On This Page
Description
Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand and control the impact of Lena's claiming, which is even causing her family members' abilities to dangerously misfire.Tags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
Member Reviews
My review: This has been my favorite thus far in the series. There are so many twists and turns and I was always trying to guess what was going to happen next. It was action-packed and the secret quotient was definitely raised. The weaving themes of love and sacrifice, both romantic and not, was beautiful and it makes the reader look just a little differently at them.
The characters were as strong as they have ever been, as real as possible when created within the pages of a book. I was swept right along with them through their highs and their lows. I actually did my fair share of crying, ugly crying, at points!
Things to love about Beautiful Creatures...
--The mood. This is most definitely NOT a "feel good" book! But I liked that because show more it was raw and heart wrenching and real. The feelings that it evoked were intense and engrossing.
--The ending. Not that I wanted the book to end, but the cliffhanger was good!
Things I wanted more of...
--The supporting characters. So much of this centered on Ethan, which was great, but I have grown to enjoy a lot of the less central characters.
My recommendation: Love, love, LOVE so definitely pick this up! show less
The characters were as strong as they have ever been, as real as possible when created within the pages of a book. I was swept right along with them through their highs and their lows. I actually did my fair share of crying, ugly crying, at points!
Things to love about Beautiful Creatures...
--The mood. This is most definitely NOT a "feel good" book! But I liked that because show more it was raw and heart wrenching and real. The feelings that it evoked were intense and engrossing.
--The ending. Not that I wanted the book to end, but the cliffhanger was good!
Things I wanted more of...
--The supporting characters. So much of this centered on Ethan, which was great, but I have grown to enjoy a lot of the less central characters.
My recommendation: Love, love, LOVE so definitely pick this up! show less
Oh, oh, oh, oh. I'm still not over the shock of the last chapter. Maybe three-four chapters. Which I cried through the entirety. It's easy for a book to make me get blurry. Marginally easy for a book to get me teary. Rare for a book to make me drop out a tear or two. And it's been something like ten years since I was having to stop, breathe, wipe my eyes to be able to keep reading, which just started the whole cycle over again.
Bravo. Bravo. So much. It's still with me, and I've read two unrelated books since it and am in the beginning of Beautiful Redemption, right now, and this ending is still with me.
The books in this series just seem to get better and better as they go. The authors figuring out the things they aren't good at and show more excelling at that in the next book. This book was beyond amazing. Like nearly five stars amazing. Yes, only nearly. Because it was so amazing, this is why my only few problems with it stood out glaringly like someone dropped a spotlight in my eyes.
The characters, events and places are fully lush and amazing, every time we are in them or with them. But this one felt so haphazardly like there were too many of all of the above, and even if they were perfect when we were there in those place or with those people, it was authentic and perfect. But. When we weren't it was like those people and places forgot to exist any more, never got mentioned or thought of until it was conveniently a need for the storyline movement again.
Something I saw a whole lot of with at least two-to-five different people and somewhere around three places.
This was my only big problem, and even this can only really make me move my review to like a 4.7-4.8 stars. The rest is just that good.
This book was topsy-turvey and upside-down and amazing. I was glad to see that my biggest problem with the end of Beautiful Darkness (where the couple fall into each others arms like everything is perfect and there is no hurt, which soured me sad on that ending) was addressed in this one. Adressed by Ethan and Lena, by Ethan and Liv, and by Lena and Liv. I probably liked it best that it was so real in that handling, and that this whole subject, while it was an undercurrent was not the focus of the novel.
I continue to madly love Macon and Amma and everything these two get at. How much they know, how much they show, and how much they keep hidden. The Sister's still own me heart and soul ("Don't you defende vegetablism, Mercy. You know it's the last stop to not having panties or preachers." or some such). I am beyond deeply still in love with the Southern witticisms, and I cannot wait to see where the book takes us by the end. show less
Bravo. Bravo. So much. It's still with me, and I've read two unrelated books since it and am in the beginning of Beautiful Redemption, right now, and this ending is still with me.
