I just finished Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, and WOW it was fabulous. Really likable characters, beautifully done southern gothic setting, cool mythology that actually makes sense (that’s one issue I sometimes take with urban fantasy and paranormal, when it’s like… in what universe does this set of rules make even vague sense?), and a message about conformity and love that’s just awesome (without banging you over the head too much).

Read this book!

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything…

Before his sophomore year of high school, Ethan Wate thought life in Gatlin County was life on repeat: same people doing the same things, winning the same awards, making the same speeches about southern pride. Except this year he’s facing it without his parents; his mother’s death from a car accident last year sent his father into his office and his writing, never to emerge  for normal conversation again.

But all summer, Ethan’s been having dreams about a girl, falling, love… and the inability to hold on to her long enough to prevent a disaster.

Some loves are meant to be…
others are cursed.
There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
At least, that’s what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end,
there was a grave.

Now it’s on to my first Eloisa James novel. Been meaning to check her out for awhile now, and getting A Duke of Her Own at ARWA’s annual holiday white elephant book exchange gave me the kick in the pants (…or book that I needed…) to do just that!