Bossy Italian Book Review: Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

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I really enjoyed Beautiful Creatures....and it really left me hanging on. So there was nothing to do but pick up the next book in the series, Beautiful Darkness. It picks up right where we left off, after the claiming ceremony. Except nothing is the same. For Lena and Ethan, the world has emerged as a cruel place...and Lena is different.

Ethan is hearing a new song, and he's getting a new sort of education, one that is both confusing and multifaceted. Chocked full of new, fascinating and scary characters, this book builds cohesively on the first book with twists and turns that had me page turning at an astounding rate. I read this book in days, pushing through the last 300 or so pages in one day.

I fully enjoyed getting more of Link in this book, too. After his escapades in the last book, it's good to see him and Ethan all buddy buddy again. Turns out, Link is a great adventurer and an even better friend. Marian also brings it in this book, delivering Liv, a great new character that you will instantly love and feel complicated about.

One of things that I loved the most about this book was that I thought that I was going to be able to predict where things were going, and then...I was wrong. I love when that happens. It can be difficult to write books that are full of great plot and Beautiful Darkness really delivers on this point.

AND, I would like to take a moment to appreciate the painting this book creates. Gatlin is so colorful to me, and the people so real. I attribute this to the fact that the authors of this book have a perfect way of writing the dialogue that gives them voice as well as great (even humorous) descriptions and idiosyncrasies that make them three dimensional.

Oh--AND! The supernatural world of the tunnels gets explored more deeply, which is both creative and mystifying. There were several gasp-worthy moments that really made me feel emotion and I loved it. There is lots of nail-biting adventure for both Ethan and Lena.

I have to say that I loved this installment better than the first book. I felt that the first book laid the groundwork for this book to be fabulous, so I have high hopes for the third, especially based on the great twist in the end as well as the nail biting cliffhanger on the last page!! I've already downloaded the third book, Beautiful Chaos, even though I fully intended on reading something in between.

Let's face it, I'm seeing this series through to the end.