The books in this series just seem to get better and better as they go. The authors figuring out the things they aren't good at and show more excelling at that in the next book. This book was beyond amazing. Like nearly five stars amazing. Yes, only nearly. Because it was so amazing, this is why my only few problems with it stood out glaringly like someone dropped a spotlight in my eyes.
The characters, events and places are fully lush and amazing, every time we are in them or with them. But this one felt so haphazardly like there were too many of all of the above, and even if they were perfect when we were there in those place or with those people, it was authentic and perfect. But. When we weren't it was like those people and places forgot to exist any more, never got mentioned or thought of until it was conveniently a need for the storyline movement again.
Something I saw a whole lot of with at least two-to-five different people and somewhere around three places.
This was my only big problem, and even this can only really make me move my review to like a 4.7-4.8 stars. The rest is just that good.
This book was topsy-turvey and upside-down and amazing. I was glad to see that my biggest problem with the end of Beautiful Darkness (where the couple fall into each others arms like everything is perfect and there is no hurt, which soured me sad on that ending) was addressed in this one. Adressed by Ethan and Lena, by Ethan and Liv, and by Lena and Liv. I probably liked it best that it was so real in that handling, and that this whole subject, while it was an undercurrent was not the focus of the novel.
I continue to madly love Macon and Amma and everything these two get at. How much they know, how much they show, and how much they keep hidden. The Sister's still own me heart and soul ("Don't you defende vegetablism, Mercy. You know it's the last stop to not having panties or preachers." or some such). I am beyond deeply still in love with the Southern witticisms, and I cannot wait to see where the book takes us by the end. show less
Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl continue to amaze and confound me with the Caster Chronicles. Things haven’t been right in Gatlin since, well, book one, and I still don’t know how conflict will be resolved and even then, there will be a happy ending at all. Book Three is the most riveting book yet in the Caster Chronicles. Garcia and Stohl had me devouring this book late at night, and I confess that I’ll be rereading this book just to make sure I didn’t miss anything in my haste to finish it.
As the title indicates, chaos reigns. This is a big book filled with many subplots, plot twists, and deep meanings just waiting to surface. Our friends from the past two books have grown into their roles beautifully. Time, tragedy, and show more history have molded them. They understand their positions and the threats that they must face. Ethan’s voice has matured so much, and the characters’ emotions and relationships with one another are definitely the strongest points to the story (in addition to the tension-ridden plot).
I want so badly for Ethan and the others to find a way to save the world and his doomed relationship with Lena, but I just don’t know the answers. Garcia and Stohl are certainly keeping them well hidden from us. All I can do is follow along and hope that they will give the ending that the characters deserve in a manner that doesn’t disappoint. (And I have faith that they will do whatever necessary to end the series in such a manner… even if there really is no happy ending after all.)
As the synopsis indicates and I have hinted, the ending isn’t going to be optimal, not at all. It is going to have your heart crying, and your book-loving soul anticipating the fourth installment. The Caster Chronicles is definitely a series that will continue to attract the more mature readers who want to see more depth to a plot. show less
As the title indicates, chaos reigns. This is a big book filled with many subplots, plot twists, and deep meanings just waiting to surface. Our friends from the past two books have grown into their roles beautifully. Time, tragedy, and show more history have molded them. They understand their positions and the threats that they must face. Ethan’s voice has matured so much, and the characters’ emotions and relationships with one another are definitely the strongest points to the story (in addition to the tension-ridden plot).
I want so badly for Ethan and the others to find a way to save the world and his doomed relationship with Lena, but I just don’t know the answers. Garcia and Stohl are certainly keeping them well hidden from us. All I can do is follow along and hope that they will give the ending that the characters deserve in a manner that doesn’t disappoint. (And I have faith that they will do whatever necessary to end the series in such a manner… even if there really is no happy ending after all.)
