Beautiful Creatures, Week 2

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of Beautiful Creatures. 

How long did it take you to feel like you were sucked into the story? I enjoyed the story right from the beginning. I'm kind of a sucker for mysterious books that involve some history. And, I love genealogy, so I loved seeing the family trees in the first section. Did any of those elements appeal to you? 

Lena was the most confusing character for me throughout the first section. I really wanted to have more of an understanding of her powers right from the beginning. I understand that the reader was left in the dark about her powers because Lena herself is confused about her powers, but still, I found myself wanting to understand more. I was really surprised when she broke that window in class, but I think that's just the tip of her powers.  I really wanted to understand how Ethan and Lena were able to talk to each other in their heads. And, I wanted to understand how they were sharing dreams. Did I just miss something in this first section, or was that stuff not really explained? 

The locket was also really mysterious. How shocked were you when Lena and Ethan time traveled when they both touched the locket? It's interesting that both Macon and Amma are so repulsed by it. Why do you think Ethan refuses to get rid of it, even though everyone tells him it's dangerous? Does he just like the connection to Lena? 

I liked how Macon's house was always transforming. That was pretty cool. I think I'd like the ability to change my house whenever I'd like. 

This section ends with Ridley, the cousin, shaking up the family dinner party. I figured that Ridley was bad news from the moment she approached Ethan, but I was surprised that she was such a dark character. I liked Ridley because she provided more information about Lena and why Lena was so stressed about her birthday. It's really sad that Lena won't be able to choose for herself if she's going to be a Light Caster or a Dark one. I have a feeling she'll turn out to be light, don't you? I'm interested to hear more about Lena being a Natural. I'm not sure what that entails, but it sounds like a powerful position. Check out the video below if you'd like to see how the Ridley scene plays out in the movie version. 

So, how did you feel about this first section? Were you left with more questions than answers? How do you think the flashbacks tie to Ethan and Lena? And, why are they so connected to each other? 

If you'd like to see photos of author, Kami Garcia's house, check out this link. It's interesting to see where authors create their books! 

I hope you'll join us next week as we read through page 386. I can't wait to hear your impressions of the first section in the comments!