Beautiful Creatures

An identity crisis of a book, with audio-problems

This book has an identity crisis. It doesn't know if it wants to be:

- a love story (a la Twilight) between a boy and a girl who's unpopular and different in some way;

- or a coming of age story of a boy learning to stand up to the different pressures and expectations of his parents, his mammy-style housekeeper, his friends, assorted bullies and the small-town mentality;

- or, a boy trying to understand the mysteries of his family - his mother's work, his father's reclusiveness, his housekeeper's superstitions;

- or, a guide to the dark arts in the deep South;

- or, a girl's coming-of-age story, her tale of grappling with issues of identity and abandonment, acceptance of her true nature, being different, bullied, etc.;

- or, the story of fantastical clan and their family issues, their powers, etc.;

- or, the story of an historical couple and their tragic love (though the reader gets dumped into their climax without getting to know and care for them).

So the authorS (part of the problem?), just throw it all together. I also have some issues with the writing, the lack of psychological reality in a boy who lost his mother mere months ago (not a spoiler), and think it needs a good edit.



There is also an audio problem with this version. Every so often - I'm guessing when the characters have some sort of mental flashback - the audio goes almost silent and there's a vague murmuring noise in the background. I've tried maxing the volume on these parts (only to be deafened when story resumes at normal recording volume), but still can't make out what's being said. Very irritating.



I'm sorry I wasted good money on this one.

16 of 17 people found this review helpful

Audiobook or Drama production?

If I choose an "audible book" I expect just that. A book read aloud by a good actor who if they are good can produce a range of voices - so much so that if done well you are quite oblivious of the change of characters voices from male to female. That's a fairly simple want. What I do not like is when sound effects and music are added turning it into a dramatic production. "Beautiful Creatures" was such a production. I found the constant insertion of music and sound effects intrusive and annoying. If I want the full works I'll buy a film. The storm effects on this audio were so invasive that it was difficult at times to hear the text clearly.



I have been using audiobooks for about 20 years now - on cds and now on downloads. An audiobook in my opinion should be just the spoken word. What can we expect next - poetry reading with sound effects

and a cast of thousands?



Perhaps it would be helpful if you could indicate in the write up that there are such additions then old purists like myself will know "to steer clear"

21 of 24 people found this review helpful

Disappointing

What disappointed you about Beautiful Creatures?

Having been a fan of Twilight and Hunger Games I was expecting this book to be a similar read. The connection between the two lead characters was a little lack lustre. The story didn't seem to flow effectively.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The end event was not particularly dramatic and as that was what the whole plot was leading up to, the description of what happened was not very clear.

Did Kevin T. Collins do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?

The main characters were described well but the supporting one weren't even necessary to the story.

What character would you cut from Beautiful Creatures?

Her other family members, his Dad and some of the school kids.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Interesting!!! a good read....

I really enjoyed the book and when I heard that last sentence, I wondered if it was leaving a door open for a sequel and immediately checked back here. Now I just have to wait for the rest of the trilogy and hope they are as engaging and entertaining!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Another Twilight...

So I've just finished this book and sadly it has left me completely underwhelmed. It was strangely reminiscent of Twilight in that it was love at first sight, teenagers wanting to die for one another instantly after meeting and all that. Only the protagonist is male this time and the love interest is a marginally deranged witch, excuse me, caster, who awaits fate's decision of whether she's good or evil.

What follows is a lot of angst, talk of destiny and loads and loads of talk about eternal love. Honestly, if you loved Twilight and are looking for something frighteningly similar you might actually enjoy this one. If you are, however, looking for any sort of substance, deeper meaning or even just a hint or realism, you should look elsewhere. The characters are flat, their actions predictable. The author has created a very black and white world. Characters are either good or evil, there is no middle ground.



All the adults are keeping the teenagers in the dark 'for their own good', however one wonders how any of the misinformation the teens are given could possibly protect them. It just doesn't make a lot of sense, in my opinion. I know that the author is trying to keep the mystery going but if she can only do that by making all the adults behave completely irrationally then she's not very good at creating a believable world.



Right so in short, read this if you love Twilight and just want something you don't have to think about. Consider it entertainment of similar value as cheap telly and you may even end up feeling satisfied. I shall not be reading the sequels. The weird cliffhanger at the end just annoyed me.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

An Intriguing Read!

Where does Beautiful Creatures rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

As Beautiful Creatures is the first audio book I have downloaded and listened to, it is difficult to say.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Beautiful Creatures?

There were several memorable moments, but I don't like giving spoilers.

What about Kevin T. Collins’s performance did you like?

I liked his narration and his attempt to perform all the voices with their owners personalities. He made the book interesting.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would have liked to have listened to it all in one sitting, but it's a near impossibility due to the length of each part. Plus the fact that I had to go to work!

Any additional comments?

I haven't quite finished the audible story, but I have read the book. I am now looking forward to reading the next book in the series as soon as I can.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Interesting and a little bit different!

I really enjoyed listening to, the voices being made to match the accents of the characters was a nice touch and the music and some sound effects helped add to the mood and immerse in the situation.



It was nice to have it coming from a make point of view and the fact that neither of the main characters were automatically the 'OMG I must date them they're so hot!' types. Although some of the magic still seems a mystery I think there is a reason for this and it will be explained later on. I look forward to the other 3!

5 of 7 people found this review helpful

Tween Market

This was geared towards the Twilight lot, but it was still a good listen. I really like it when it's almost like a radio play and they add sound effects, I find it brings much more of an atmosphere to the ears!

Typical boy meets girl, nobody understands them kind of thing; but added deep South history which made it more interesting.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Excellent read

An excellent, gripping story from the very first line, beautifully compiled and narrated very well with multiple voices which are very believable to be different characters would highly recommend to any fans of light fantasy such as the twighlight series or hunger games. A light tale of conflicting emotions.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Bland

The narration is pretty good.



A story for teenagers, but the themes are not big ones. It all just seems very dull. The magic system is undeveloped and unexplained. The characters are shallow and never develop at all. The small town theme is completely predictable. It just feels like it was assembled by the numbers.



I'm pretty surprised Penguin published this to be honest.



I cannot recommend this book for any age group.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful