Review: Beautiful Chaos

by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
publisher: Little, Brown BFYR
date of publication: October 18, 2011
format: hardcover
pages: 528
source: from publisher for review
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

From Goodreads:

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.

What I Thought 

When compared to the novels that came before it, Beautiful Chaos begins with a slightly different tone. Gone is the bored, carefree attitude with which Ethan approaches life in Gatlin. Gone are the constant worries over catty schoolmates. Instead, there are more dire things to worry about and even more danger than ever before. Worry and despair are the names of the game in Beautiful Chaos, and be forewarned: things do get very harrowing.

The pacing of this book took a little while for me to get used to. It started out a bit slower than the previous two installments, so immediately my expectations were challenged. Part of the reason was that it was much more emotionally wrought than before, which means that there is more weight put on emotion rather than thought. Another reason that I think the story was slower for me was that the plot kept building and building before the really horrible things began to happen. While what was happening was fascinating, it took a little while for me to adjust. When I did, however, I was as sucked into the story as before. Things between Ethan and Lena are much easier to observe this time around, even with all of the worries they are surrounded by. The characters are much the same as ever, with a few exceptions. Poor Ethan, for example, is beginning to forget things he should know, while Amma is more elusive than usual. John Breed makes a surprising turn around and a little more about his past is finally revealed, which I really enjoyed. These characters make up the heart of this book and I was so glad to get to know even more about each one. I will just say that I was not at all prepared for the ending. Talk about a cliff hanger. I'm so very thankful that there is going to be a fourth book! Otherwise, I would have been one sad reader.

Pacing issues aside, I really enjoyed Beautiful Chaos. The distinct style of writing is still there and the characters are as amazing as ever. There is no way I will be abandoning this series, though I wish the wait for book 4 weren't quite so long. It's going to be hard to be left waiting for another year! If you are a fan of the first 2 books, you'll definitely want to continue. Just be prepared with tissues in hand and an open mind.

Obligatory legal statement: This finished copy was provided to me free of charge by the publisher. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.