Morgan's Musings: December 2014

Monday, December 22, 2014

Gatlin County

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Rating: 5 Stars

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“There was a girl. There was a curse. And in the end there was a grave. I never even saw it coming.”

It seems that everywhere I turn, someone is reading this book, so obviously I just had to join the party. This story is narrated by Ethan Wate, the male protagonist, and takes place in boring Gatlin, South Carolina full of secrets that Ethan never even guessed at. The story picks up when Lena Duchannes, the mysterious new girl, turns Ethan’s life upside down. Stohl and Garcia weave a wonderful love story between Ethan and Lena; a story full of mystery, heartbreak, and the power of true love (as all the great ones are).

The book was a bit confusing at times because of the very extensive back story, but after a while everything just sort of clicked and made complete sense. The writing is so smooth and seamless that you would never guess it was written by two different people. The imagery is astounding and the world-building is fascinating. If you’ve been following along the past few weeks then you know that great world-building is a huge selling point for me. I can't wait to read the rest of the series! :)

Monday, December 8, 2014

The Land

California by Edan Lepucki

Rating: 3.5 Stars

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I listened to this as an audiobook and I think that is the main reason I didn’t like the book. I really did not like the narrator that was chosen for this book. I’m pretty sure I would have liked it better if I just read the actual book, or even if there was a different narrator. I usually don’t listen to audiobooks because I can’t concentrate on them, but this was offered for free through Goodreads for a limited time and it was on my list so I figured I’d go ahead and get it. The story itself was ok. It wasn’t spectacular, but it wasn’t awful. At best, it was mediocre. I had a difficult time finishing the audio because I just did not want to listen to it (again, that was mostly because of the narrator). At a later time I might go back and reread the book itself and I might revise my review. Until then, I can’t give an absolute recommendation either way.