little time after, Liv and Ethan both come to the conclusion that Sarafine was trying to pull the seventeenth moon out of time to get Lena to claim herself. Once outside, Macon has Green Caster eyes, which confirms that he has switched from an Incubus to a Caster. Despite all this, Ethan and Lena are . He also explains how Lila Jane's ghost helped him once The Book of Moons took his life by capturing him inside the Arclight; thereby giving him the chance to be freed and live again. Green eyes, black hair. (My first book rating, be gentle..). Alice Englert was officially announced to be set to portray Lena in the film adaptation of Beautiful Creatures and upcoming franchise of the series. Lena's choice is a complicated one: If she chooses to go Dark, all the Light Casters in her family will die. Though there are some people who are happy with Englert being cast as Lena, other people have also commented that she isn't as "goth" or "dark" as they imagined Lena to be as they imagined her in the book series. Inside the cave, John is holding an unconscious Lena, who has no idea where she is or what she is doing. Throughout the book, Ethan slowly begins losing himself even more. Fun reads. Despite fans wariness of how Englert will bring Lena to the big screen, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl have both stated that Englert, having visited the movie set while the movie was being filmed, is "exactly the way they pictured Lena.". But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. He then meets up with her and her eyes are red and puffy from crying and they talk. Lena and Ethan soon find out her claiming herself as both Light and Dark has had an effect on Gatlin and the Caster World that might end in destruction because now Order is in complete and wild chaos. Throughout Ethan and Lena's conversation, Liv shows up. Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. The manga adaptation of the novel was released in February, 2013, under the same title. Ridley takes the Arclight out of its hiding place and looks at it, then counts down from three and something is "decided" - which is really her decision to lock John Breed in the Arclight. I loved this series, totally didn't have it on here until someone reminded me by lending me a copy of the first book how much I loved reading them. Before the team is about to enter the Sea Cave where Sarafine is hiding, Ethan understands the purpose of the Arclight and, with the help of Liv, is able to free Macon from it. He then silently says goodbye to his dad and takes one final look at his room and belongings and reads a book (Of Mice and Men, one Ethan often found tragic) for the last time. But the two manage to make amends and even become friends by the end of the novel, forgetting about their rough history together. Lena reminisces about the first time she saw him and how she knew she would fall in love with him noticing how even "the sky looked different" after she started to fall for him. Ridley reveals that this was a plot to lure Ethan away from Lena, since his love is her main protection from Sarafine. I thought this would be Twilight-esque as it is considered a "young adults" read but I REALLY enjoyed all four of the books. However, in order to search for the book, Lena and Ethan must wait for the Caster Library to open, according to its own magical schedule. She is a Natural, an extremely rare type of Caster who is far more powerful and stronger than all regular Casters are, also having additional powers that can be different for any Natural. On the last day of school, Lena tells Ethan that she and her family are leaving town. Lena is allowed to return to school. Get help and learn more about the design. On Thanksgiving, Amma invites Lena to Thanksgiving dinner with the Wate family. I fell in love with this series after reading the first book. Since Lena had very little, if not any, control of her abilities and power she often misdirected her abilities and power while in use. The authors have put a new spin on what has become an overworked genre of supernatural boy meets mortal girl or vice/ versa, etc. The Duchannes have it tough: they never know whether they'll turn good or evil, but the curse doesn't end there in the film version. However soon after this, when Liv's remainder of feelings for Ethan eventually dissolve and she falls in love with John, the two make up and end up becoming close friends, completely forgetting their rough history together. DOVETE LEGGERLO ASSOLUTAMENTE! It was a bit creepy and dealt with trauma, but all in all was pretty great. You're a Mortal. After kissing Ethan, Lena takes off into the forest and rides off with John Breed on his motorcycle and unknowingly after chasing her, Ethan witnesses this. The final chapter is of Ethan on top of the water tower and as he goes to the edge to throw himself over it, he is dragged back by his other half. . Their romance is forbidden since Casters (Lena) and a Wayward (Ethan) are unable to be together due to their incapability of making love without Ethan being killed - therefore severing any chances of true intimacy, marriage, children or a future at all. The two have since gotten to be significantly closer and somewhat mended their broken relationship. This causing Ethan to quickly say how he meant Amma and his aunts. By Manohla Dargis. The books are set in a fictional town called Gatlin in South Carolina. Beautiful Creatures is a 2009 American young adult novel written by authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl and the first book in the Caster Chronicles series. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! He goes to see Link and they spend one last day playing basketball. She is also the greatest, strongest and most powerful character in the series. More than anything it is a good vs evil and, as I do not want to throw out a spoiler, you will have to read them to decide what is really evil and what is truly good. Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles 1) Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. In the midst of the fight, Lena watches in horror as her mother stabs Ethan in his stomach with a knife, killing him. Ethan soon meets Lena's older cousin Ridley, a seductively dressed and very persuasive girl. Lena is in pain, and her family is reciting a Latin chant to stop a spiritual attack on Lena by a Dark Caster named Sarafine. As a half-Cataclyst, it is unknown if she gained any Cataclyst powers like Possession. Some fans and readers were left skeptical if Ethan actually died since it is not directly stated of his death. He asks Ethan if he's sure about his choice to go ahead and die. Arriving for his first day of junior year, Ethan notices newcomer Lena Duchannes . What happened to Macon's father, Silas? The Caster Chronicles Wiki is a FANDOM Books Community. Halfway between though, Ethan learns that Lena made a deal with the Book of Moons, a powerful Caster book, for Ethan's life after Sarafine killed him. Ethan and Lena played in the water. But Ethan is barely able to hold the two back from clawing at each other. Their relationship hits a huge roadblock in Beautiful Darkness, when Lena sacrificed Macon's life for Ethan's after Sarafine murdered him and was drenched in guilt about it. Lots of people have been asking what Lena's charm necklace looks like in the Beautiful Creatures Novels. However, Lena's Claiming soon has a monstrous effect on both the Mortal and Caster world more than anyone would imagine. He lives with his father and a housekeeper; his mother has passed away. In the third novel, Beautiful Chaos, when Sarafine is about to be killed by Abraham when he traps her in a circle of fire deciding to dispose of her, she begs Lena to save her insisting she has always loved her and only had did what she did to protect her, even calling Lena her "little girl." In the novel, Sarafine makes her first appearance in years attempting to convince Lena to turn Dark since she is given the rare choice to choose her own Claiming. They eventually find out a sacrifice needed to be done; the "One Who Is Two." Sometime after Macon's death, Ethan starts worrying about Lena, who has been acting strange ever since. Meanwhile, after his death, Ethan is also searching for ways to return to the mortal world in the other world of the dead. She is the daughter of Sarafine Duchannes and John Eades, cousin of Reece, Ridley and Ryan Duchannes and Larkin Kent. I found her distant and detached. ** spoiler alert ** This is generally ok as light reading--it grabs you and it's hard to put down. Lena, in a weak emotional state, agreed and even forced herself to break up with Ethan convincing herself that he was better off without her in his life. However, I kept thinking there has to be a good story somewhere and I'm so glad the movie lead me to these books. Lena's easily sparked jealousy even has Ethan on his toes. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, 11.27: Just Your Average American Holiday. The books include the following titles: Beautiful Creatures (2009), Beautiful Darkness (2010), Beautiful Chaos (2011), and Beautiful Redemption (2012). Fall under the spell of the Beautiful Darkness, the sequel to the instant NYT bestselling gothic fantasy, Beautiful Creatures! Later on however, her eyes take different colors when she was attracted towards and convinced to be going Dark, and therefore her eyes were amber or gold, or when she claimed and accepted herself as both Light and Dark, having one green eye and one golden one. But, it isn't a "canned" series by any means. Lena Duchannes, a girl who seems too out of place in Gatlin, There is a curse. I find it really difficult to believe that a whole town would gang up against someone when there is seriously zero evidence against him or her. Also when Ethan calls Liv "L" (Lena's nickname) Ridley threatens to make Ethan her "slave" if he "so much as thought about hurting her cousin". She has even almost stopped Kelting with Ethan and rather prefers to block him out. He even claimed to have had a mortal girlfriend but that "she just didn't understand" people like "them". She says that all the people in her family are Casters (spell casters) who have special powers. The whole time I was reading I knew how it would end (basically) and perhaps because of that, the challenges along the way seemed to be too easily overcome. Soon after they reconcile, Link sneaks through Ethan's window and interrupts them. 9. ", "Give it time. Drama, Fantasy, Romance. Helpful. The bokor tries to release his spirits but Macon arrives on the scene and tells Amarie that this wasn't her "finest hour" but Amma states that he would do the same thing for Lena his niece and refuses to have "her boy be their sacrificial lamb.". Lena's 16th birthday is coming up in a matter of months and she finds herself fearing and almost becoming fully convinced she will go Dark, terrifying her. When I first met you, that's what I remember. I appreciated the various struggles that the characters went through - and that there was depth and complexity to the characters and many of the situations they faced. Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich), 17, has had the same recurring dream for months. Worship begins at 9:00! At the end of the 3rd book, I had to go to work the next day with swollen eyes. By far my favorite book series that I have ever read. Ethan can overhear their conversation, as Amma tells Lena that Sarafine is actually her mother. But the last book in the series was the worst ever. Sarafine's fellow Dark Casters attack and kill Macon, and Ethan runs to Ravenwood Manor to get help. In Ethan's early conversations with Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert), he notices that she is reading Charles Bukowski's You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense, a book of poetry published in 1986. But, the movie was easier to write about, so here you go. This angers Lena especially after learning how Macon was not planning on telling her this detail until after Lena Claimed herself when it would be too late to change anything. For example, the relationship between Lena and Sarafine is ANYTHING but simple. The first book in the instant NYT bestselling gothic fantasy series; a modern paranormal romance set against the gothic backdrop of an isolated southern town. Therefore having no future together to marry, have kids, be together like they desire, etc. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay . Her then-husband John threatened to take Lena, who was a baby at the time, away from her if she continued to see him fearing for their daughter's safety around her. Kami is a cofounder of the YALLFEST kid lit book festival and the author of five solo novels, including her Bram Stoker Award-nominated novels Unbreakable and Unmarked (THE LEGION series) and The X-Files Origins: Agent of Chaos. I can't imagine a world without you in it! This inciting even more jealousy on Ethan's part who was secretly watching these moments in visions due to Lucille, his aunts' caster cat, who was allowing him to see what she was seeing between the two. She is the coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures and Dangerous Creatures novels and her solo works include the YA fantasy novels UNBREAKABLE and UNMARKED (THE LEGION SERIES), YA contemporary romances THE LOVELY RECKLESS and BROKEN BEAUTIFUL HEARTS, and THE X-FILES . Lena is Macon's niece and he is her guardian during the time of her 16th moon in Beautiful Creatures. After a long time trying to get Ethan back, he returns on top of the water tower where he previously died. In the novel it is also revealed she was actually the one who murdered Ethan's mother. The major vendetta of all of the students and parents against the Ravenwoods and Duchannes is extreme and worrisome. Directed by Richard LaGravenese. I really enjoyed this series. 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