As the synopsis indicates and I have hinted, the ending isn’t going to be optimal, not at all. It is going to have your heart crying, and your book-loving soul anticipating the fourth installment. The Caster Chronicles is definitely a series that will continue to attract the more mature readers who want to see more depth to a plot. show less
This is one of my favorite series and it really means a lot to me. Beautiful Creatures was the first book to get me out of my Twilight obsession and start actually enjoying to read. Through a series of events, that book actually led to the creation of this blog. I find this series absolutely amazing. Beautiful Chaos just reaffirmed what I already believed - this series is going to be one of my favorites of all time. So far, Beautiful Chaos has become my favorite in the series, surpassing Beautiful Creatures (my favorite before) which I didn't even think was possible.
Chaos. The title really suits the novel well. After the events of the seventeenth moon in Beautiful Darkness, the combined Mortal and Caster worlds seem to be ending. Mass show more destruction, heat, and deaths are occurring with no explanation. Clearly when Lena claimed herself both light and dark, the Order had been broken. The end is nearing, now how do they stop it?
Oh my good golly gosh (replace with inappropriate but fitting profanities)!!! The plot was fast paced in the best of ways. Seriously, there seemed like there was never even a space to breath or collect your thoughts before you are slammed with more unexpected developments. Our favorite love-to-hate characters are back: Abraham, Saraphine, Ridley, John Breed... but who's side are they really on?
There were always consequences for Lena and Ethan's actions, but this time it effect much more then themselves - everyone's lives are in danger. The dire necessity to find the answer and ticking clock made this book irresistible and impossible to put down. The ending will make you want to scream, and that's all I'm gonna say about that.
Dark, utterly impossible and enveloping, this novel is sheer chaos, in the best possible way. show less
Chaos. The title really suits the novel well. After the events of the seventeenth moon in Beautiful Darkness, the combined Mortal and Caster worlds seem to be ending. Mass show more destruction, heat, and deaths are occurring with no explanation. Clearly when Lena claimed herself both light and dark, the Order had been broken. The end is nearing, now how do they stop it?
Oh my good golly gosh (replace with inappropriate but fitting profanities)!!! The plot was fast paced in the best of ways. Seriously, there seemed like there was never even a space to breath or collect your thoughts before you are slammed with more unexpected developments. Our favorite love-to-hate characters are back: Abraham, Saraphine, Ridley, John Breed... but who's side are they really on?
There were always consequences for Lena and Ethan's actions, but this time it effect much more then themselves - everyone's lives are in danger. The dire necessity to find the answer and ticking clock made this book irresistible and impossible to put down. The ending will make you want to scream, and that's all I'm gonna say about that.
Dark, utterly impossible and enveloping, this novel is sheer chaos, in the best possible way. show less
My Summary: It's been about a month since the events of Lena's Seventeenth Moon, and the town of Gatlin still hasn't returned to normal: there are lubbers everywhere, the heatwave hasn't let up in weeks, and the lake has dried up. In short, it's beginning to feel like the end of the world in Ethan and Lena's little town.
But that's not all that's happening - Ethan has been losing little pieces of himself: memories, phone numbers, and names, all disappearing from his mind without a trace. Worse still is the way Amma's been acting, and the appearance of Abraham and Sarafine - who, for some reason, think Ethan and Lena know the location of John Breed...
My Thoughts: This book is the hardest to review of the series, because I both loved it show more and hated it (in a good way). The writing, as usual, was flawless, and the character development gets better in every installment. It was great to see Lena and Ethan make peace with the mistakes of their past and try to move on with their lives, and I've really enjoyed the way the paranormal element builds in each book, teaching us more about the world of the Casters chapter by chapter instead of dumping a bunch of information on the reader all at once. But man, this one had some major angst (which I love, as you all should know, but my wee piggy heart can only handle so much!). You could feel the pain Ethan was in, watching his life unravel, and you couldn't help feeling for Lena as you watched her learn the truth about her mother. In short, I loved this book. It was amazing, and I seriously have no clue how I'll be able to wait for next fall to read the last one in the series.
