Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (REVIEW)

Beautiful Chaos (Caster Chronicles #3) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Genre: YA Supernatural - Publisher: Little Brown - Publication Date: October 18, 2011 - Format: Hardcover - Pages: 528 - Source: Purchased

Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending. (Goodreads.com)

Oh. My. Gosh. This book...Definitely worth the squee it received when I bought it, and definitely deserving of the Book of the Month title here at BookBreather. You know how sometimes you read a book that you know you're going to love and it ends up surpassing your expectations? Or how sometimes you read a book and you hope that it's going to be as good as the other books in the series and it ends up being better than all of them combined? Or how sometimes you read a book and you know that you could talk hours about it, fill up dozens of pages of words about it, but never properly express how amazing the content is?

Say hello to Beautiful Chaos. The third book in the Caster Chronicles was everything I hoped it would be and more. Infused with a little (and sometimes a lot) of everything I could ever ask for in a book. An original supernatural book with chill and romance and heartbreak and death and doom and friendship and family and sacrifices and mystery and marvelous, incredible, gorgeous, enticing, BEAUTIFUL chaos.

As usual, Garcia and Stohl create the most vivid scenes and world with their descriptions. When I read this book, I felt like I was picked up by a giant hand and placed in the broken town of Gatlin. Sometimes, I would look up and wonder for a minute where I was, then remember that I was only facing the cold from the ceiling fan I was too lazy to turn off, rather than the End of Days. They also created great emotion. Better than ever. I felt some sort of connection to each and every one of the characters, with the exception of John Breed who, despite everything, I still don't like.

But the rest of the characters are great. They have depth and distinct personalities, goals, desires. I am still struggling to decide which one is my favorite, because they are all so great. Ethan has a strong voice and a kind heart. If he was real, I'd want him as my boyfriend. Link is hilarious and always good for a laugh, no matter what is happening, as are the Sisters. Amma is tough and sharp, but in this book we get to see a side of her that is vulnerable and broken, just like the rest of the town. Lena infuriates me, but I still love her. Macon is awesome. Liv is sweet and smart and a lot tougher than she seems. Each of the characters have experienced major change and growth. The world may be beautifully written, but I think it is the characters that truly make the story.

I loved learning more about Sarafine. I loved seeing her struggling with the darkness, and discovering what made her into the vindictive beyotch she became. I also loved learning more about John Breed and Link's capabilities. Especially Link. Linkubus. Definitely makes me want to buy Dream Dark, which is the novella about Link. I also liked how this book carried more doom than the others. More doom and action and suspense and tension. Ethan is actually the one experiencing most of the bad things, putting all the pieces together, and falling apart.

The ending literally rendered me speechless - and bawling. It was shocking and heartbreaking and left me aching for the next book. Sure, there was one heck of a cliffhanger, but, my gosh, it was great. All in all, this is definitely on my top 10 books of 2011, probably even top 5. It was great. Amazing. Extremely close to perfect. It made me laugh, cry, gasp, and literally go, "Whaaaat!? What? What? Whaaaat!?!?!?" I loved everything about it. I don't want to wait over a year for the next one.

I don't care what other books you've read. If you haven't read Beautiful Chaos, do it now.

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