Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Released: December 2009

Publisher: Little Brown

Audio copy provided by: Library and Overdrive

Summary: Goodreads

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. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever. Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them. In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

I know Christinabean has already posted a review of 'Beautiful Darkness' but I just had to let you know what an enjoyable experience it was listening to Beautiful Creatures'. With all the amazing books that have been released in the last year it is really difficult to pick a favourite, but for me, it has to be 'Beautiful Creatures'. There was just something about it that drew me in from the very first page and wouldn't let me go.

When we got an arc of Beautiful Darkness, Christinabean and I had almost came to blows over who would read it first. I finally gave in, on the condition that I got to keep it afterward - seemed like a good deal to me, right! Anyway, I decided that if I wasn't going to be able to read it before the publication date, I would reread the first one, just as a refresher. I got lucky and it was available on Overdrive and I downloaded it onto my Ipod. What a fantastic week or so I have had listening to this story.

I don't know how many of you listen to audio books, but if you do, you will be well aware that all is not equal in the land of audio. Most audio books are good, but some just stand out from the crowd - whether it's the narrator, the story itself or the extras, I'm not sure, but some are definitely better to listen to than others. Beautiful Creatures on audio was downright astounding.

The story is narrated by Kevin T Collins and he just made the book come alive for me. His southern accent for Ethan was enough to make your knees weak. Everyone was there in the flesh, so to speak - Lena, Ethan, Link, Amma, Uncle Macon, everyone - and I felt as if I could almost reach out and touch them. The bonuses on this recording were the fantastic sound effects. Remember how Lena can affect the weather? Well the sounds of rain, thunder, wind etc were right in there. Fires crackled, glass shattered, doors creaked and slammed - WOW. I think I can say quite truthfully that, for me, this was the best audio book I've listened to yet.

If you've been toying with the idea of trying audio books and you enjoyed Beautiful Creatures, try it out on audio. It was sooooooo good.