Final Thoughts: If you're looking for a refreshing change from the usual vampire/werewolf/faerie book, I definitely recommend this series! Check it out! The use of a male first-person narrative makes it all the more interesting, and the new take on the paranormal element makes for a great read. show less
But that's not all that's happening - Ethan has been losing little pieces of himself: memories, phone numbers, and names, all disappearing from his mind without a trace. Worse still is the way Amma's been acting, and the appearance of Abraham and Sarafine - who, for some reason, think Ethan and Lena know the location of John Breed...
My Thoughts: This book is the hardest to review of the series, because I both loved it show more and hated it (in a good way). The writing, as usual, was flawless, and the character development gets better in every installment. It was great to see Lena and Ethan make peace with the mistakes of their past and try to move on with their lives, and I've really enjoyed the way the paranormal element builds in each book, teaching us more about the world of the Casters chapter by chapter instead of dumping a bunch of information on the reader all at once. But man, this one had some major angst (which I love, as you all should know, but my wee piggy heart can only handle so much!). You could feel the pain Ethan was in, watching his life unravel, and you couldn't help feeling for Lena as you watched her learn the truth about her mother. In short, I loved this book. It was amazing, and I seriously have no clue how I'll be able to wait for next fall to read the last one in the series.
Final Thoughts: If you're looking for a refreshing change from the usual vampire/werewolf/faerie book, I definitely recommend this series! Check it out! The use of a male first-person narrative makes it all the more interesting, and the new take on the paranormal element makes for a great read. show less
Waiting one year for this book after reading Beautiful Darkness was absolute torture. October was legit the month where all my favorite original YA series came out. Beautiful Creatures, Hush Hush, well they started my love for YA and a bunch of other genres. And after FINALLY reading Beautiful Chaos...well I have to say that I was not disappointed.
When I first opened the book, I was a little confused with what was going on because it's been so long since I've read the previous two books in the series. But everything quickly came back when the plot picked up. Everything was an absolute nightmare in Gatlin because of the Order being broken. The plot in this book was very exciting and nerve racking, especially with all the drama going on show more which I loved.
Another thing I love in this book is Ethan Wate! After two books, he is finally without a doubt swoonworthy in this book. He has grown up so much and finally doesn't seem overtly feminine like he did in the last book. My heart just ached for him after all he had to suffer through, right up to the end but I know that he cared for absolutely everyone in the book.
I also liked Lena a lot more in this book. It was nice for a change to see a couple want to be together and fight to be together instead of apart or even better, go through a love triangle. Thankfully, they moved on from this stage. Lena also matured a lot and it was great to see how involved she was in the relationship. So much more than she was from the last book. I could really feel the love this time and it was great. :)
It was really great seeing more of some of my old favorite characters. Amma of course, although she was more emotional in this book than ever before but for good reasons. It made me heartbroken to see her so sad. I also liked seeing Ethan's dad a lot more, especially since he's becoming more of himself. It was a surprise not seeing much of Macon in this book and he seemed more grave about what was to come.
But of course, my favorite character...Link! My dear Linkubus! Holy cow, Link was so so so precious in this book. Watching him going through his changes was strange but he was still Ethan's best friend through it all, beginning to end. And he loved Ridley. At first, Ridley and Link had a cute 'I'm going to make you jealous' game going on but then it got old. And my heart absolutely broke when (view spoiler)[Link said he wanted to take her cross country, just the two of them, because he loved her. I got so mad when Ridley said no. I mean, its so obvious they care about each other that it made me mad when she wasn't willing to go halfway because of her insecurities. (hide spoiler)] But I have a feeling this will be resolved by the end. Fingers crossed!
I was also pleasantly surprised with the twist on John Breed, especially with all that happened in the last book. I also liked Liv a lot more, especially since she only wanted to be friends with Ethan and she had her eyes set on another...;)
Overall, I loved this book so much. The ending absolutely killed me. As it was approaching, I could not stop crying because of the characters who didn't get their happy ending. But at the same time, there's still a chance for a good ending with the way Kami and Maragaret left it. I don't want to have to wait another damn year to get this book but unfortunately, time machines haven't been invented yet. Can't wait to see how this series finally ends.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars show less
When I first opened the book, I was a little confused with what was going on because it's been so long since I've read the previous two books in the series. But everything quickly came back when the plot picked up. Everything was an absolute nightmare in Gatlin because of the Order being broken. The plot in this book was very exciting and nerve racking, especially with all the drama going on show more which I loved.
