BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

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.

Beautiful Creatures undoubtedly suffered from competition with mega-budget YA competition (Twilight, Hunger Games), which is unfortunate. This is not, nor was ever intended to be, a special effects laden blockbuster. It's just the opposite -- an intimate, beautifully crafted and acted film that captures the angst and humor of teenage love with the added complication of the conflict between mortals and casters.