Beautiful Darkness
Karri Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Hachette Audio
October 12, 2010 / ISBN 978-1607887218
Young Adult / Fantasy
Amazon

Reviewed by Jo Rogers

We first met Ethan and his beautiful Caster girlfriend, Lena, in the book In this sequel, we come back to the world of Casters, which includes Lena and her family, and mortals, which includes people like Ethan. Ethan’s mother has died. Ethan and Lena attend Jackson High School, along with Ethan’s best friend, Linc. Linc has a crush on Lena’s Caster cousin, Ridley, a blonde beauty who has recently turned sixteen.

Like all Caster children, when she turned sixteen, Ridley had to choose whether she would follow the Light or turn Dark. Ridley’s gold eyes told the story. She chose the Dark side.

Once the choice was made, those of the family who follow the other side would die.

Lena’s sixteenth birthday is rapidly approaching. She would have to make her choice then. Would her eyes turn gold like Ridley’s, or the green of a Light Caster? The prospect of having to choose was tearing Lena apart. She would lose a much beloved member of her family whichever way she chose. She loved Ethan, too, but no Caster could unite with a mortal without killing the mortal. What should she do?

“Beautiful Darkness” begins where “Beautiful Creatures” left off. It got my attention as soon as the narrator started reading. It kept my attention until the very last word was read. The characters are very interesting though many of them aren’t exactly human. They all display human emotions and make mistakes whether they are mortal or Caster.

The plot is tightly written, and unfolds constantly, never letting the reader drift away, not even a tiny bit. You have to pay close attention or you’ll miss something vital. So, get both “Beautiful Creatures” and “Beautiful Darkness” and enjoy a couple of good books!

Reviewer's Note: Contains violence // Unabridged Audiobook 2 CD’s (MP3 edition)