Another thing I love in this book is Ethan Wate! After two books, he is finally without a doubt swoonworthy in this book. He has grown up so much and finally doesn't seem overtly feminine like he did in the last book. My heart just ached for him after all he had to suffer through, right up to the end but I know that he cared for absolutely everyone in the book.
I also liked Lena a lot more in this book. It was nice for a change to see a couple want to be together and fight to be together instead of apart or even better, go through a love triangle. Thankfully, they moved on from this stage. Lena also matured a lot and it was great to see how involved she was in the relationship. So much more than she was from the last book. I could really feel the love this time and it was great. :)
It was really great seeing more of some of my old favorite characters. Amma of course, although she was more emotional in this book than ever before but for good reasons. It made me heartbroken to see her so sad. I also liked seeing Ethan's dad a lot more, especially since he's becoming more of himself. It was a surprise not seeing much of Macon in this book and he seemed more grave about what was to come.
But of course, my favorite character...Link! My dear Linkubus! Holy cow, Link was so so so precious in this book. Watching him going through his changes was strange but he was still Ethan's best friend through it all, beginning to end. And he loved Ridley. At first, Ridley and Link had a cute 'I'm going to make you jealous' game going on but then it got old. And my heart absolutely broke when (view spoiler)[Link said he wanted to take her cross country, just the two of them, because he loved her. I got so mad when Ridley said no. I mean, its so obvious they care about each other that it made me mad when she wasn't willing to go halfway because of her insecurities. (hide spoiler)] But I have a feeling this will be resolved by the end. Fingers crossed!
I was also pleasantly surprised with the twist on John Breed, especially with all that happened in the last book. I also liked Liv a lot more, especially since she only wanted to be friends with Ethan and she had her eyes set on another...;)
Overall, I loved this book so much. The ending absolutely killed me. As it was approaching, I could not stop crying because of the characters who didn't get their happy ending. But at the same time, there's still a chance for a good ending with the way Kami and Maragaret left it. I don't want to have to wait another damn year to get this book but unfortunately, time machines haven't been invented yet. Can't wait to see how this series finally ends.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars show less
The third book in the Beautiful Creatures series. Swirled font laces the front cover, a gold and shimmering color. The outline of a gate leaving mystery and beauty. The cover perfectly captures the inside of the book; beautiful but twisted.
Beautiful Chaos tells of Lena and Ethan's continuous struggle to remain together after Lena thought her destiny was to go dark. We learn more about Sarafine, and how as Lena's mother, loved her daughter. She also struggled avoiding her destiny, a dark caster. Lena's father was a light caster and was accepting about who Sarafine really was. She learned about a cast that would ensure her daughters fate, to let her choose her own fate. Abraham figured out her strengths and weaknesses, and uses them to show more his advantage. Her husband unaware of the meetings that Sarafine was having with Abraham.
Lena and Ethan struggle to even touch each other now, Lena's powers to strong for a mortal. Massive tremors within the earth nearly split Gatlin in half. The balance of magic and mortals has been disrupted. All because of a girl with a cursed family, Lena.
My all time favorite part of this book is the perspective. I fell in love with they way the author writes Ethan's thoughts. She really gives him emotion unlike a boy in high school would normally be. She gives thought in her writing and her style is one of the best that I have read. I feel as though the book might not have been as good if it wasn't in his perspective. We really get to understand him and his mom and their family life. I think however that they should include more about Lena's life at home and in the caster tunnels. Ridley's character has got you wondering her next move, what she and Link really feel.
