Beautiful Creatures – Avoid if Possible

When watching previews at the movie theater, I saw a preview for a movie called Beautiful Creatures. The premise of the movie looked like another teen-magic movie, but there were a few points in the plot that caught my interest. At the end of the preview, I saw the words popup “based on the novel Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl”.

I am a firm believer that reading a book is always better than watching the movie-adaption of a book. So, the first thing that I did was pick up the book at the library. I had been in the mood for a good teen-fiction book, but I had not found a book to satisfy that craving in a while. It was with tenuous hope that I started reading Beautiful Creatures.

I am sad to say that I am still looking for a good teen-fiction read. My quick review of the book is this – If you loved the Twilight series, you will enjoy this book. If you could NOT stand the Twilight series, you will hate this book. Unfortunately, I fall into the latter category and only finished the book by sheer force. LOL

The first 250 pages of the book are the annoyingly-standard teen relationship drama:

• Boy – I live in a small town where nothing happens.
• Girl - I traveled so much, and now I just want a normal life.
• Boy – You’re hot.
• Girl – I can’t tell you anything. I hate you. Go away.
• Boy – I don’t care. I’ll love you anyway.
• Girl – No
• Boy - *follows girl like a stalker*
• Girl – OK. I’m a supernatural being that can’t control her powers.
• Boy – OMG! I don’t know if I can be with you. But I really want be with you.

Seriously… just skip the first 250 pages.

After that, there are some slightly interesting twists to the plot, and the main characters finally start to develop personalities (if only very small ones). My favorite part is the caster library, because who does not like a giant, secret library. :D

The book offers two possible endings to the story, but of course, it takes the obvious third answer. There’s really no other option for it to take when you learn all the details of the original to options. I mean, they can’t kill everyone off, because then there would not be any potential for a horrible sequel or a please-spare-us trilogy.

As we get down to the dirty details of why I don’t like this book, let me first say that if it came down to someone reading this book or never reading a book, I would tell them to read it. It is better to read trash than not to read at all. However, that being said, I really wish that people would have higher standards in what they write and/or read.

What was bad about the book:

• The two main characters (and most of the others) had no personality. There was no depth to them, and they presented little challenge to the reader.
• The plot had a few interesting points, but those points did not make up for the glaringly obvious direction of the story as a whole.
• I know I write and edit for a living, but still, let’s use grammar check before publishing. Seriously, even Microsoft Word knows you are not supposed to start a sentence with the word “And”.

What was good about the book:

• I learned that I do have the will power to finish a book, even if it is awful. LOL

If you are looking for a good teen fiction book to read, please avoid reading Beautiful Creatures. Instead, pick up “A Great and Terrible Beauty”, “A Sea of Trolls”, “Terrier”, “Graceling”, or anything else by the authors of these books.

Remember, you do not have to settle for poorly written books! :)

Passion Blue by Victoria Strauss

Something I love about writing a blog and being involved in social media is that you are able to communicate with people who would be otherwise unreachable. This capability has made itself most evident by my opportunities to connect with some of my favorite authors, as well as discovering some new authors.

One author whom I have met through social media is Victoria Strauss, an accomplished writer of both adult and young adult books. I came across her twitter feed when another author re-tweeted one of Victoria’s posts. As fate would have it, we messaged back and forth a little, and she accepted my offer to review her book Passion Blue.

Summary:
Passion Blue is set in Renaissance Italy and tells the story of Guilia, a precocious young woman who sketches constantly and dreams of having a family. Growing up as the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy nobleman, Guilia received the distant care of her father and the scorn of the rest of the household. When her father dies unexpectedly, the lingering security he provided quickly falls apart, and his widow forces her to join a convent. Desperate to escape, Guilia seeks out a sorcerer with the power to create a talisman that fulfills desires. The talisman seems to work as she begins life at the convent, but Guilia must discover if it is directing her toward marriage or something completely different.

Thoughts on Passion Blue:
I was in the perfect mood when I picked up Passion Blue from the top of my to-read stack. I had just finished a very lengthy book and was ready for a story that did not have to force an extreme level of epic to be an accomplished, complete book. Passion Blue was a wonderful, relaxing read that ended with a flourish and left me with a positive thought.

Within the first paragraph, Victoria Strauss’s depiction of Italy, painting, and color drew me into the story. I love how she described the sensation of Guilia becoming thoroughly absorbed in her drawings. It was so accurate that I started having flashbacks to times when I have become enthralled with my own projects.

My favorite character was Maestra Humilita, who oversaw the painting workshop. While Guilia is an accurate character for a teenage heroine, I found that I was able to relate more to the Maestra, who had already discovered herself but still struggled against the limitations of a biased world.

The overall message of the book, that no one should settle for a life that does not match their true passion and talent, was fantastic. In my opinion, this is an idea that can never be over taught, especially when there are still so many women (even in modern places of the world) who have been raised to believe that a successful life is only accomplished when you meet someone else’s ideal.

To summarize my thoughts, I found Passion Blue to be a delightful, fun read. It is the perfect book to bring on vacation or to curl up with on a rainy weekend. I would recommend this book for pre-teen or young adult readers, as well as for those who enjoy historical fiction or works involving drawing and painting.

A special thanks to Victoria Strauss for responding to my message and giving me the chance to read and review her book!!