Overall, Beautiful Chaos is a fantastic book if you love fantasy with the romance just seeping in, but not to over powering. It leaves you gasping for more with a last minute cliff hanger that will get you on the edge of your seat. show less
Beautiful Chaos tells of Lena and Ethan's continuous struggle to remain together after Lena thought her destiny was to go dark. We learn more about Sarafine, and how as Lena's mother, loved her daughter. She also struggled avoiding her destiny, a dark caster. Lena's father was a light caster and was accepting about who Sarafine really was. She learned about a cast that would ensure her daughters fate, to let her choose her own fate. Abraham figured out her strengths and weaknesses, and uses them to show more his advantage. Her husband unaware of the meetings that Sarafine was having with Abraham.
Lena and Ethan struggle to even touch each other now, Lena's powers to strong for a mortal. Massive tremors within the earth nearly split Gatlin in half. The balance of magic and mortals has been disrupted. All because of a girl with a cursed family, Lena.
My all time favorite part of this book is the perspective. I fell in love with they way the author writes Ethan's thoughts. She really gives him emotion unlike a boy in high school would normally be. She gives thought in her writing and her style is one of the best that I have read. I feel as though the book might not have been as good if it wasn't in his perspective. We really get to understand him and his mom and their family life. I think however that they should include more about Lena's life at home and in the caster tunnels. Ridley's character has got you wondering her next move, what she and Link really feel.
Overall, Beautiful Chaos is a fantastic book if you love fantasy with the romance just seeping in, but not to over powering. It leaves you gasping for more with a last minute cliff hanger that will get you on the edge of your seat. show less
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Books Read in 2021
5,361 works; 114 members
Books Read in 2013
65 works; 1 member
Author Information
61+ Works 28,490 Members
Kami Garcia received a MA in education, and taught in the Washington DC area before moving to Los Angeles, where she was a teacher and reading specialist. In addition to teaching, she was a professional artist and led fantasy book groups for children and teens. She is the co-author of the Beautiful Creatures series with Margaret Stohl. She also show more wrote Unbreakable, which is the first book in The Legion series. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
77+ Works 26,756 Members
Margaret Stohl is a graduate of Amherst College, where she won the Knox Prize for English Literature. She also received a master's degree in English from Stanford University, completed coursework for a doctorate in American studies at Yale University, was a teaching assistant in Romantic Poetry at Stanford and in Film Studies at Yale, and attended show more the Creative Writing program of the University of East Anglia. She is a veteran of the video-game industry, and after working with Activision and Westwood, she cofounded 7 Studios with her husband. Stohl is the co-author of the Beautiful Creatures series with Kami Garcia. She is also the author of Icons, which is the first book in the Icons series. Her title, Black Widow:Forever Red, made the New York Times bestseller list in 2016. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Beautiful Chaos
- Original title
- Beautiful Chaos
- Original publication date
- 2011-10-18
- People/Characters
- Ethan Wate; Lena Duchannes; Ridley Ravenwood; Macon Ravenwood; Wesley Lincoln; Amma
- Related movies
- Beautiful Creatures (2013 | IMDb)
- Epigraph
- Tumult and peace, the darkness and the light -
Were all like workings of one mind, the features
Of the same face, blossoms upon one tree;
Characters of the great Apocalypse,
The types and symbols of Eternity,
... (show all)Of first, and last, and midst, and without end.
- William Wordsworth, The Prelude: Book Sixth - Dedication
- For our mothers
Susan Racca, who raises baby squirrels and feeds them with an eyedropper,
&
Marilyn Ross Stohl, who could drive a tractor before she could drive a car.
They are true Gatlin Peaches. - First words
- In Gatlin, it's funny how the good things are all tied up with the bad.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)As we rolled over the edge of the water tower and fell the whole way down, I was only thinking one thing...LENA
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Teen, Fantasy, Young Adult
- DDC/MDS
- 813.6 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 2000-
- LCC
- PZ7 .G155627 .B — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Juvenile belles lettres
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 3,639
- Popularity
- 4,468
- Reviews
- 103
- Rating
- (3.85)
- Languages
- 13 — Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 49
- ASINs
- 14